Monarchs and the freeze in Texas

1 June 2021 | Author: Chip Taylor

by Chip Taylor, Director, Monarch Watch; Carol Clark, Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist; and Janis Lentz, Volunteer The following is a long report about the impact of the freeze in February 2021 on the development of this year's monarch population. If ...

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Nectar plants used by monarchs during March in Texas

25 May 2021 | Author: Chip Taylor

by Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch and Carol Clark, Monarch Conservation Specialist Introduction Extreme weather events can have short and long-term impacts on the flora and fauna of a region and can even have an impact on migratory species such as ...

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Insect Population Dynamics

19 January 2021 | Author: Chip Taylor

Insect Population Dynamics: Potential fecundity, realized fecundity and reproductive success I've mentioned realized fecundity from time to time in my posts to the Monarch Watch Blog. It's a subject that gets little attention perhaps because it is more of a hypothetical deductive ...

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ESA listing decision for the monarch

15 December 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

In a press release today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its decision with respect to the petition to declare the monarch a "threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act: "After a thorough assessment of the monarch butterfly's status, the ...

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Monarch coloration, milkweed toxins, and predation by birds

5 November 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

This text is both a preamble and addendum to the "Monarch Fallout and A Predator Story" blog article posted recently by Brad Guhr of the Dyck Arboretum (republished below, with permission). PREAMBLE Predation by birds has been offered as the explanation for ...

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Fast-paced migration this year

9 September 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

If you are a monarch tagger located north of 35N (e.g. Oklahoma City), tag when you can. This will be a fast-paced migration compared to recent years. If you hesitate, you could miss the opportunity to tag. Last year we experienced ...

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Monarch displacements and orientation

31 August 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

Lost and found In the spring of 2019, I cleaned out my office in Haworth Hall, the main biology building. It was an emotional trip through my 47-year career as a KU faculty member as I sorted through the artifacts that ...

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Monarch Annual Cycle: Migrations and the number of generations

3 June 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

The monarch annual cycle is quite extraordinary since it involves an overwintering phase that follows a long fall migration, a remigration in the spring and a succession of generations before the start of the next fall migration. This pattern is ...

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Monarch Population Status

1 May 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

As of yesterday (30 April), the numbers are only 4 and 16 and that’s the way I like 'em. The 4 is the number of sightings of monarchs North of 40°N on the Journey North website. Four is enough, I ...

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Monarch Population Status

20 April 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

I have a confession to make. Well, actually, several. First, at this writing (12 April), I have no idea as to whether the monarch population is likely to increase or decrease this year. The signals are mixed. March temperatures in ...

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