Monarchs, milkweeds and O. e.: It’s time for a more holistic approach

19 April 2022 | Author: Chip Taylor

There have been many papers written on the relationship between monarchs and their neogregarine parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, hereafter referred to as O.e. These papers have covered a number of topics including, infection rates, how spores are distributed by infected adults, ...

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Western Monarchs

6 January 2022 | Author: Chip Taylor

My father was a Certified Public Accountant, and had I demonstrated a facility for numbers, I might have become a CPA as well. Instead, I became a biologist which I naively assumed would mean that I wouldn't have to work ...

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Monarch rearing, tagging and releasing survey

6 July 2021 | Author: Chip Taylor

INTRODUCTION In the middle of Covid-19 last June, we conducted a survey of those who rear, tag and release monarchs. Life has been interrupted in many ways over the past year, and we are just now getting around to summarizing the ...

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Monarch population crash in 2013

11 June 2021 | Author: Chip Taylor

What contributed to the monarch population crash in 2013? The text below was written at the time the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was evaluating evidence of all aspects of the monarch population prior to determining whether the monarch should be ...

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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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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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Why monarchs are an enzyme – Part 3

6 March 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

Why monarchs are an enzyme - Part 1 Why monarchs are an enzyme - Part 2 In Part 2 of this tutorial on monarch demography, I dealt with realized fecundity and age to first reproduction with the promise that the next topic ...

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Why monarchs are an enzyme – Part 2

25 February 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

See Why monarchs are an enzyme - Part 1 posted earlier this month. What the heck is realized fecundity/fertility and why is it important? A term I mention from time to time in my talks is realized fecundity. Add to that, I ...

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Why monarchs are an enzyme – Part 1

10 February 2020 | Author: Chip Taylor

Monarchs are an enzyme or rather a complex set of enzymes that interact with the physical environment in a deterministic manner. In this article, I’m going to argue that the responses of monarchs to physical conditions are determined by their ...

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