Milkweed and Nectar Plant Phenology Project

Coming soon to a website near you – a new project to record the phenology of milkweeds and nectar plants used by monarchs. Phenology is the term given to the study of the seasonal progression of natural events involving plants and animals. In this case, we are interested in recording a series of “firsts” (first emergence of shoots, first flower bud, etc.). This study is needed to monitor the effects of proximate seasonal conditions and long-term effects of climate change on the plants on which monarchs depend.

These kinds of data are also needed to help us sort out the impacts of human-induced (anthropogenic) changes in the environment and those due to weather and climate. In short, we need to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the changing availability of the host and nectar plant resources utilized by monarchs. We will monitor 6 species of milkweeds and 10 nectar plants. Our goal is to create maps with isoclines that show the progressive greening up of the resources used by monarchs. For this to be a successful project, one in which we can make comparisons of one year with another, we will need hundreds of you to contribute your “firsts” from all over the country. We hope you will participate. If you have a Monarch Waystation, this project is another good way to put it to use for monarchs.

This project is a collaborative effort and we anticipate that it will be fully online in mid March or perhaps a bit later. Just before the website becomes fully operational, we will outline the program in greater detail and will provide additional justification and instructions for this program. The growing season for milkweeds and nectar plants is about to start in the south and it may have already started in some areas. If you are in the south, please start keeping a record of dates now, as the data can be submitted later.

Additional announcements about this program will be posted in the coming weeks.

We will monitor the following growth (or phenophases) for milkweeds:

– Date of first emergence from soil – the first shoots to break soil
– Date of first flower bud (no matter how small)
– Date of first open flower or floret on a flower head
– Date of last flower on a flower head
– Date of first seed pod (marked by elongation of the ovary at the base of a flower)
– Date of first open seedpod

For the nectar plants we will only record the dates of first flowering.

The milkweed and nectar plant species have been selected on the basis of their broad distributions, their use as season markers (e.g., American plum) and their importance to monarchs. The links for each species will lead you to distribution maps, species accounts and images of the plants and the flowers.

Milkweed Species

Asclepias asperula – Spider milkweed [Distribution] [Images]

Asclepias incarnata – Swamp milkweed [Distribution] [Images]

Asclepias speciosa – Showy milkweed [Distribution] [Images]

Asclepias syriaca – Common milkweed [Distribution] [Images]

Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly milkweed [Distribution] [Images]

Asclepias viridis – Green antelopehorn milkweed [Distribution] [Images]

We will monitor spring, summer and fall nectar plants.

Spring (April-May)

Syringa vulgaris – Common lilac [Distribution] [Images]

Taraxacum officinale – Common dandelion [Distribution] [Images]

Prunus americana – American plum [Distribution] [Images]

Summer (June-July)

Cephalanthus occidentalis – Common button bush [Distribution] [Images]

Echinacea purpurea – Eastern purple coneflower [Distribution] [Images]

Vernonia fasciculata – Prairie ironweed [Distribution] [Images]

Fall (August-October)

Helianthus annuus – Common sunflower [Distribution] [Images]

Oligoneuron rigidum (Solidago rigida) – Rigid goldenrod [Distribution] [Images]

Liatris aspera -Tall blazing star [Distribution] [Images]

Verbesina virginica – Frost weed [Distribution] [Images]

Symphyotrichum ericoides (Aster ericoides) – White heath aster [Distribution] [Images]

We hope you will participate in the phenology program outlined above. Observing plant growth and recording the data is quite easy – simply follow these steps:

1. Review the list of plants along with their pictures and distributions to determine which species occur in your area.

2. Create a journal (on paper and/or on your computer) listing the species you are most likely to observe.

3. Record the “firsts” for each species; e.g., first shoots, first flowers, first seed-pods, as appropriate, in your journal.

4. After you have accumulated a number of observations, visit the United States of America National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) website and record the data for each species. The USA-NPN website will have a separate section for the Monarch Watch plants by the 15th of May.

5. Be sure to make a note of the data that has been entered so as to avoid entering the same data at a later date.

This is a great project for classrooms, nature centers, families, and those interested in making additional uses of their Monarch Waystation habitats.

Revised 4-23-2008

How Does Your Garden Grow?

My interest in monarchs and monarch population dynamics is causing me to pay much more attention to the weather and to climates than I ever have before. Indeed, I’m now on a mission to educate those of you who might be interested in how weather influences plant growth and monarchs. For my own education and to record the growing degrees days, we’ve installed two Monarch Watch Temperature Loggers in our garden, Monarch Waystation #1.

The Temperature Loggers are small, relatively inexpensive, programmable recording temperature sensors. These reusable devices have a long battery life and can be used to record temperatures at defined intervals for days, weeks or even months. I recently downloaded the data from these loggers so that I might compare the temperature data from the garden with that recorded at the local airport and with the monthly mean temperatures for Kansas provided by the NOAA.

Winter is traditionally defined as the three-month period encompassing December, January, and February. The records listed in Table 1 are from 3 December 2007 until midday of the 25th of February. Our loggers were set to record the temperature every hour and to rollover and start a new record when the data limit has been reached, in this case in about 86 days. Unfortunately, rollover occurred – resulting in the loss of the earliest data from the first two days of December. Nevertheless, the data given for December and for the first 24.5 days of February should be close to the actual means for these months. Overall, the means are remarkably similar for each of these three months.

Table 1. Winter temperatures (2007-08) for Monarch Waystation #1, Lawrence, KS.

The mean temperature for December 2007 for Kansas, as found via the NOAA site, was 31.9F making December 2007 the 6th coldest over the last 30 years. The mean temperature for January was 28.9F, a bit warmer than the long time average and 11th coldest January among the last 30. These data are not yet available for February but this month has also been a bit colder than average. When all the data are assembled, this winter will measure as a tad colder than average. The mean temperatures for the garden are a bit colder than those for the state but this is not surprising since we are located in the northeast corner of a rather large state.

Of greater interest is the comparison of the garden temperature with those recorded for the official weather station for Lawrence (Table 2).

Table 2. Official winter temperatures (2007-08) for Lawrence, KS.

Interestingly, both the means highs and mean lows for the garden are consistently higher and lower for the garden than for the official weather station. The monthly means for January and February were at bit higher for the garden than those of the weather station. These differences are probably due to the location of the garden. The garden is in a slight depression and is protected to some degree from the wind, perhaps allowing heat to build up slightly during the day. However, being down-slope and in a slight depression, the area is subject to cold air drainage, perhaps accounting for the lower nighttime temperatures than at the official weather station. The differences between the two locations, though seemingly small, could have an impact on plant growth. We will compare the growing degree days through the season for both locations and will let you know if these differences are really significant.

Changes in the Composition of Plant Communities

Plant ecologists tell us that the species composition of plant communities is going to change as climates become warmer, as carbon dioxide (CO2) levels increase, as rainfall becomes more erratic, and as nitrification (due to the use of fertilizers and the burning of fossil fuels) intensifies.

What does this mean for monarchs? We aren’t sure but there are some indications that the total impact of these factors could be quite negative for the milkweeds on which monarchs depend. Increasing nitrification tends to favor fast growing plants (C3 photosynthesis), particularly cold season grasses such as broome and fescue. Most of these grasses are species introduced from Europe. Warm season prairie grasses, such as big and little blue stem and Indian grass (C4 photosynthesis) will be at a disadvantage; similar results are expected for increases in CO2. Erratic rainfall is tolerated better by some species than others and which species are favored doesn’t appear to be predictable but seedling establishment by perennials such as milkweeds is likely to decline due to drying off under these conditions. Perennial grasses and forbs (flowering plants such as milkweeds) seem certain to decline in areas with long droughts and steadily decreasing rainfall over long periods.

In general, the predictions are that grasses, mostly fast-growing introduced species, will increase and that flowering plants will decrease resulting in an overall decrease in species diversity. Further, with increasing temperatures the habitat “niche” for many milkweeds will shift northward. Whether milkweeds will be able to follow these shifts and extend their distributions into new favorable areas is an open question. Generalist species and good colonizers such as the common milkweed should be able to extend their distributions. The distributions of many of the more specialized milkweeds, e.g., those that are confined to prairies or specialized habitats, are likely to shrink. Specialized species will be at a distinct disadvantage since habitat fragmentation is now so extensive that it is becoming less and less likely that seed dispersal by these species will be sufficient to allow step by step advances to new habitats that may arise due to warming to the north of the present distributions.

Spring is Coming!

Spring is coming and so are the monarchs. As the temperatures increase at the overwintering sites in Mexico from the low 60s in January to the high 60s and low 70s in early February monarch activity increases. The butterflies begin mating close to the 14th of February and shortly thereafter a few begin trickling northward with the largest numbers leaving the overwintering sites in the first two weeks of March. Worn monarchs, presumably from the overwintering sites, are reported in inland Texas toward the end of the first week in March each year. So, it won’t be long before monarchs start another breeding cycle.

We have big plans for this season and we need your help on several projects:

1. MONARCH WAYSTATIONS

We need to increase the number of registered Monarch Waystations by at least 1,000. There are now 1,871 registered habitats in the Monarch Waystation Registry and this number needs to grow given that we are losing 2.2 million acres of habitat per year due to development. As we’ve said before, we need you to help us market this program. Please show your Monarch Waystations to others and direct people to our web site. Your efforts will help educate the public of the need to protect habitats for monarchs and other wildlife.

2. HABITAT OBSERVATIONS

We need your to help us track the phenology (seasonal progression) of milkweeds and nectar plants. We will have a series of announcements describing how you can participate in this program in the coming weeks.

3. MONARCH OBSERVATIONS

Please report the first monarch you see this spring. We need a larger number of observations of first monarchs to determine how well the spring migration is synchronized with the growth phases of the milkweeds.

4. DEGREE DAY LOGGING

In future articles we will demonstrate how to record growing degree days for both milkweeds and monarchs in our Monarch Waystation. We hope that these demonstrations will encourage more of you to use these simple devices to learn more about the relationships between temperature and growth and development.

5. MONARCH TAGGING

Another tagging season will be here soon but it is not too soon to urge you to order your tags now. Again, we will limit the number of tags to 200,000 and once these are gone, they’re gone. So, do order early to avoid being disappointed.

Tagging Kits and other materials are available via the Monarch Watch Shop online at Shop.MonarchWatch.org

Milkweed Seed Kits

Our new Milkweed Seed Kit contains four (4) varieties of milkweed – the monarch butterfly’s exclusive host plant. Included are the following to help you create or enhance your monarch habitat:

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)

Seeds come in individual packs (approximately 30 seeds each) printed with planting and other information. Additional species and planting details are available on our website at monarchwatch.org/milkweed

Milkweed Seed Kits are now available via the Monarch Watch Shop

If you are interested in more milkweed species and other butterfly plants, you might consider our Monarch Waystation Seed Kit (6 milkweeds & 6 additional butterfly plants). Either way, you’ll be contributing to monarch conservation by creating a monarch habitat so be sure to check out our Monarch Waystation Program to find out how you can register your habitat with Monarch Watch.

Monarch Watch Bookmarks

Ron Brancato, graphic artist and monarch enthusiast, has helped us create a set of six (6) amazing monarch bookmarks. Each bookmark features a beautiful photo on the front and related information on the back. Themes include monarch conservation, monarch research, monarch facts, Monarch Waystations, and more! Distributing these bookmarks is a great way to promote monarch conservation awareness – they make wonderful giveaways by schools, nature centers, and anyone interested in monarchs and Monarch Watch.

Packs of 60 bookmarks (10 each of the 6 designs) are now available via the Monarch Watch Shop – enjoy!

Reign of the Monarchs in Decline?

The Ventura County Star recently ran an article by Zeke Barlow “Plight of the butterflies” with the subtitle “Reign of the monarchs is in decline, but no one knows reason for the drop in population”. The reasons offered for the decline varied from drought to parasites to loss of habitat. No doubt it will be difficult to sort out the various causes and it may not be possible to assign a specific reason, or reasons, for the decline due to our incomplete knowledge of where the monarchs that populate the coastal California overwintering sites breed. Nevertheless, the article caused me to rush off to my favorite climate site (Climate at a Glance) to check on the temperature and moisture over the 1990 to 2007 period – the interval for which there is good data on the total numbers of monarchs at the Pismo Beach overwintering site. The precipitation and temperature data shown in the two figures below represent the Western Region that consists primarily of California and Nevada. The data for California alone are similar.

Let’s look at precipitation first:

Figure 1. Precipitation for the Western Region during the Summer (Jun-Aug) 1990-2007 Trend = -0.25 Inches / Decade. The Summer Average = 1.16 Inches for 1901–2000.

The first thing to notice is that there is a negative trend in the data with an average decline in precipitation of .25 inches per decade. This decline may not seem like much but it can have a profound impact of vegetation over time. The second thing to notice is that precipitation has been below average 6 of the last 8 years and only average the other two years. The monarch population has been in steady decline through this period:

Figure 2. Declining monarchs. Used with permission of the Ventura County Star and Zeke Barlow.

The temperatures for this period deviate even more dramatically from normal.

Figure 3. Temperatures for the West Region for Summer (Jun-Aug) 1990-2007 Trend = 1.40 degF / Decade. The Summer (Jun-Aug) Average = 71.62 degF for 1901–2000.

Temperatures have increased 1.40 degrees F per decade since 1990 in the West Region and have been higher than normal for 8 years in a row. If you compare the numbers of monarchs recorded each year (Figure 2), with the temperature records you can see that there is correspondence between the mean summer temperatures and the number of monarchs the following fall/winter. In general, when the temperatures are below normal the population increases in size and when it is above normal it decreases in size. Cool years include 91, 95, 97 and 98 all with high or increasing numbers. Hot years include 92, 94, 96 and 99-07. Notice that the population increased slightly in 93, the coolest year in the period and then declined again in the hot year that followed. The high monarch number year of 90 can’t be evaluated properly because we don’t know the size of the population from the previous year. A regression analysis will surely show that temperature explains much of the variation in the number of overwintering monarchs at Pismo Beach. However, such an analysis may be premature since we are not sure how many of these monarchs originate from areas outside the West Region of California and Nevada. Further, to apply a regional climate model to a single location may be going a bit too far. If it was clear, that the numbers of monarchs reported at Pismo were strongly correlated with the numbers of monarchs at all California overwintering sites, then a through climatic analysis might be fruitful.

Ok, let’s have a quiz. Why might high summer temperatures and droughts have a negative effect on the number of overwintering monarchs?

Here are some key words: metabolism, nectar availability, host plant quality, life span, realized fecundity. Got it? High temperatures and drought result in a higher metabolism, lower nectar availability, reduced host plant quality, shorter lifespans and an overall reduction of realized fecundity (eggs/lifetime). In Minnesota, the summer of 2006 promised to be the biggest migratory monarch population in 10-15 years but instead the population crashed due to high temperatures and a drought in July and early August that was coincident with the egg laying that produces the migratory generation.

How about the temperature and moisture impacts on plants? The key words in this case are: germination, establishment, growth, flowering, seed production, and disease resistance. You get the picture. Generally, long-term droughts lead to a reduction in the population sizes of many perennial species, such as milkweeds and nectar producing flower species, and leads to changes in the composition of plant communities with annuals replacing perennials.

Monarch Waystation Seed Kits Available

The Monarch Waystation Seed Kits for 2008 (item#125522) are now available via the Monarch Watch Shop (shop.monarchwatch.org or 800-780-9986). It is difficult to predict the demand for these kits and we have been conservative in assembling kits this season. If you would like to receive a seed kit (or give them as gifts!), please place your order as soon as possible so that you don’t miss out. If orders exceed our inventory we will attempt to create more kits; however, there is no guarantee that we will be able to do so in time for the 2008 season.

Each kit includes seeds of twelve varieties of milkweed (monarch host plant) and general nectar sources along with a detailed “Creating a Monarch Waystation” guide. Seeds come in individual packs (15-30 seeds each) printed with planting and other information.

The Standard Monarch Waystation Seed Kit includes (appropriate substitutions may be made due to seed availability):

BUTTERFLY WEED (Asclepias tuberosa)
SHOWY MILKWEED (Asclepias speciosa)
COMMON MILKWEED (Asclepias syriaca)
SWAMP MILKWEED (Asclepias incarnata subsp. incarnata)
SWAMP MILKWEED (Asclepias incarnata subsp. pulchra)
TROPICAL MILKWEED (Asclepias curassavica)
FLOSS FLOWER Blue Horizon (Ageratum houstonianum)
PURPLE CONEFLOWER (Echinacea purpurea)
TITHONIA TORCH Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia)
COSMOS, Dwarf Sensation Mix (Cosmos bipinnatus)
JOE PYE WEED (Eupatorium purpureum)
VERBENA (Verbena bonairiensis)

The California Monarch Waystation Seed Kit includes (appropriate substitutions may be made due to seed availability):

BUTTERFLY WEED (Asclepias tuberosa)
SHOWY MILKWEED (Asclepias speciosa)
TROPICAL MILKWEED (Asclepias curassavica)
PURPLE MILKWEED (Asclepias fruticosa)
SWAMP MILKWEED (Asclepias incarnata)
SWAN PLANT (Asclepias fruticosa)
FLOSS FLOWER Blue Horizon (Ageratum houstonianum)
PURPLE CONEFLOWER (Echinacea purpurea)
TITHONIA TORCH Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia)
COSMOS, Dwarf Sensation Mix (Cosmos bipinnatus)
JOE PYE WEED (Eupatorium purpureum)
VERBENA (Verbena bonairiensis)

Be sure to check out all of the information about our Monarch Waystation conservation initiative on our website. Thank you for your support!

Monarch Spotted “Way Up North” in 2007

From time to time we receive a monarch story that is so compelling and well put together that it needs to be shared. The following account was received from Mick Callas, who was inspired to write us after having a chance encounter with a monarch in an area of the continent well beyond the northern limits of milkweeds and where such sightings are extremely rare.

Greetings, Monarch Watch! My name is Mick Callas, and I’ve been an amateur lepidopterist since my Navy uncle brought me my first case, net, and specimen butterflies in 1958.

I’ve always had an interest in the butterfly world and a desire to share it with others. Retired now and on disability, I still love taking my collection to primary and secondary schools, explaining the various families of butterflies and what devices they use to survive in nature. This winged jewelry never fails to amaze children and I’m often amused when stopped on the street by some 30 or 40 year old who says, “You’re the butterfly man, aren’t you? I was in 6th grade when you showed them to me – now I show them to my kids.” That is very rewarding.

And the children teach me as well. One question that began coming up was, “gee, Mr. Callas, they sure are pretty, but do you have to kill them?” Good question. I now hunt them with my camera, and build “collections” of pictures.

Another fine recollection is when I was stationed in Vietnam, in 1968. I had no interest in the war, or painting my face black and going to hunt humans in the forest. But the butterflies! Oh, the butterflies! So I’d take my net and go hunting. Twice I ran into “the bad guys” – I was never certain who the bad guys were, them or us – but I never had trouble. I didn’t carry a gun and would simply explain what I was doing to these other young men, dressed in black with grim but inquisitive faces. They became mesmerized, so fascinated were they that this dumb white guy from wherever – Millionaireville, America – was wandering around, unarmed, and so interested in their insects. Then we’d smoke the peace pipe together and depart. This story got around camp, and the Captain came down on me. Confined to base.

So I recruited a small army of kids – children of the civilian employees on base – showed them how to capture, dispatch and package butterflies in triangular envelopes. The stuff they’d bring in! I still have a number of cases of those insects.

Anyway, the reason I’m contacting you…

I moved from Oregon to North Eastern British Columbia (B.C.) in 1979. Among all the other amazing things to do in the Canadian Rockies, was butterfly collecting. To this day I keep a sharp eye out for flutter-bys. Last summer I was out fishing, standing on a road, and an RV whizzed by. Something caught my eye – a large butterfly had gotten caught in the turbulence and crashed to the ground, right in front of me. Now I’ve been living here, 800 kilometers North of the U.S. border, for 28 years. I have three specimen cases to demonstrate B.C. butterflies – specifically Robson Valley butterflies. The Robson Valley is in the Rocky Mountain Trench, at an altitude of 3,000 feet. And here before me was a dying Monarch. I had never seen one, or even heard of one, around here. Oh, people say, “Yes, I see Monarchs all the time.” No you don’t. You see a large Tortoise or Fritillary. I saved the insect, mounted it, and showed it around. Without exception, those people all said, “THAT’S a Monarch? Wow!”

Later I got to thinking, “I wonder if this incident is really as unusual as I think it is.” Then I read an article in the Vancouver Sun newspaper on Monarchs, and an article on the web. The web article referred to Monarch Watch, so here I am, reporting.

Well…is it unusual? The web article “The Return of the Monarch” by Robert Sheppard (CBC News, July 30, 2007) mentioned in part, “they seem to be really expanding their northern reaches.” And that Monarchs have “developed a unique annual migration that can see them trek over 4,000 kilometers – from Mexico to the Great Lakes region and back in eastern North America, and from Southern California to southern B.C. and back to the West.” I am most certainly not near southern B.C. In fact, you can spot me on a map in Dunster, B.C., on Yellowhead Highway 16, between Prince George, B.C. and Jasper, Alberta. We are “way up North.”

Drop me a line when you have some time between counting butterflies.

Best Regards,

Mick

Monarch Watch: What is unusual about this observation is that the butterfly was found well north of the known limits of milkweed. However, cases like this happen most years. Some monarchs even make it to Newfoundland from time to time.

Sighting Location (zoom out for more of a butterfly’s eye view):

View Larger Map

Mick: The small village of Dunster (pop. 200) has a gas station/general store across the river, and is located 20 miles east of the town of McBride – the nearest “town”. Another 20 miles east of Dunster is the village of Tete Jaune, where the Monarch was found. Tete Jaune is a natural meeting from ages past – 3 glaciers converged there, so the natural topography of valleys – the main one being the Rocky Mountain Trench, at 3,000 ft. elevation – may have been how such an insect found its way here. Heh-heh…it’s probably how I found my way there in ’79!

An interesting bit of history on Tete Jaune…during the Klondike Gold Rush (started in 1896), it was one of, if not THE largest town in British Columbia, with a very dangerous, rowdy population of 8-9,000 people. There must have been a small army of Mounties to control the cutthroats, camp followers, and dreamers.

Monarch – Mouse Connection?

Logitech, an innovative company known for its keyboards, mice, webcams and other peripherals for your digital world, has begun using the monarch butterfly in an advertising campaign for their new state-of-the-art MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse. Oddly enough, this pairing makes sense – the mouse features orange LEDs against a black body and its “Freespace” motion sensing technology allows you to move the mouse gracefully through the air as you navigate your Mac or PC to listen to music, browse photos, or surf the web. It certainly evokes images of a monarch butterfly in flight…or maybe that’s just me.

If the monarch helps sales, maybe the folks at Logitech would in turn help support a severely underfunded monarch program dedicated to education, conservation, and research…perhaps one whose name begins with “Monarch” and ends with “Watch“? If any Logitech-ians are reading, please feel free to drop us a line!