Monarch Butterflies Observation Report

I am involved in the nonprofit environmental organization called Monarch Watch. Monarch Watch focuses on helping monarch butterflies, their habitat, and tracking their fall migration. Monarch butterflies are important to save because they provide biodiversity, have educational and scientific value, and are aesthetically pleasing. I help Monarch Watch by raising all the monarch caterpillars and eggs I find and tagging the adult butterflies before sending them on their annual migration to Mexico. Monarch Watch collects these tags and can then track the butterfly's migration path. This data helps them learn more about the behavior of the butterflies so that they can better help save the entire population which has been declining for years. Part of this decline can be …show more content…
I rear the caterpillars in several different containers, sorting them by size. The caterpillars need to be fed milkweed leaves at least once a day, sometimes more. Their cages need to be cleaned every day as well. These tasks involve serious time management and organizational skills. I also spend most of the summer caring for the milkweed plants that the caterpillars need to survive.Trimming diseased leaves, relocating predators, and removing pests is all part of my regular summer routine. The last few years I have only raised 10-25 monarchs a year, and I felt that I wasn't doing enough. This year I resolved to raise as many as I could. I have tagged 22 monarch butterflies so far and have at least 30 more about to eclose. I have managed to do this by increasing the number of cages I have and finding new ways to speed the cleaning and feeding processes. I also take it upon myself to educate anyone who is interested through social media posts and face to face interaction. I have inspired multiple individuals to plant pollinator gardens to help monarchs and other