Here we are again at one of the most exciting times of the year, and although a new school year is exciting, I am referring to the fall monarch migration! Folks, it is happening, and all early reports indicate this migration will truly be spectacular! Those of you in the western portion of the Upper Midwest, as well as eastern Ontario, Michigan, New York and Ohio may be witnessing very high concentrations of fall roosts right now. 

It’s been more than a few years since we have seen a monarch migration as promising as the one that is taking place at this time - Dr. Taylor, founder and director of Monarch Watch.

While the numbers of reported fall roosts through September 3rd is encouraging, and is a signal of a robust migration, the estimated numbers of monarchs are also higher than seen in several years with 17 different roosts estimated to contain 1000 or more monarchs. A screen shot of the location of the roosts through September 3rd is shown below. To view a larger map and to give your students opportunities to follow the roosts, and therefore the migration, visit Journey North's Fall Roost Map!

Ever curious why tagging monarchs is important? 

Over the last 26 years, citizen scientists, like you, have tagged over 1.5 million monarchs! The question we are often asked is why do we keep tagging? We know where monarchs come from that reach Mexico, right? The answer is yes, we do, but tagging and recovery of tagged monarchs is about more than origins.

Over the last 26 years, citizen scientists, like you, have tagged over 1.5 million monarchs!

It’s about patterns that tell us what areas of the country contribute most to the overwintering numbers. It’s about the flow of the migrations, that is, how the migration progresses from its start in Canada to its end at the overwintering sites in Mexico. It’s about the influence of weather on migrations and the impact of habitat loss. It’s about the sex ratios and mortality during the migration and it’s even about events that happened 7-8 months before the migration. We are in the process of analyzing over 1.3 million tagging records and more than 13,000 recoveries and, I can tell you, the tagging results have things to say about all these points and more. The amount of monarch habitat is changing along with the climate and it turns out that tagging is one way of monitoring these changes. So please keep tagging from the start to the end of each migration. Your data are of great value.

-excerpt from Dr. Taylor's 7/24/18 blog post

Every content can incorporate the monarch migration to provide students with real-life learning opportunities. And how many students don't benefit from a little outside time now and then? Below is a very short list to give an idea of how you can incorporate the migration into your content. The opportunities are as infinite as your creativity! The maps referenced below can be found on the Journey North Maps page.

Math

• Use migration maps for number sense and estimation
• Use migration maps to create math problems of any operation  
• Use archived migration maps to compare numbers/data over the course of two or more years (to compare the exact date across years, select a date in the upper left part of the map)
• Analyze the correlation between weather, milkweeds and monarchs
• Create graphs using data and your projections

Language Arts
(Reading)

Science

• Construct a model to show the relationship between certain plants and animals
• Review map data and construct an argument with evidence why monarchs success rate differs by geographical region
• Explain how patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems can be predicted
• Research how human behavior impacts monarch migration, comparing and contrasting individual vs. group behavior
• Analyze the data from archived maps and pose your own research questions

Social Studies

• Follow the migration route and research places along the route (ex. geography, climate, culture, demographics, amount of protected land, etc.)
• Research the levels of endangered species and hold a debate to argue the potential listing of monarchs as a threatened or endangered species
• Brainstorm all possible roles involved with monarch conservation, and have students take on a role to research and to become

*Thank you to Holly Burgess, from Freedom Elementary School, for submitting the information and pictures above! If you would like your school to be featured in a future newsletter, please email me at matt.tucker@monarchwatch.org