MLMP Updates—November 2012

Carol Cullar, long-time MLMP volunteer, monarch citizen scientist, and Executive Director of the Rio Bravo Nature

Center in Eagle Pass Texas, sent an eloquent reminder of the magic of the monarch migratory phenomena and the

importance of understanding and conserving it. Her own memories and reports from others provide an account of

changes that have occurred in the last half century, and a reminder of the importance of the data that MLMP volunteers

and other monarch citizen scientists are collecting. Using Journey North reports of migratory roosts and spring migrants,

and MLMP data on monarch densities and milkweed condition, we’ll be able to better understand what happened

between spring 2012—when Carol and others saw high monarch densities in Texas and northern monitors reported

similar numbers—and late summer and fall 2012, when numbers plummeted; and perhaps what has happened between

1949, when the weight of roosting monarchs bent mesquite branches to the ground and 2012, when small numbers of

monarchs quietly drifted through Texas. Unfortunately, we have no data that tell us much about the actual numbers of

monarchs in 1949 or 1979, but it’s clear that something has changed. While these comparisons are disconcerting, only

by understanding their causes do we have any chance of conserving the magic of monarch migration. Your work is

helping us understand what drives monarch populations, and how we can conserve them.

Carol Cullar on the drought across Texas

Recent modest rains were enough to bring out the blooms, but not mend our water deficit in Texas. The number of trees

killed by drought across Texas is tragic. As to declining monarch numbers, one should ask rancher Dob Cunningham,

whose family arrived in southern Texas in 1949. At that time roosting monarchs weighed down branches on whole acres

of trees. When I came in 1979, migrating monarchs still bent mesquite branches to the ground along my back fence, day

after day in the second half of October. Most of those trees are now dead from our drought over the last three years.

My most vivid memories from that time are the rivers of monarchs flowing above my house. The passing shadows made

the sunlight flicker on the window blinds; it was like being inside a kaleidoscope. One late afternoon in 1999, Randy

Laurence (co-founder of the Rio Bravo Nature Center) called me from the new high school on the bluff east of Eagle

Pass, where a mile-wide flow of monarchs was moving from north to south over the valley. He could see at least 25

miles of this flow, like a rope in the sky that started about 15 feet above the ground and went up as high as he could see.

Encountering this river was so common that I could confidently go out to meet the arriving front of the migration.

No more. This year the winds were kind to us and a bit of rain refreshed the desert, but we had no reports of any real

aggregations. The monarchs quietly drifted in and early ones found a few tropical milkweeds on which to lay eggs. I did

not see any native milkweed resurgent from the rain,

but there were plenty of nectar sources. I saw 4000-

5000 monarchs in one evening roost about 1500 feet

long at the Rogelio Rodriguez ranch and 300-400 at

my house for several nights in a row, and a few phone

calls reported small clusters. This year's migration was

still better than the previous three, when contrary

winds blew the flow more than 100 miles to the west.

Low monarch numbers this fall are surprising given the

bumper crop of first generation monarchs leaving

Texas in the spring. It’s possible that this bumper crop

was, oddly enough, at least partly due to the drought,

which is devastating to fire ants. Spring rains promoted

widespread wildflower growth and good crops of native

milkweed, but did not arrive in time for a recovery of

the fire ant population. I really had high hopes for the

migration numbers this year.

Monarchs at Rodriguez Ranch,

10/24/12. Photo by Carol Cullar

The Magic of MLMP Volunteers

MLMP volunteers and trainers serve as monarch ambassadors in countless ways. Cathy Downs, a volunteer at Cibolo

Nature Center in central Texas, and Denny Brooks, in Midland Michigan, have used their monarch expertise to educate

others. Besides helping with a series of monarch citizen science workshops at Cibolo, Cathy is involved in a big way with

sharing monarchs with K-12 students. Ever since he took an MLMP train-the-trainer course over a decade ago, Denny

has been sharing his knowledge and observations with quarterly updates since 2008. These updates go to over 120

butterfly enthusiasts throughout Michigan, and are printed in his local newspaper. Besides leading a team that monitors

a local site, Denny leads a fall tagging program. The report below is an excerpt from his end of season 2012 report.

The Magic of Monarchs by Cathy Downs

I had been working as a volunteer for the Texas Wildlife Association for about 6 years with the Conservation Legacy

Program, teaching 7th-9th grades about conservation and local ecology through classroom and field lessons. During one

of the programs the subject of my love for and obsession

with the monarch butterfly came up. TWA was

enthusiastic about creating a Monarch Distance Learning

Trunk for schools, so my colleague, Gracie Waggener,

and I put together a curriculum, equipment, and handouts

that conformed to TWA format. The trunk should be ready

for use in spring 2013.

This work led to a request to participate in the TWA

Distance Learning Program, which sends a live simulcast

to schools not just in Texas, but nationwide. I put together

my presentation with live larvae, chrysalides and adults,

and gave four programs that day on monarch biology and

migration. I led students through the life cycle, showed

video clips of egg hatching, pupation and eclosion. We

were fortunate enough to have live monarchs eclosing

during two of the programs (just like I planned it that way)!

I also tagged several adults, talked about milkweed and milkweed habitat, monarch migration numbers, and

overwintering. First through sixth graders from 179 schools in12 states watched the simulcast, for a total of just over

6,300 kiddos. Six hours of my life to touch so many with our message. Isn't technology wonderful?

Michigan Season Summary by Denny Brooks

It was a strange year; we started strong but the season faded as the year progressed. March produced high

temperatures followed by freezes which were the probable causes for the loss of about 40% of our milkweed. The 2011

milkweed count in my MLMP plot was 3332; this year it was 1322.

Our first major influx of monarchs came in mid-May; on May 20 there were 63 eggs on 133 milkweed plants in my yard.

As the summer moved on, poor soil and the lack of rain at

my MLMP site stunted about 60% of the original milkweed.

Most of it never got higher than 20”. The rain picked up in

time to nurture the year’s milkweed seedlings; while we were

never in a drought situation, we were listed as a low water

zone.

As we moved into August, adult sightings started going

down; by the time migration was here monarchs were

scarce. From August 30 to September 30 I only had 15

sightings, including at reliable sites along the west side of the

Saginaw Bay—many fewer than in most years.

We were able to rear, study and release 18 monarchs

through the summer. My grandkids love to watch how thing

progress over the three week period. Next year is another

year of surprises, hopefully some good.

Cathy Downs, on left, was also an instructor for monarch monitoring

trainings at Cibolo Nature Center. Photo by Kip Kiphart

5th Instar on Milkweed Photo by Denny Brooks

Reader Feedback: Please send

suggestions or content for future e-newsletters! If you have questions about monarchs, Ask The Expert.

New MLMP volunteers get involved!

In 2012, 45 new volunteers reported data to MLMP. This does not

include volunteers who help someone else with their weekly monitoring

activities. We’re excited about this interest in monarchs and the Monarch

Larva Monitoring Project and hope that interest continues to grow as

volunteers spread the word about how monarchs are important to them!

One of these new volunteers is Ron Payne from Middlebury, Vermont.

Ron is a member of the Otter Creek Audubon Society and participated in

an MLMP training in May conducted by MLMP coordinator Wendy

Caldwell. Ron followed up with us recently to share photos and stories

from his first monitoring season.

Ron monitors about 130 common milkweed plants in a power line right-

of-way on the banks of the Otter Creek. His favorite part of monitoring is

finding and identifying everything he finds in milkweed habitats,

monarchs included. He says “normally my main focus while I am

outdoors is the birds, but having my head down looking for monarch

eggs and larvae opened my eyes to the large variety of life living on a

smaller scale.”

After starting the MLMP Ron “found it nearly impossible to walk past a

milkweed patch without searching it.” He has kept in touch with the group

from the monitoring training that he attended and continues to share his

enthusiasm for monitoring with the Otter Creek Audubon Society and

others.

Attendees at the 2012 Minnesota Monarch Meeting may remember Pablo Jaramillo-López, a monarch researcher studying land conservation and reforestation in Mexico. Pablo sent this report on the arrival of monarchs in Mexico.

The Monarchs have arrived! By Dr. Pablo Jaramillo-López

On the 6th of November 2012, we witnessed the arrival of hundreds of

monarchs that reached the indigenous community of Crescencio

Morales in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR). These

sightings were made while conducting a field trip to the reforestation

sites that were funded by the Monarch Butterfly Fund.

The butterflies appeared to be good condition, and

might have been headed towards their resting

grounds in the core zone of the MBBR. During that

same field trip, we saw a plethora of monarchs

wandering about the whole area and we wanted to

share this information with locals. After telling the local

people about these sightings, two community

members told us that they have visited some sites

within the limits of their indigenous community and

have noticed that the butterflies are already forming

colonies. These sites are not open to the public, but

we hope to visit them to see the status of the colonies

throughout the winter. If you look closely, you can

spot the brightly-colored butterflies contrasting with

the blue sky in the photograph (right).

Photos by MLMP volunteer Ron Payne.

Photo by Pablo Jaramillo-López