Monarch Migrations: how Citizens help Scientists learn about the Lives of Butterflies
A Monarch Butterfly. Photo by Kyle Glenn via Unsplash
The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a highly recognisable and distinctive butterfly species, most common in North America but also are found all over the world. Monacrh populations have plummeted in the last few decades due to myriad environmental impacts, and scientists and researchers have solicited the assistance of the public to help build more knowledge about the butterflies’ altered migratory patterns.
‘Citizen science’ is a methodology of research in which volunteer members of the general public “partner with scientists to collect information and answer real-world questions” (source: EOL.org). This has recently become a useful tool in studying monarch migration. According to a Smithsonian Magazine article from March 2020, the “ Western Monarch Count found that the iconic butterfly population was down 99 percent from populations 40 years ago,” prompting the establishment of the Monarch Count citizen science programme which relied on public photos of monarchs to fill in missing information about migratory locations and patterns through April 22.
More: check out the Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, CA, the only state Monarch Preserve in California; accessible to the public year round, the monarchs are present during fall to early winter on the California Coast.)
Further reading: “Monarch butterflies’ spectacular migration is at risk – an ambitious new plan aims to help save it” (D. André Green II, 18 Sept 2020, ProPublica)
Below: the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL)’s podcast on how citizens around the Americas help the butterflies on their migration routes through tagging data systems and an extended video version via YouTube can be played below (see all EOL podcasts here).
A story about the migration of the eastern population of monarch butterflies in North America. EOL via YouTube
About EOL
Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is, according to CreativeCommons.org, “an online collaborative encyclopedia providing global access to knowledge about biological life on earth.” It provides free use multimedia resources for education, research, and general purpose - including podcasts, articles, YouTube videos, education tools, and more. They are hosted by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and partner with select global participating institutions.
Their mission is “increase awareness and understanding of living nature through an Encyclopedia of Life that gathers, generates, and shares knowledge in an open, freely accessible and trusted digital resource.” Visit EOL.org here
EOL Google Earth Tours were produced by Eduardo Garcia-Milagros, Ari Daniel Shapiro and Atlantic Public Media in cooperation with the Encyclopedia of Life Learning + Education group located at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Narrated by Ari Daniel Shapiro. License: CC BY-NC
