RESOURCES FOR CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

WE SHOULD ALL BE BETTER CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

If we are involving ourselves with nature, we should really be working to make sure our interference is in its best interests following the science. Despite the joy we feel in rearing a Monarch butterfly and letting it go, we need to remember that we are doing it for them, not us…and we owe it to the species and all pollinators to do right by them.

I’m not perfect, I’ve made mistakes, nor do I claim to be an authority in Monarch Butterflies. My goal is to connect other hobbyists and community/citizen scientists with nature and to promote ethical and responsible rearing that follows the science and puts the well-being of our environment at the forefront.

PROJECTS AND ORGANIZATIONS

• Monarch Watch: https://monarchwatch.org/

• Monarch Joint Venture: https://monarchjointventure.org/

• Journey North: https://journeynorth.org/

• The Xerces Society: https://xerces.org/

• Monarch Science of Dr. Andy Davis: https://www.monarchscience.org/

• Pollinator Project: https://www.pollinator.org/

• Homegrown National Park: https://www.homegrownnationalpark.org/

• Monarch Butterflies (US Fish and Wildlife Service): https://www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/monarchs

• Certify Your Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation: https://www.nwf.org/CERTIFY

NATIVE PLANTS & NURSERIES

• Prairie Moon Nursery: https://www.prairiemoon.com/

• Prairie Nursery: https://www.prairienursery.com/

• NWF Native Plant Finder: https://nwf.org/nativeplantfinder

• Garden for Wildlife (NWF): https://gardenforwildlife.com/

• Pollinator Project Ecoregional Planting Guides: https://pollinator.org/guides

• Monarch Watch Milkweed Market: https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/

• Tropical Milkweed: A No Grow: https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow

REARING

Please rear Monarchs and other species of lepidoptera responsibly!

• Mr. Lund Science: https://www.youtube.com/@MrLundScience

• Butterfly Fun Facts: https://butterfly-fun-facts.com/

Recent News and Updates

• 2023 Western Monarch Tallies (Xerces.org): https://xerces.org/blog/western-monarch-count-tallies-233394-butterflies

• Winter of 2023-2024 Eastern Monarch Population Status (Monarch Watch): https://monarchwatch.org/blog/2024/02/07/monarch-population-status-52/

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

• Endangered Species Act Basics (USFWS): https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/endangered-species-act-basics.pdf

• Petition to Protect the Monarch Butterfly Under the Endangered Species Act: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/petitions/92210/730.pdf