Because the monarch population was so small, Chip Taylor and Jim Lovett are modifying the calendar project to allow for as many observations as possible.
Monarch Calendar Project, New for 2024
By Jim Lovett
Many of you have participated in our Monarch Calendar Project in the past, and this year we are trying something new.
For those of you unfamiliar with the project, we are seeking the immediate assistance of hundreds of monarch enthusiasts (community scientists) in collecting observations of adult monarchs in their area. This project is an attempt to assemble quantitative data on monarch numbers at critical times during the breeding season. The data from these observations will be used to inform the status of the monarch population this year following an extremely low population size at the overwintering sites in Mexico (see the recent “Monarch Population Status” post to the Monarch Watch Blog).
This year we are modifying the calendar project to allow for as many observations as possible because of the extremely low monarch population size. Records of not seeing monarchs are extremely important so we can understand what is happening with the population this year, so please don’t get discouraged if you are mainly reporting zero values.
If you would like to participate this year, please see the complete details on the Monarch Calendar Project website, then download the Monarch Watch App and start watching for monarchs!
We also encourage you to report the first monarch you observe in your area to Journey North to add to their Spring: Monarch Adult (FIRST sighted) data.
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