“Data from Texas are of great value for understanding eastern monarch population trends. Monarch reproductive performance in Texas is thought to play a significant role in determining the size and success of the eastern monarch population through the rest of the season. In the fall, monarchs migrating to Mexico all funnel through Texas, where they must find nectar to fuel their flight and build fat reserves that will help them survive through the winter.

The MJV has partnered with the Cibolo Nature Center (CNC) in the Texas Hill Country to recruit and train new volunteers to participate in monarch citizen science programs, through two-day workshops. At each workshop, approximately 30 citizen scientists learn how to find and monitor monarchs as citizen scientists in the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, the Monarch Watch tagging program, Journey North, Project Monarch Health, and the North American Butterfly Association. CNC volunteers also conduct workshops for Texas Master Naturalists to encourage and inform their participation in monarch citizen science. These workshops emphasize monarch biology, life cycle, habitat, behavior, milkweed cultivation, as well as both national and international threats to monarch survival” (MJV 2015).

• Monarch Joint Venture (MJV). 2015. Promoting Citizen Science Monitoring of Monarchs & Milkweed in Texas. http://monarchjointventure.org/our-work/promoting-citizen-science-monitoring-of-monarchs-and-milkweed-in-texas.

Keywords: citizen science