“The Southwest Monarch Study is researching the migration and breeding patterns of monarch butterflies in Arizona and the South Western United States.” With over 300 citizen scientists, the Southwest Monarch Study has recovered monarchs tagged in Arizona in both Mexican and California overwintering sites.

This has shown that it is not always true that monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains only overwinter in California, by proving that some have indeed migrated to Mexico. Its research is uncovering interesting patterns “about weather, especially wind, and how it affects the monarch migration.”

Its mission is “to identify and describe the migration and breeding patterns of Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in the Western United States; to monitor and encourage Monarch Butterfly conservation; [and] to provide a meaningful research project for citizen scientists of all ages” (Southwest Monarch Study 2015).

• Southwest Monarch Study. 2015. Southwest Monarch Study. swmonarchs.org/index.php.

Keywords: citizen science, tagging, western monarchs