Category: mm_news

  Even if milkweed has different strategies to keep most herbivores at bay, the monarch butterfly has managed to counter them to feed on it exclusively. Discover the very complex relationship between these two organisms. by Alessandro Dieni, Mission Monarch coordinator   To read this article, please visit the Space for Life website. More articles: A summer searching… Continue reading Monarchs and milkweed, a complex relationship

  Marian MacNair is a young researcher who traveled no less than 6,000 km last summer to study the monarch butterfly. Discover the story of her busy days spent meticulously counting eggs and caterpillars, and where she meets passionate entomologists!. by Alessandro Dieni, Mission Monarch coordinator and Marian MacNair, journalist and science educator   To read this article, please visit the Space… Continue reading A summer searching for monarchs and milkweed

More articles: When monarchs roost Make it count! Let’s leave monarchs in their habitat

It’s autumn, and monarchs are gradually heading south. During their migration they make stops, sometimes in large numbers. Let’s take a look at the astonishing phenomenon of monarch roosting. by André-Philippe Drapeau Picard, Mission Monarch coordinator   To read this article, please visit the Space for Life website. More articles: Make it count! Let’s leave monarchs in… Continue reading When monarchs roost

In the information and mobile-technology age, it’s easier than ever to immortalize the spectacles that nature presents. Were you aware that when you share your observations of animal, plant and other species you could be contributing to advances in scientific knowledge? by André-Philippe Drapeau Picard, Mission Monarch coordinator   To read this article, please visit the Space… Continue reading Make it count!

Monarchs are sometimes collected in their natural habitat so that they can be reared in captivity. A number of breeders want to help the endangered species by doing just that. Nevertheless, it’s not certain that this activity actually helps monarchs – on the contrary… by André-Philippe Drapeau Picard, Mission Monarch coordinator   To read this article,… Continue reading Let’s leave the monarchs in their habitat

Across North America, considerable resources are being invested in protecting the monarch butterfly, the migratory populations of which have dropped substantially in the last twenty years. But why go to so much trouble? Is one species worth all that effort? by André-Philippe Drapeau Picard, Mission Monarch coordinator   To read this article, please visit the Space for… Continue reading Why save the monarch butterfly?

In North America there are over 90 species of milkweed, four of which are native to Québec. Are monarch butterfly females more attracted by certain milkweed species when it comes to laying their eggs? Researchers conducted two experiments to answer that question. by André-Philippe Drapeau Picard, Mission Monarch coordinator   To read this article, please visit… Continue reading What’s the monarch’s favorite milkweed?

Faithful to instinct, the monarchs have hit the road for Mexico. The autumn migration is a great adventure, but one that only an estimated half of the butterflies survive. And with climate change, the challenge they face is even greater… by André-Philippe Drapeau Picard, Mission Monarch coordinator   To read this article, please visit the Space for… Continue reading The monarchs have left

The 2018 edition of the Blitz took place from July 28 to August 5. This year again, it was a success! Thanks to those who shared observations of monarchs and milkweeds during that period, we broke last year’s records. Here are some numbers demonstrating the energy invested by Mission Monarch participants during the Blitz. by André-Philippe Drapeau Picard, Mission Monarch coordinator… Continue reading The 2018 Blitz by numbers