Monarchs

Program Goals: Calvert Stewards participate in monarch citizen science projects in order to improve conservation efforts for monarch butterflies at Gatewood Preserve.

Volunteer Opportunities include:

• population surveys
• monarch tagging
• habitat restoration
• data entry

 Skills Needed:

• Ability to fill out detailed reports.
• Can correctly identify common milkweed
• Able to determine the sex of adult monarch butterflies
• Can distinguish monarch larval instars using the guide provided.
• Able to bend and stoop to examine milkweed leaves low to the ground.

Requirements & Expectations:

• Must be able to tolerate long periods of time outdoors in areas with limited shade.
• Volunteers will be exposed to ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, bees/wasps, poison ivy, bad weather, and other wildlife
• Children are a big help chasing and catching butterflies and observing tiny caterpillars on the milkweed; however, a supervising adult needs to accompany them so that data is correctly recorded.
• Will work independently or in family teams with the guidance of a staff naturalist.
• Understand that zero is important data, and that we may not see monarchs each time.

Training (On-the-Job):

• Within the first 5-10 minutes of the monitoring activity, the accompanying staff naturalist or veteran monarch volunteer will show new volunteers what to do and how to correctly fill out the data sheet.  They will also be on hand the entire time to answer questions as they arise. 

PROJECT DATES 

• Once annually in May, we determine the milkweed density for each study site.   
• Weekly, May through September, we examine 100-150 random milkweed plants for monarch larva in the study sites.  
• Periodically, September through October, we tag monarchs and test them for disease.