MONTRÉAL, Nov. 4 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Montréal Space for life is proud to announce that the fifth edition of the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz has seen unparalleled success!
Over 2,000 volunteers from Canada, Mexico and the United States shared 4,293 observations of monarchs and milkweed, the highest level of participation ever recorded in the Monarch Monitoring Blitz history (see graph below). Nearly 50,000 milkweed plants were recorded, drawing a very interesting portrait of the monarch's reproductive habitat.
Let's not forget that, from July 23 to August 1, North Americans were invited to observe monarch populations and milkweed plants to support the conservation of this butterfly and research relating to this species. In Canada, this activity is overseen by the Insectarium de Montréal's Mission Monarch program.
Essential data
In addition, with citizen participation and engagement growing every year, experts believe that the Monarch Monitoring Blitz's database, which relies almost exclusively on community science, will allow for a rigorous estimation of the size of summer breeding population in addition to determining the priority areas for monarch conservation actions.
Furthermore, the caterpillar to milkweed ratio extrapolated from observations will inform experts on the potential number of monarchs that will eventually undertake this impressive migration down south, since the caterpillars surveyed are most likely the butterflies that will eventually reach Mexico in the coming days.
The data will be available on the Trinational Monarch Knowledge Network website, where interested parties can view and download it.
Important collaboration
The Blitz is an initiative of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) Trinational Monarch Conservation Science Partnership. Through the Blitz, scientists from the Montréal Space for Life Insectarium, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Monarch Joint Venture, Journey North, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas are inviting the public to help them learn about the distribution of monarchs and milkweeds across North America.
About Montréal Space for Life
Montréal Space for Life is made up of five major attractions: the Biodôme, the Biosphère, the Insectarium, the Jardin botanique and the Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan. These five prestigious municipal institutions form Canada's largest natural science museum complex. Together, they are launching a daring, creative urban movement, encouraging all of us to rethink the connection between humankind and nature and cultivate a new way of living.
SOURCE Espace pour la vie
Isabel Matte, Communication Officer, Espace pour la vie, 514 250-7753, [email protected]
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