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Monarchs

Two monarchs rest on a flower cluster in Pacific Grove
Monarch Butterflies Have Been Proposed for ESA Protection. What Does This Mean?
Monarchs aggregating on a tree at one of their overwintering sites
Despite a Lower Peak Season, Western Monarchs Start Spring in Higher Numbers than 2023
Group of students with pipe cleaner monarch rings on hands
South School's Green Ambassadors Raise Awareness for Monarchs
Milkweed seeds in a bin and in someone's hands
Growing the Supply of Hard-to-Find Milkweeds
Early-season California milkweed
Why Monarchs Need Early-Season Milkweeds
Hundreds of monarchs in the sky near overwintering sites in Mexico
5 Monarch Migration Facts
Monarch caterpillar on narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis). (Photo: Xerces Society / Stephanie McKnight)
Keep Monarchs Wild: Why Captive Rearing Isn’t the Way to Help Monarchs
Monarch Wishing Tree holding up hundreds of wooden butterflies
California Garden Center Leads by Example with Monarch Wishing Tree
Monarch drinking nectar from purple coneflower
What is a Monarch’s Favorite Nectar Plant? Scientists are Seeking Your Observations
Attendees of the Monarch Butterfly Summit at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC. (Photo: Scott Black/ Xerces Society)
D.C. Monarch Summit Secures Funding for Monarch Conservation
Western monarchs overwintering in California 2021-2022 (Photo: Jessica Griffiths)
New Year’s Count of Western Monarchs Tracks Population Decline During Overwintering Season
Volunteers count monarchs in Pacific Grove Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, December 2021 (Photo: Candy Sarikonda)
Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count tallies nearly 250,000 butterflies
An area of grassland has been set on fire on purpose. Brown smoke rises into the blue sky from the orange flames that mark the division between the burned and unburned grassland. The burned area to the left is black, the unburned are to the right is green with tall brown stems. A fire manager wearing yellow cloths and a blue helmet is walking along the line of fire.
Burning the Land
A cow and her calf, both black, lie in the middle of sagebrush and grasses, with the rangeland stretching away to the horizon.
Planned Grasshopper Sprays Threaten Monarchs, Bees, Beneficial Insects, and Birds Across Western Rangelands
A cluster of several dozen orange-and-black monarch butterflies rest on the branches of a pine tree
Applying a Holistic Approach to Monarch Conservation
Two orange-and-black monarch butterflies drink nectar on yellow-and-red colored flowers. The flowers are tropical milkweed, a non-native plant that should not be grown to help monarchs.
Resident Monarch Populations on the Rise in California: What Does this Mean for the Western Migratory Population?
Graph showing results from surveys of overwintering monarchs in California. The number of monarchs has fallen for several years, so the height of the bars gets shorter and shorter to the right of the graph
Fifth Annual Western Monarch New Year’s Count Confirms Continued Decline in Western Monarch Population
Orange-and-black monarch butterflies cling to the green branches of tress and fly in the blue sky
Monarch Numbers from Mexico Point to Declining Population
Well wrapped against the winter weather, two people walk across a snow-covered field of stubble scattering wildflower seed
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – February 2021
"Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count Data 1997-2020 shows that despite a strong volunteer effort, monarch numbers are at the lowest point recorded since the count started in 1997"
Western Monarch Population Closer to Extinction as the Wait Continues for Monarchs’ Protection Under the Endangered Species Act
Plant trays containing thousands of seedlings are laid out on the ground.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – December 2020
Three young men use shovels to help plant a new tree in the middle of a grove
Planning and Planting for the Future of Monarchs in California
A handful of monarch butterflies with wings closed rest on the long gray-green leaves of eucalyptus
Monarch Population in California Spirals to Another Record Low
An orange and black monarch butterfly drinks nectar from the creamy-white flowers of mule fat
Western Monarch Breeding Season Status
Pale pink flowers of narrow-leaf milkweed growing beside a tomato field in California's Central Valley.
Pale pink flowers of narrow-leaf milkweed growing beside a tomato field in California's Central Valley.
Science Notes: How Pesticide Sampling Can Help Restore Imperiled Western Monarchs
Artist Jane Kim of Ink Dwell studio paints the wing of a giant monarch butterfly, part of the Midnight Dream mural in downtown Orlando, Florida.
Migrating Murals
Monarchs stand close together on muddy ground on the edge of a puddle.
Monarchs stand close together on muddy ground on the edge of a puddle.
Monarchs Overwintering in Mexico Down 53%
A monarch with large pieces missing from both wings perches on an evergreen branch.
New Year’s Count Finds Continued Decline of Monarchs Overwintering in California
In this hand-drawn/hand-painted image, a grove of trees is shown, with a cut stump and a dead monarch with tattered wings in the foreground.
The Vanishing Butterfly Groves of California
A monarch clings to the trunk of a tree in a dimly-lit landscape.
Thanksgiving Count Shows Western Monarchs Need Our Help More than Ever
In this close-up photo, a monarch perches atop a cluster of small, white and pink flowers. The image is so detailed, you can see the eye of the monarch, and the scales on its wings.
Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kits Designed to Support Imperiled Western Monarchs
A monarch butterfly perches atop a stalk of purple flowers with thread-like petals sticking out in various directions.
DeWind Alumnae Publish Three New Research Papers about Monarch Butterflies
With wings spread, a monarch butterfly basks on a milkweed plant among the stems of a tulle marsh.
Western Monarchs: Notes from the Field
Rugged mountains and pine trees, some reddish brown and some green, are shown in this Colorado landscape.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – September 2019
A blue butterfly stands out against a backdrop of green foliage.
Insects Lose as Trump Administration Weakens the Endangered Species Act
Two monarchs' wings overlap as they stand back end to back end, mating.
Community Science Powers New Western Monarch Studies
A beautiful, bright orange monarch perches atop bright pink milkweed blossoms.
Working to Conserve Monarchs from Coast to Coast
A tiny monarch egg can be seen in a cluster of pink milkweed blossoms.
New iNaturalist Project Makes it Easier to Submit Data to the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper
An orange and black monarch nectars on the orange flowers of butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa).
How to Support Monarch Butterfly Conservation—During Earth Week and Beyond!
Both Dewind awardees are shown in this composite image.
Announcing the 2019 DeWind Awardees
Monarch butterfly flying above milkweed.
Community Scientists Can Help Support Imperiled Western Monarchs
A group of scientists taking a photo together, including Emma Pelton, our monarch specialist.
Photo Essay: Trinational Monarch Meeting and Exploring Mexico’s Monarch Overwintering Sites
A western monarch rests on the side of a tree with furrowed bark.
New Year’s Count of Western Monarchs Confirms Decline, Trends Seen in Previous Years
A monarch clings to the trunk of a tree in a dimly-lit landscape.
Record Low Number of Overwintering Monarch Butterflies in California—They Need Your Help!
A monarch, with its wings folded, showing the duller orange side, clings to a rough tree trunk in a dimly-lit landscape.
Early Thanksgiving Counts Show a Critically Low Monarch Population in California
A bright orange monarch with a torn wing perches on some pink milkweed blossoms in a grassy, dry landscape.
Western Monarch Numbers Expected to Be Low this Year
A large creamy-yellow-and-black butterfly rests atop a pale purple flower.
The Striking Beauty of Oklahoma’s Butterflies
A man stands among flowering shrubs that nearly dwarf and obscure him, and that are filled with nectaring monarchs!
Lincoln Brower: A Life Well Spent
A western monarch rests on a white flower amid a dry, grassy field.
Managing for Monarchs in the West
Leafcutter bee on a red and yellow blanketflower.
10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
A graphic has a circle with a line through it superimposed over tropical milkweed, with its characteristic red and yellow flowers.
Tropical Milkweed—a No-Grow
overwintering monarchs
Second New Year's Count Supports Monarchs' Movement Between Sites
A bright orange and black monarch perches on dry flowers in a tan field.
Newly Released Monarch Overwintering Site Management Plan Provides Blueprint for Protecting and Managing Monarch Groves
A lone monarch in shadow perches atop fluffy, pink blossoms.
Very Low Numbers of Monarchs Overwintering in California may Reflect an Unusual Fall
milkweed seed pod
pod
Harvesting Milkweed Seed: a Pod and a Plan
field of milkweed
1.3 Billion Stems of Milkweed Needed in Midwest to Recover Monarch Population
Monarchs cluster on an evergreen tree branch.
2017 Monarch Numbers Are Down, Lengthening a Worrying Trend
A dense cluster of monarchs, with their bright orange hues shining, cling to a deep green pine branch.
Western Monarch Conservation: A 40 Year History
monarch
To Save Monarchs, We Need More than Just Milkweed
Multiple clusters of monarchs gather on the branches of trees.
Five Lesser-Known Places to See Monarchs Overwintering in California
Monarch butterfly drinking nectar from flowers of narrowleaf milkweed.
Monarch Butterflies in the Western United States
 

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