Pay It Forward For Pollinators

February 24, 2023

By Jessika Vazquez, Curator of Education

Scientists don't have the ability of being everywhere at once. This means they rely on community scientists, like YOU, to help them make observations. The Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper project is an effort for people to find and document monarchs and their host plant, milkweed, in an effort to preserve and protect populations in the western states by gaining a better understanding of where these occur. The Monarch Milkweed Mapper project is a collaborative effort that helps compile significant data for scientists.

Are you ready to help monarchs? Here is how you can get involved:

1. Take photos of monarchs and milkweeds and upload them to www.monarchmilkweedmapper.org;
2. Identify milkweeds using thier milkweed key, which profiles over 40 milkweed species found in the west;
3. Submit data which will help researchers determine the distribution, phenology, and conservation needs of monarchs and milkweeds in the west; and
4. Learn about monarchs, their host plants, and ongoing conservation efforts for these species.

You can find more information about this project here.