Monarch LIVE
The annual migration of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world. Every year, millions of monarchs migrate thousands of miles from Canada and the United States to overwinter in the mountain peaks in the states of Mexico and Michoacan in Mexico. This magical journey, deemed an “endangered natural phoenomenon,” is dependent on conservation of habitats in all three North American counries – the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Learn About:
- Explore Monarch Biology and Citizen Science Programs
- Learn About Butterfly Migration and Habitat
- Building the Population of Monarchs
- Butterfly Gardens
- Butterfly Behavior and Threats to the Species
- Available in Spanish
Webcasts
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Monarch LIVE: Kick Off
Monarch LIVE: In the Mexican Mountains
The 60-minute program was hosted by Paulo Quadri with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas in Mexico (http://www.conanp.gob.mx/). The program featured biologist Felipe Martínez, also with CONANP, and Dr. Isabel Ramirez with the National University of Mexico discussing:
— Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
— rules for visiting the sanctuaries
— history of finding the overwintering sites
— migration biology
— overwintering biology
— oyamel forest
— estimate of the overwintering population
— predators and problems of surviving the winter
— migration cycle
— conservation and sustainability, and
— tourism, the local economy, and ejido system of land management.
Back to TopMonarch LIVE: Community Conservation in Mexico
The 60-minute program was hosted by Rossana Landa with the Fund for the Conservation of Nature based in Mexico City. She was joined by Guadalupe (Lupita) del Rio, co-founder of Alternare. The program explains the concept of sustainability, ejido system of land management in Mexico, and some of the activities promoted by Alternare including:
— growing food organically
— creating biofertilizer
— growing trees for
— conserving soil and water
— making adobe bricks for houses and outbuildings, and
— training local small farmers.
Monarch LIVE: Little Spaces; Big Results
Butterfly gardens can be created everywhere! This webcast features Eden Place Nature Center in Chicago and demonstrates how small garden plots can have big results for both butterflies and people.
Monarch LIVE: Building the Population
Monarch LIVE visited Minnesota to learn about monarchs’ summer behavior and population growth, citizen roles in monitoring the population, and threats to monarchs.
Playlists
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Monarch LIVE: Kickoff Playlist
Watch VideoThe program reviewed monarch biology, citizen science programs, and the importance of stewardship and featured former US Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell and Dr. Karen Oberhauser, a leading monarch butterfly researcher.
Monarch LIVE: In the Mexican Mountains Playlist
Watch VideoHost Paulo Quadri introduces the program, In the Mexican Mountains, which is the first-ever live broadcast from the overwintering site of monarch butterflies.
Monarch LIVE: Building the Population Playlist
Watch VideoMonarchLIVE visted Minnesota to learn about monarchs’ summer behavior and population growth, citizen roles in monitoring the population, and threats to monarchs.
Monarch LIVE: Little Spaces; Big Results Playlist
Watch VideoButterfly gardens can be created everywhere! The webcast on May 19, 2009 featured Eden Place Nature Center in Chicago and demonstrated how small garden plots can have big results for both butterflies and people.
Spanish
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Monarcas en VIVO: Conservación en la Comunidad en México
Monarcas en VIVO: En las montañas de México
Goal and Objectives
The goal of “Monarch Live: A Distance Learning Adventure” is to meet national science standards and promote conservation action through education and awareness. The objectives are to:
- Increase the understanding of monarch biology, life cycle, and ecology, and the interdependence of the United States, Mexico, and Canada
in the health of monarchs
- Help schools and classrooms develop butterfly gardens and schoolyard habitats
- Spotlight current monarch conservation and research being done by K-12 students, citizens, and university scientists
- Increase participation in and understanding of monarch citizen science programs
Monarch LIVE Kick-Off
MonarchLIVE kicked off with a broadcast and webcast from Virginia. The program reviewed monarch biology, citizen science programs, and the importance of stewardship and featured former US Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell and Dr. Karen Oberhauser, a leading monarch butterfly researcher. CLICK HERE to watch the webcast.
Over the summer, successive generations of monarch butterflies have been reproducing and slowly moving north. But now, it’s time for the final generation of monarchs to migrate to their overwintering grounds in Mexico (or to California for western monarchs). Monarchs from this migratory generation have an enormous task ahead of them. Weighing less than a gram, these unique butterflies will fly between 2,000 to 3,000 miles to the mountains of Mexico.
During the summer breeding season, monarchs live from two to five weeks during which they mate and lay the eggs that become the next generation. The migrating butterflies are different from the earlier generations in two important ways. First, they will migrate to the overwintering sites in Mexico or California. Second, they do not reproduce right after they emerge. In response to decreasing temperatures and shortening day lengths at the end of the summer, their reproductive organs remain in an immature state. Instead of mating and laying eggs, they spend their time drinking nectar and clustering together in nighttime roosts in preparation for their long journey south. This delayed maturity is called diapause. Most of these monarchs will remain in this condition until the following spring, when they begin to mate in the overwintering colonies. While the summer monarchs live just a few short weeks, those that migrate can live as long as nine months!
While monarchs are not an endangered species, their magical migration is among the most spectacular and unusual of the world’s natural events. Their migration is considered an endangered biological phenonmenon due to threats to the monarach’s habitats during its annual cycle of breeding, migrating, and wintering.
During this webcast and broadcast, learn about:
- Monarch biology, life cycle, and annual life cycle
- The importance of three countries — Canada, the United States and Mexico – to the health of monarchs
- How we can preserve monarch habitat with gardens and the importance of preserving open spaces
- And citizen science projects and research
Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the webcast
- Check out the lesson plans.
This information was summarized from:
Monarchs in the Classroom
http://monarchlab.org/Lab/Biology/Default.aspx and http://monarchlab.org/Lab/Biology/AnnualLifeCycle/Default.aspx#Gen34The Monarch Butterfly in North America:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtmlNorth American Monarch Conservation Plan
http://www.cec.org/islandora/en/item/2350-north-american-monarch-conservation-plan-en.pdf
In the Mexican Mountains
MonarchLIVE visited the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve for the first-ever live broadcast / webcast from the Sierra Chincua sanctuary where monarch butterflies overwinter. Sierra Chincua is one of only a few mountain peaks in the Mexican states of Mexico and Michoacan in which monarch butterflies overwinter. This is the first time that a live television program or webcast has come live from the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. CLICK HERE to watch the webcast.
The eastern population of North America’s monarchs overwinters in the same Mexican mountain areas every year from October to late March. Monarchs roost for the winter in oyamel fir forests at an elevation of 2400 to 3600 meters (nearly two miles above sea level). The mountain hillsides of the oyamel forest provide an ideal microclimate for the butterflies. Here temperatures range from 0 to 15 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is lower, the monarchs are forced to use their fat reserves. The humidity in the oyamel forest assures the monarchs won’t dry out allowing them to conserve their energy.
Directional Aids
Researchers are still investigating what directional aids monarchs use to find their overwintering location. It appears to be a combination of directional aids such as the magnetic pull of the earth and the position of the sun among others, not one in particular.
Protection of Oyamel Forest
Conservation of overwintering habitat is very important to the survival of monarchs. In 1986, the Mexican Government recognized the importance of oyamel forests to monarch butterflies and created the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. In July 2008, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was named a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
This information was summarized from the USDA Forest Service web site, The Monarch Butterfly in North America:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtmlDuring the webcast and broadcast, learn about:
- the monarch butterflies overwintering biology
- migration biology
- an overview of the ideal conditions in the oyamel fir forests of Mexico
- predators and problems of survival in the Mexican mountains, and
- conservation efforts in Mexico, the United States, and Canada
Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the program.
- Check out the lesson plans and links.
Links
For more information about monarchs’ winter destination in the Mexican mountains, visit the following web pages:
The USDA Forest Service web site, The Monarch Butterfly in North America:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtml
The eastern population of North America’s monarchs overwinters in the same 11 to 12 mountain areas in the States of Mexico and Michoacan from October to late March.Journey North
https://journeynorth.org/monarchs
Journey North has information about monarach’s overwintering season.
Community Conservation in Mexico
Each country in North America contains some combination of habitats in which monarchs breed, migrate and overwinter, and at each of these stages they require different resources. Communities in each of these countries can contribute to the conservation of monarch butterflies and their spectacular migration. Any weak link in the chain of habitats threatens the integrity of the entire migratory phenomenon. And, just as these habitats differ, the socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the places vary too.
In June 2008, Canada, Mexico and the United States joined forces to protect and conserve the monarch butterfly, which has become a symbol of North America’s shared environment. A North American Monarch Conservation Plan was announced by the environment ministers of the three countries and outlines actions to be taken in each country.
The plan outlines a long-term collaborative agenda with nearly 60 specific actions that seek to:
- decrease or eliminate deforestation in the overwintering habitat in south-central Mexico and California;
- address threats of habitat loss and degradation along the monarch’s migratory routes;
- address threats of loss, fragmentation and modification of breeding habitat;
- develop innovative ways to promote sustainable livelihoods for people in and around key monarch habitats; and
- monitor monarch populations across North America.
One Mexican organization that is working to protect monarchs is Alternare, a non-profit organization that works in close partnership with campesinos in the monarch wintering areas to promote sustainable and adequate food production, forest conservation, and environmentally sound economic activities. Alternare has helped improve the conditions for location families by:
- Manufacturing and using adobe brick as a substitute material for building and this method results in better insulated houses.
- Showing how water and soil retention can be achieved by reforestation and by building irrigation ditches
- Alleviating the environmental stress in the forests by reducing the use of wood, building adobe stoves, participating in reforestation, and recycling.
CLICK HERE to watch the webcast and learn about:
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- the ejido system of land management in Mexico in which the local community owns the land
- the concept of sustainability, which means that resources are used in a way to meet current as well as future needs
- Alternare’s conservation and stewardship activities, such as raising organic food, conserving soil and water, making adobe bricks, and training local farmers
- how the local people are raising oyamel trees and preserving the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
- Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the webcast.
- Check out the lesson plans.
Links
For more information about conservation activities in Mexico, visit the following web pages:
Journey North
https://journeynorth.org/monarchsMonarch Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/conserve/index.htm
Find out about conservation issues and how you can help.
Little Spaces; Big Results
Little spaces can produce big results by helping monarch butterflies, pollinators, birds, and other wildlife find places for food, water, shelter, and reproduction. Butterfly gardens in schoolyards, at home, in public spaces, or in naturalized areas can be extremely valuable to monarch butterflies.
Monarchs have two special needs: milkweed which is needed for breeding and flowering plants which are needed for nectar.
Milkweed
Many butterflies have a single plant required as a food source for their larval form called a host plant. Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly. Without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop into a butterfly. Monarchs use a variety of milkweeds. Over 100 species of milkweed exist in North America, but only about one fourth of them are known to be important host plants for monarch butterflies. For a list of beneficial species go to: Milkweed Species Beneficial to the Monarch Butterfly.Nectar Plants
Adult monarchs feed on the nectar from flowers, which contain sugars and other nutrients. Unlike the larvae that only eat milkweeds, adult monarchs feed on a wide variety of nectar bearing flowers. They will visit many different kinds of flowers in their search for food.An abundance of nectar sources is especially important for migrating monarchs. Monarchs that are preparing to migrate south to Mexico need to consume enough nectar to build up fat reserves. The food they eat before and during their migration south must not only power them through the long journey, but also must sustain them throughout the winter. Over-wintering monarchs feed very little or not at all. As monarchs migrate south, they will actually gain weight as they continue to feed on nectar bearing flowers.
In eastern North America, the monarchs leave the over wintering sites in the spring. Nectar is essential to making the journey to Texas. Nutrition from early spring nectar bearing wildflowers provides the energy and nutrients for these monarchs to develop their reproductive organs. When they arrive in Texas, they will breed and then die. As the new monarchs emerge they will make their way north. It will take three more generations of monarchs to complete their journey northward and then start the migratory cycle once again.
Nectar corridors are a series of habitat patches containing plants that flower at the appropriate times during the spring and fall migrations. These patches provide stopping-off points for the migrating butterflies to refuel and continue their journey. Having these islands of nectar sources is particularly important within large areas of urban and agricultural development. The discontinuous patches of nectar sources are “corridors” that monarchs will follow, like stepping-stones across a stream to complete their migration.
This information was from the USDA Forest Service’s Monarch Butterfly in North America web page.
During the webcast, learn about:
- Summer habitat for monarchs, inner city habitat development, and schoolyard/backyard gardens
- Monarch biology, including the monarchs return to the north and the two-generation spring migration
- Citizen science opportunities including Journey North
- Environmental education
Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the webcast.
- Check out the lesson plans.
Links
For more information about habitat needs and gardening for butterflies, visit the following web pages:
Important Links
See the information about gardening for butterflies on this web site.USDA Forest Service’s Monarch Butterfly in North America:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/
Whether it’s a field, roadside area, open area, wet area, or urban garden; milkweed and flowering plants are needed for monarch habitat. Adult monarchs feed on the nectar of many flowers, but they breed only where milkweeds are found.Monarch Watch
Monarchs need our help! Get involved in monarch conservation by creating a Monarch Waystation. For information, go to http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/.
For tips on starting your own garden and detailed plant lists, go to http://www.monarchwatch.org/garden/.
Building the Population
Monarchs move northward throughout the spring.
Generation 1
The first monarch generation of the year begins when females that have spent the winter in Mexico lay eggs in northern Mexico and the southern United States beginning in late March. The last generation 1 eggs are laid in late April or early May, farther north. Since it is often cool when Generation 1 larvae are developing, it may take them up to 40 or 50 days, or even more, to develop from eggs to adults, as compared to 25-30 days in the summer.Generation 1 adults emerge from late April
to early June. They mate and begin to lay eggs about four days after emerging, and continue the journey north that their parents began, laying eggs along the way. They begin to arrive in the northern US and southern Canada in late May.Like all monarchs, generation 1 begins life on plants in the milkweed family. The most important milkweed species for Generation 1 monarchs in the southern US are Asclepias oenotheroides, A. viridis and A. asperula.
Generation 2
Monarchs in Generation 2 are the grandchildren of the overwintering monarchs. Generation 2 larvae are widely distributed throughout the eastern United States, first beginning to appear in the south in early May, and in the north in late May. Eggs that become generation 2 may be laid as late as July in the north. Those laid in the southern part of the range continue to migrate north.
Generation 2 adults emerge in June and July, and mate and lay eggs soon after emerging. Most of those that begin their lives in the south move north as adults, since the southern summers are too hot and dry for their offspring. Those laid farther north probably do not move far, and can use all of their energy to produce as many offspring as possible.
Many members of Generation 2 eat milkweed species including A. syriaca (Common Milkweed) and A. incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) as larvae.
Generation 3
Monarchs in Generations 3 and 4 are the great- and great-great grandchildren of the overwintering monarchs. Generations 3 and 4 monarch eggs are laid throughout the northern part of their range in July and August.Some adults move south in late July and August, and may lay eggs as late as October in the southern part of the US. Some generation 3 monarchs emerge early enough to produce another summer generation. But those that emerge later are different from other monarchs in two important ways. First, they will migrate to and from the overwintering sites in Mexico. Second, they do not reproduce right after they emerge. In response to decreasing temperatures and shortening day lengths at the end of the summer, their reproductive organs remain in an immature state. Instead of mating and laying eggs, they spend their time drinking nectar and clustering together in nighttime roosts in preparation for their long journey south. This delayed maturity is called diapause. Most of the monarchs will remain in this condition until the following spring, when they begin to mate in the overwintering colonies. During September, October and early November migratory adults fly to overwintering sites in central Mexico, where they remain from November to March.
In March, they begin to journey north, laying the eggs that will become the new Generation 1 along the way.
Generation 3 and 4 undergo huge increases in size, taking advantage of the abundance of milkweed and favorable temperatures in the northern US and southern Canada.
This information was provided by Monarch Lab: Monarchs in the Classroom.
During this webcast,learn about monarch summer behavior and growth in the population, citizen roles in monitoring the population, and threats to the summer monarch population, such as habitat destruction and pesticide use. Specifically, tune in and learn about:
- Monarch reproduction and development
- The Citizen Science Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
- Stewardship activities in which citizens and communities provide habitat for monarchs and other native insects
Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the webcast.
- Check out the lesson plans.
Links
For more information about monarch migration, visit the following web pages:
Monarch Butterfly in North America
From the USDA Forest Service
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtmlMonarch Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/index.html
Learn more about the spectacular migration that millions of Monarchs make each year.
Monarchs in Canada
Monarch butterflies move to the northern range of their breeding territory in the northern United States and Canada from late May through July. One of the most exciting places to see monarchs in the fall is Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, Canada. Point Pelee National Park is a particularly important location for monarchs in the fall. The Great Lakes are a significant barrier to the monarchs’ southern migration. As they move south, they search for shorter ways across the lake and the Pelee peninsula provides an excellent start! Point Pelee’s shape funnels the monarchs to the tip. If the weather is cold, they will roost in trees and wait for warmer temperatures and favorable winds to cross the lake. If the weather is warm, they will often go directly across the lake without stopping in the park.
CLICK HERE for a PowerPoint presentation about monarchs in Canada in English.
CLICK HERE for a PowerPoint presentation about monarchs in Canada in French.
Because monarchs breed only where milkweed is found, their summer range is limited in the north to areas where milkweed grows. Milkweed is abundant and widespread in Ontario thus allowing monarch populations to greatly expand each summer. All milkweed plants contain poisons known as cardiac glycosides. Monarch larvae are not affected by the poisons, but store them in their bodies and pass them on to the adults. Most birds that attempt to eat adults or larvae vomit and learn to associate this unpleasant experience with the bright patterns of the adults and larvae and thus soon learn to avoid them.
All milkweed plants contain poisons known as cardiac glycosides. Monarch larvae are not affected by the poisons, but store them in their bodies and pass them on to the adults. Most birds that attempt to eat adults or larvae vomit and learn to associate this unpleasant experience with the bright patterns of the adults and larvae and thus soon learn to avoid them.
In Canada, monarchs are listed as a species of special concern and protected under Canada’s federal Species at Risk Act.
Information taken from Point Pelee National Park of Canada:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/on/pelee/natcul/natcul5.aspx
Butterfly Garden Grants
Congratulations to the following schools and organizations that received GreenWorks! grants from Project Learning Tree for Butterfly Garden Grants through MonarchLIVE.
State
City
Organization
Project Name & Description
CA
Pacifica
Ocean Shore Schools
Ocean Shore School Butterfly Habitat: Ocean Shore School, in collaboration with the GGNPC, will establish a butterfly sanctuary using native plant species to augment their greenhouse garden area. The butterfly garden will be a student planned and planted garden that will educate the Pacifica community about butterfly habitats, life cycles and environmental dependence CO
Woodland Park
Gateway Elementary School
A Butterfly Haven for the 21st Century: Under the guidance of a Habitat Team composed of teachers, administrators and volunteers, a student organization, K-Kids will establish a butterfly garden. Not only will this haven help to protect local butterflies, it will also create a meaningful way to integrate the science and technology curriculum for all students. FL
Winter Springs
Layer Elementary
“Tag!” You’re It! A Butterfly Playground: This is a service-learning project which integrates community service and the new Science Sunshine Standards. The garden, targeted for Spring 2009, is an environmental project which will serve as an outdoor lab for all Layer Elementary students. Accessible to the local community, the garden is to enhance an area with 90% Florida native nectar and host plants. FL
Coral Springs
Sawgrass Springs Middle School
Beautiful Butterflies and Mystical Motivation: Sawgrass Springs Environmental Magnet School is located in Coral Springs bordering the Florida Everglades. The mission is to use the outdoors as the classroom to teach butterfly education. Middle schoolers are planting symmetrical a butterfly shaped garden with antennas, wings, and steppingstones to walk upon. An environmental work of art! IL
Chicago
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Lawn Nation Butterfly Garden: TEENS (Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Nature and Science) will improve the existing Lawn Nation exhibit garden in the front entrance to the museum by adding plants that attract and provide habitat for native butterflies species. Interpretive signage will provide educational information to over 200,000 people that visit our museum annually. MI
Detroit
O.W. Homes Elementary School
Fly, Baby, Fly!: This project will create a safe haven for butterflies to return to an urban area, bringing excitement, pollination, and enjoyment by students and community members alike. Designed and maintained by students, it will become part of an outdoor learning environment for all children in this neighborhood school. MO
Ballwin
Morgan Selvidge middle School
Selvidge Middle School Butterfly Garden: Morgan Selvidge Middle School in Ballwin, Missouri, will build a butterfly garden as part of a service learning project during the spring of 2009. This project is tied to state academic curriculum. The garden will include a birdbath, milkweed plants, and nectar-producing native flowers for the Monarch Butterflies. MS
Bay St.Louis
South Hancock Elementary School
South Hancock Spreads its Wings: The purpose of this grant is to create a butterfly garden on the grounds of South Hancock Elementary School. Led by PLT facilitator-trained staff, second graders would work with teachers, parents, and community partners to participate in MonarchLive! creating a sense of community and beautifying their environment. NJ
Burlington
Bernice Young School
Young School Garden of Learning: Students, staff, parents and senior citizen volunteers are creating a Butterfly Garden for the centerpiece of the Young School Garden of Learning. This intergenerational endeavor restores our ecoregion with native flower sanctuaries, Butterfly, Worm, Rock and rain gardens, facilitating cross -curricular learning and outdoor areas for adult studies and gardening. NJ
Marmora
Upper Township School District
Intergenerational Butterfly Garden: The school’s Intergenerational Club, comprised of students, educators and seniors working side by side, will cultivate and nurture key varieties of annuals and perennials that support the monarch butterfly’s life stages. Both 4th and 5th grade students will use this outdoor classroom with their teachers during their study of life science. OH
Athens
West Elementary School & Master Gardeners of Athens County
Creation to Migration: This project provides a learning laboratory for students at West Elementary School. This learning lab will be hands on and a real world application for our students who will be part of the planning, constructing and up-keep of the pollinator garden and document their discoveries. Students will learn about soil nutrient cycles, plant growth, pollinators and ecosystem function. The Master Gardeners of Athens County partnered with West Elementary to provide consultation, instruction and material support. OR
Eugene
Applegate Elementary School
Come Fly With Me is an extension of our School Garden Project that was started in 2007. Part of our school garden is currently unused and the volunteers from the School Garden Project along with my students think the rest of the garden should be a Butterfly Garden. TX
Houston
Houston Independent School District – Stephen F. Austin High School
Miles de Monarcas: Miles de Monarcas pollinator garden is a curriculum-based project based on experiential learning and hands-on experiences. Students, teachers and community have joined forces to provide habitat for migrating Monarchs and other important local butterfly species. TX
Houston
Houston Independent School District – Berry Elementary Science Magnet School
Berry‘s Butterfly Monarch Mania: Berry’s Butterfly Monarch Mania is a place-based, service learning, hands-on Monarch butterfly/pollinator garden maintained by a self-supporting system created by curious and involved student hands, careful teacher guidance and community-based interest in providing supplemental habitat providing a sustainable Monarch corridor for the migration of this international symbol of freedom. TX
Houston
Environmental Institute of Houston
Clear Lake High School Atrium: Clear Lake High School’s Earth Club plans to rejuvenate the atrium located at the center of its main campus. With funding, a welcoming butterfly garden could be added to currently dull space. TX
Denton
Lee Elementary, Denton ISD
Lee Outdoor Learning Area (LOLA) Monarch Butterfly Habitat: This Project will involve all students K-5 in a hands-on, service learning experience that will include collaborations with local community and University partners with the goal of creating a schoolyard habitat for migrating Monarch Butterflies as well as site for year round natural science observations and experiential learning! TX
Kyle
Kyle Elementary School – Hays CISD
Kyle Elementary Environmental Study Center – Habitat Restoration Project: Kyle Elementary students are developing areas within their campus to restore habitats that will support wildlife. By planting native plants that provide food and shelter for insects and animals, we hope to surround students with more opportunities to learn about nature. Project Learning Tree® Lesson Plans
Improve Your Place
This is lesson plan provides a process for planning, designing, and planting a butterfly and pollinator garden, and is a good model to use when creating and planning any service project. In this activity, students are encouraged to plan and carry out a service learning project that focuses on making positive environmental changes in their community.PLT_Activity_96 for a pdf file of “Improve Your Place.” (for grades 5-8)
Can It Be Real?
A beetle that drinks fog. A flower that smells like rotting meat. A fish that “shoots down” its prey. Are these plants and animals for real? In this activity, students discover extraordinary plants and animals, and gain insight on how they are uniquely adapted to environmental conditions.PLT_Activity_11 for a pdf file of “Can It Be Real?” (for grades 4-8)
Other Grants
A number of other organizations also providing funding for schoolyard gardens.
Project Learning Tree
https://www.plt.org/apply-for-greenworks-environmental-education-grant
Do you have an idea for a school/community native plant garden, a forest improvement project, a streamside restoration plan, a recycling program, or energy conservation project for your students? Need funds to implement it? Apply for a Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! grant!Standards addressed in this Virtual Learning Adventure:
Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.-
People, Places, and Environments
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Time, Continuity, and Change
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Journey North
Journey North provides an online citizen science platform intended to reach educators and the general public and has a wealth of instructional ideas.
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Monarch Joint Venture
There are many free resources that you can use to educate yourself and others about monarchs. There are a number of lesson plans, activities, and handouts on the Monarch Joint Venture web site.
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Monarch Education
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Protección de la Fauna Mexicana A.C. (Profauna A.C.), a Mexican non-governmental organization, developed The Monarch Butterfly Manual, Royal Mail: A Manual for the Environmental Educator. This manual was developed for grades Pre-K through 12 and offers activities that promote conservation of the Monarch Butterfly. Each activity includes an overview, background information, and a sidebar that highlights the skills and concepts students will use, along with the learning objectives they will meet. You can download the entire guide or each individual activity.
Lesson Plans
Project Learning Tree
Glossary
View All GlossaryGoal and Objectives
The goal of “Monarch Live: A Distance Learning Adventure” is to meet national science standards and promote conservation action through education and awareness. The objectives are to:
- Increase the understanding of monarch biology, life cycle, and ecology, and the interdependence of the United States, Mexico, and Canada
in the health of monarchs
- Help schools and classrooms develop butterfly gardens and schoolyard habitats
- Spotlight current monarch conservation and research being done by K-12 students, citizens, and university scientists
- Increase participation in and understanding of monarch citizen science programs
Monarch LIVE Kick-Off
MonarchLIVE kicked off with a broadcast and webcast from Virginia. The program reviewed monarch biology, citizen science programs, and the importance of stewardship and featured former US Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell and Dr. Karen Oberhauser, a leading monarch butterfly researcher. CLICK HERE to watch the webcast.
Over the summer, successive generations of monarch butterflies have been reproducing and slowly moving north. But now, it’s time for the final generation of monarchs to migrate to their overwintering grounds in Mexico (or to California for western monarchs). Monarchs from this migratory generation have an enormous task ahead of them. Weighing less than a gram, these unique butterflies will fly between 2,000 to 3,000 miles to the mountains of Mexico.
During the summer breeding season, monarchs live from two to five weeks during which they mate and lay the eggs that become the next generation. The migrating butterflies are different from the earlier generations in two important ways. First, they will migrate to the overwintering sites in Mexico or California. Second, they do not reproduce right after they emerge. In response to decreasing temperatures and shortening day lengths at the end of the summer, their reproductive organs remain in an immature state. Instead of mating and laying eggs, they spend their time drinking nectar and clustering together in nighttime roosts in preparation for their long journey south. This delayed maturity is called diapause. Most of these monarchs will remain in this condition until the following spring, when they begin to mate in the overwintering colonies. While the summer monarchs live just a few short weeks, those that migrate can live as long as nine months!
While monarchs are not an endangered species, their magical migration is among the most spectacular and unusual of the world’s natural events. Their migration is considered an endangered biological phenonmenon due to threats to the monarach’s habitats during its annual cycle of breeding, migrating, and wintering.
During this webcast and broadcast, learn about:
- Monarch biology, life cycle, and annual life cycle
- The importance of three countries — Canada, the United States and Mexico – to the health of monarchs
- How we can preserve monarch habitat with gardens and the importance of preserving open spaces
- And citizen science projects and research
Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the webcast
- Check out the lesson plans.
This information was summarized from:
Monarchs in the Classroom
http://monarchlab.org/Lab/Biology/Default.aspx and http://monarchlab.org/Lab/Biology/AnnualLifeCycle/Default.aspx#Gen34The Monarch Butterfly in North America:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtmlNorth American Monarch Conservation Plan
http://www.cec.org/islandora/en/item/2350-north-american-monarch-conservation-plan-en.pdf
In the Mexican Mountains
MonarchLIVE visited the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve for the first-ever live broadcast / webcast from the Sierra Chincua sanctuary where monarch butterflies overwinter. Sierra Chincua is one of only a few mountain peaks in the Mexican states of Mexico and Michoacan in which monarch butterflies overwinter. This is the first time that a live television program or webcast has come live from the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. CLICK HERE to watch the webcast.
The eastern population of North America’s monarchs overwinters in the same Mexican mountain areas every year from October to late March. Monarchs roost for the winter in oyamel fir forests at an elevation of 2400 to 3600 meters (nearly two miles above sea level). The mountain hillsides of the oyamel forest provide an ideal microclimate for the butterflies. Here temperatures range from 0 to 15 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is lower, the monarchs are forced to use their fat reserves. The humidity in the oyamel forest assures the monarchs won’t dry out allowing them to conserve their energy.
Directional Aids
Researchers are still investigating what directional aids monarchs use to find their overwintering location. It appears to be a combination of directional aids such as the magnetic pull of the earth and the position of the sun among others, not one in particular.
Protection of Oyamel Forest
Conservation of overwintering habitat is very important to the survival of monarchs. In 1986, the Mexican Government recognized the importance of oyamel forests to monarch butterflies and created the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. In July 2008, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was named a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
This information was summarized from the USDA Forest Service web site, The Monarch Butterfly in North America:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtmlDuring the webcast and broadcast, learn about:
- the monarch butterflies overwintering biology
- migration biology
- an overview of the ideal conditions in the oyamel fir forests of Mexico
- predators and problems of survival in the Mexican mountains, and
- conservation efforts in Mexico, the United States, and Canada
Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the program.
- Check out the lesson plans and links.
Links
For more information about monarchs’ winter destination in the Mexican mountains, visit the following web pages:
The USDA Forest Service web site, The Monarch Butterfly in North America:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtml
The eastern population of North America’s monarchs overwinters in the same 11 to 12 mountain areas in the States of Mexico and Michoacan from October to late March.Journey North
https://journeynorth.org/monarchs
Journey North has information about monarach’s overwintering season.
Community Conservation in Mexico
Each country in North America contains some combination of habitats in which monarchs breed, migrate and overwinter, and at each of these stages they require different resources. Communities in each of these countries can contribute to the conservation of monarch butterflies and their spectacular migration. Any weak link in the chain of habitats threatens the integrity of the entire migratory phenomenon. And, just as these habitats differ, the socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the places vary too.
In June 2008, Canada, Mexico and the United States joined forces to protect and conserve the monarch butterfly, which has become a symbol of North America’s shared environment. A North American Monarch Conservation Plan was announced by the environment ministers of the three countries and outlines actions to be taken in each country.
The plan outlines a long-term collaborative agenda with nearly 60 specific actions that seek to:
- decrease or eliminate deforestation in the overwintering habitat in south-central Mexico and California;
- address threats of habitat loss and degradation along the monarch’s migratory routes;
- address threats of loss, fragmentation and modification of breeding habitat;
- develop innovative ways to promote sustainable livelihoods for people in and around key monarch habitats; and
- monitor monarch populations across North America.
One Mexican organization that is working to protect monarchs is Alternare, a non-profit organization that works in close partnership with campesinos in the monarch wintering areas to promote sustainable and adequate food production, forest conservation, and environmentally sound economic activities. Alternare has helped improve the conditions for location families by:
- Manufacturing and using adobe brick as a substitute material for building and this method results in better insulated houses.
- Showing how water and soil retention can be achieved by reforestation and by building irrigation ditches
- Alleviating the environmental stress in the forests by reducing the use of wood, building adobe stoves, participating in reforestation, and recycling.
CLICK HERE to watch the webcast and learn about:
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- the ejido system of land management in Mexico in which the local community owns the land
- the concept of sustainability, which means that resources are used in a way to meet current as well as future needs
- Alternare’s conservation and stewardship activities, such as raising organic food, conserving soil and water, making adobe bricks, and training local farmers
- how the local people are raising oyamel trees and preserving the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
- Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the webcast.
- Check out the lesson plans.
Links
For more information about conservation activities in Mexico, visit the following web pages:
Journey North
https://journeynorth.org/monarchsMonarch Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/conserve/index.htm
Find out about conservation issues and how you can help.
Little Spaces; Big Results
Little spaces can produce big results by helping monarch butterflies, pollinators, birds, and other wildlife find places for food, water, shelter, and reproduction. Butterfly gardens in schoolyards, at home, in public spaces, or in naturalized areas can be extremely valuable to monarch butterflies.
Monarchs have two special needs: milkweed which is needed for breeding and flowering plants which are needed for nectar.
Milkweed
Many butterflies have a single plant required as a food source for their larval form called a host plant. Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly. Without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop into a butterfly. Monarchs use a variety of milkweeds. Over 100 species of milkweed exist in North America, but only about one fourth of them are known to be important host plants for monarch butterflies. For a list of beneficial species go to: Milkweed Species Beneficial to the Monarch Butterfly.Nectar Plants
Adult monarchs feed on the nectar from flowers, which contain sugars and other nutrients. Unlike the larvae that only eat milkweeds, adult monarchs feed on a wide variety of nectar bearing flowers. They will visit many different kinds of flowers in their search for food.An abundance of nectar sources is especially important for migrating monarchs. Monarchs that are preparing to migrate south to Mexico need to consume enough nectar to build up fat reserves. The food they eat before and during their migration south must not only power them through the long journey, but also must sustain them throughout the winter. Over-wintering monarchs feed very little or not at all. As monarchs migrate south, they will actually gain weight as they continue to feed on nectar bearing flowers.
In eastern North America, the monarchs leave the over wintering sites in the spring. Nectar is essential to making the journey to Texas. Nutrition from early spring nectar bearing wildflowers provides the energy and nutrients for these monarchs to develop their reproductive organs. When they arrive in Texas, they will breed and then die. As the new monarchs emerge they will make their way north. It will take three more generations of monarchs to complete their journey northward and then start the migratory cycle once again.
Nectar corridors are a series of habitat patches containing plants that flower at the appropriate times during the spring and fall migrations. These patches provide stopping-off points for the migrating butterflies to refuel and continue their journey. Having these islands of nectar sources is particularly important within large areas of urban and agricultural development. The discontinuous patches of nectar sources are “corridors” that monarchs will follow, like stepping-stones across a stream to complete their migration.
This information was from the USDA Forest Service’s Monarch Butterfly in North America web page.
During the webcast, learn about:
- Summer habitat for monarchs, inner city habitat development, and schoolyard/backyard gardens
- Monarch biology, including the monarchs return to the north and the two-generation spring migration
- Citizen science opportunities including Journey North
- Environmental education
Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the webcast.
- Check out the lesson plans.
Links
For more information about habitat needs and gardening for butterflies, visit the following web pages:
Important Links
See the information about gardening for butterflies on this web site.USDA Forest Service’s Monarch Butterfly in North America:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/
Whether it’s a field, roadside area, open area, wet area, or urban garden; milkweed and flowering plants are needed for monarch habitat. Adult monarchs feed on the nectar of many flowers, but they breed only where milkweeds are found.Monarch Watch
Monarchs need our help! Get involved in monarch conservation by creating a Monarch Waystation. For information, go to http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/.
For tips on starting your own garden and detailed plant lists, go to http://www.monarchwatch.org/garden/.
Building the Population
Monarchs move northward throughout the spring.
Generation 1
The first monarch generation of the year begins when females that have spent the winter in Mexico lay eggs in northern Mexico and the southern United States beginning in late March. The last generation 1 eggs are laid in late April or early May, farther north. Since it is often cool when Generation 1 larvae are developing, it may take them up to 40 or 50 days, or even more, to develop from eggs to adults, as compared to 25-30 days in the summer.Generation 1 adults emerge from late April
to early June. They mate and begin to lay eggs about four days after emerging, and continue the journey north that their parents began, laying eggs along the way. They begin to arrive in the northern US and southern Canada in late May.Like all monarchs, generation 1 begins life on plants in the milkweed family. The most important milkweed species for Generation 1 monarchs in the southern US are Asclepias oenotheroides, A. viridis and A. asperula.
Generation 2
Monarchs in Generation 2 are the grandchildren of the overwintering monarchs. Generation 2 larvae are widely distributed throughout the eastern United States, first beginning to appear in the south in early May, and in the north in late May. Eggs that become generation 2 may be laid as late as July in the north. Those laid in the southern part of the range continue to migrate north.Generation 2 adults emerge in June and July, and mate and lay eggs soon after emerging. Most of those that begin their lives in the south move north as adults, since the southern summers are too hot and dry for their offspring. Those laid farther north probably do not move far, and can use all of their energy to produce as many offspring as possible.
Many members of Generation 2 eat milkweed species including A. syriaca (Common Milkweed) and A. incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) as larvae.
Generation 3
Monarchs in Generations 3 and 4 are the great- and great-great grandchildren of the overwintering monarchs. Generations 3 and 4 monarch eggs are laid throughout the northern part of their range in July and August.Some adults move south in late July and August, and may lay eggs as late as October in the southern part of the US. Some generation 3 monarchs emerge early enough to produce another summer generation. But those that emerge later are different from other monarchs in two important ways. First, they will migrate to and from the overwintering sites in Mexico. Second, they do not reproduce right after they emerge. In response to decreasing temperatures and shortening day lengths at the end of the summer, their reproductive organs remain in an immature state. Instead of mating and laying eggs, they spend their time drinking nectar and clustering together in nighttime roosts in preparation for their long journey south. This delayed maturity is called diapause. Most of the monarchs will remain in this condition until the following spring, when they begin to mate in the overwintering colonies. During September, October and early November migratory adults fly to overwintering sites in central Mexico, where they remain from November to March.
In March, they begin to journey north, laying the eggs that will become the new Generation 1 along the way.
Generation 3 and 4 undergo huge increases in size, taking advantage of the abundance of milkweed and favorable temperatures in the northern US and southern Canada.
This information was provided by Monarch Lab: Monarchs in the Classroom.
During this webcast,learn about monarch summer behavior and growth in the population, citizen roles in monitoring the population, and threats to the summer monarch population, such as habitat destruction and pesticide use. Specifically, tune in and learn about:
- Monarch reproduction and development
- The Citizen Science Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
- Stewardship activities in which citizens and communities provide habitat for monarchs and other native insects
Here’s how you can participate:
- Watch the webcast.
- Check out the lesson plans.
Links
For more information about monarch migration, visit the following web pages:
Monarch Butterfly in North America
From the USDA Forest Service
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtmlMonarch Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/index.html
Learn more about the spectacular migration that millions of Monarchs make each year.
Monarchs in Canada
Monarch butterflies move to the northern range of their breeding territory in the northern United States and Canada from late May through July. One of the most exciting places to see monarchs in the fall is Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, Canada. Point Pelee National Park is a particularly important location for monarchs in the fall. The Great Lakes are a significant barrier to the monarchs’ southern migration. As they move south, they search for shorter ways across the lake and the Pelee peninsula provides an excellent start! Point Pelee’s shape funnels the monarchs to the tip. If the weather is cold, they will roost in trees and wait for warmer temperatures and favorable winds to cross the lake. If the weather is warm, they will often go directly across the lake without stopping in the park.
CLICK HERE for a PowerPoint presentation about monarchs in Canada in English.
CLICK HERE for a PowerPoint presentation about monarchs in Canada in French.
Because monarchs breed only where milkweed is found, their summer range is limited in the north to areas where milkweed grows. Milkweed is abundant and widespread in Ontario thus allowing monarch populations to greatly expand each summer. All milkweed plants contain poisons known as cardiac glycosides. Monarch larvae are not affected by the poisons, but store them in their bodies and pass them on to the adults. Most birds that attempt to eat adults or larvae vomit and learn to associate this unpleasant experience with the bright patterns of the adults and larvae and thus soon learn to avoid them.
All milkweed plants contain poisons known as cardiac glycosides. Monarch larvae are not affected by the poisons, but store them in their bodies and pass them on to the adults. Most birds that attempt to eat adults or larvae vomit and learn to associate this unpleasant experience with the bright patterns of the adults and larvae and thus soon learn to avoid them.
In Canada, monarchs are listed as a species of special concern and protected under Canada’s federal Species at Risk Act.
Information taken from Point Pelee National Park of Canada:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/on/pelee/natcul/natcul5.aspx
Butterfly Garden Grants
Congratulations to the following schools and organizations that received GreenWorks! grants from Project Learning Tree for Butterfly Garden Grants through MonarchLIVE.
State
City
Organization
Project Name & Description
CA
Pacifica
Ocean Shore Schools
Ocean Shore School Butterfly Habitat: Ocean Shore School, in collaboration with the GGNPC, will establish a butterfly sanctuary using native plant species to augment their greenhouse garden area. The butterfly garden will be a student planned and planted garden that will educate the Pacifica community about butterfly habitats, life cycles and environmental dependence CO
Woodland Park
Gateway Elementary School
A Butterfly Haven for the 21st Century: Under the guidance of a Habitat Team composed of teachers, administrators and volunteers, a student organization, K-Kids will establish a butterfly garden. Not only will this haven help to protect local butterflies, it will also create a meaningful way to integrate the science and technology curriculum for all students. FL
Winter Springs
Layer Elementary
“Tag!” You’re It! A Butterfly Playground: This is a service-learning project which integrates community service and the new Science Sunshine Standards. The garden, targeted for Spring 2009, is an environmental project which will serve as an outdoor lab for all Layer Elementary students. Accessible to the local community, the garden is to enhance an area with 90% Florida native nectar and host plants. FL
Coral Springs
Sawgrass Springs Middle School
Beautiful Butterflies and Mystical Motivation: Sawgrass Springs Environmental Magnet School is located in Coral Springs bordering the Florida Everglades. The mission is to use the outdoors as the classroom to teach butterfly education. Middle schoolers are planting symmetrical a butterfly shaped garden with antennas, wings, and steppingstones to walk upon. An environmental work of art! IL
Chicago
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Lawn Nation Butterfly Garden: TEENS (Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Nature and Science) will improve the existing Lawn Nation exhibit garden in the front entrance to the museum by adding plants that attract and provide habitat for native butterflies species. Interpretive signage will provide educational information to over 200,000 people that visit our museum annually. MI
Detroit
O.W. Homes Elementary School
Fly, Baby, Fly!: This project will create a safe haven for butterflies to return to an urban area, bringing excitement, pollination, and enjoyment by students and community members alike. Designed and maintained by students, it will become part of an outdoor learning environment for all children in this neighborhood school. MO
Ballwin
Morgan Selvidge middle School
Selvidge Middle School Butterfly Garden: Morgan Selvidge Middle School in Ballwin, Missouri, will build a butterfly garden as part of a service learning project during the spring of 2009. This project is tied to state academic curriculum. The garden will include a birdbath, milkweed plants, and nectar-producing native flowers for the Monarch Butterflies. MS
Bay St.Louis
South Hancock Elementary School
South Hancock Spreads its Wings: The purpose of this grant is to create a butterfly garden on the grounds of South Hancock Elementary School. Led by PLT facilitator-trained staff, second graders would work with teachers, parents, and community partners to participate in MonarchLive! creating a sense of community and beautifying their environment. NJ
Burlington
Bernice Young School
Young School Garden of Learning: Students, staff, parents and senior citizen volunteers are creating a Butterfly Garden for the centerpiece of the Young School Garden of Learning. This intergenerational endeavor restores our ecoregion with native flower sanctuaries, Butterfly, Worm, Rock and rain gardens, facilitating cross -curricular learning and outdoor areas for adult studies and gardening. NJ
Marmora
Upper Township School District
Intergenerational Butterfly Garden: The school’s Intergenerational Club, comprised of students, educators and seniors working side by side, will cultivate and nurture key varieties of annuals and perennials that support the monarch butterfly’s life stages. Both 4th and 5th grade students will use this outdoor classroom with their teachers during their study of life science. OH
Athens
West Elementary School & Master Gardeners of Athens County
Creation to Migration: This project provides a learning laboratory for students at West Elementary School. This learning lab will be hands on and a real world application for our students who will be part of the planning, constructing and up-keep of the pollinator garden and document their discoveries. Students will learn about soil nutrient cycles, plant growth, pollinators and ecosystem function. The Master Gardeners of Athens County partnered with West Elementary to provide consultation, instruction and material support. OR
Eugene
Applegate Elementary School
Come Fly With Me is an extension of our School Garden Project that was started in 2007. Part of our school garden is currently unused and the volunteers from the School Garden Project along with my students think the rest of the garden should be a Butterfly Garden. TX
Houston
Houston Independent School District – Stephen F. Austin High School
Miles de Monarcas: Miles de Monarcas pollinator garden is a curriculum-based project based on experiential learning and hands-on experiences. Students, teachers and community have joined forces to provide habitat for migrating Monarchs and other important local butterfly species. TX
Houston
Houston Independent School District – Berry Elementary Science Magnet School
Berry‘s Butterfly Monarch Mania: Berry’s Butterfly Monarch Mania is a place-based, service learning, hands-on Monarch butterfly/pollinator garden maintained by a self-supporting system created by curious and involved student hands, careful teacher guidance and community-based interest in providing supplemental habitat providing a sustainable Monarch corridor for the migration of this international symbol of freedom. TX
Houston
Environmental Institute of Houston
Clear Lake High School Atrium: Clear Lake High School’s Earth Club plans to rejuvenate the atrium located at the center of its main campus. With funding, a welcoming butterfly garden could be added to currently dull space. TX
Denton
Lee Elementary, Denton ISD
Lee Outdoor Learning Area (LOLA) Monarch Butterfly Habitat: This Project will involve all students K-5 in a hands-on, service learning experience that will include collaborations with local community and University partners with the goal of creating a schoolyard habitat for migrating Monarch Butterflies as well as site for year round natural science observations and experiential learning! TX
Kyle
Kyle Elementary School – Hays CISD
Kyle Elementary Environmental Study Center – Habitat Restoration Project: Kyle Elementary students are developing areas within their campus to restore habitats that will support wildlife. By planting native plants that provide food and shelter for insects and animals, we hope to surround students with more opportunities to learn about nature. Project Learning Tree® Lesson Plans
Improve Your Place
This is lesson plan provides a process for planning, designing, and planting a butterfly and pollinator garden, and is a good model to use when creating and planning any service project. In this activity, students are encouraged to plan and carry out a service learning project that focuses on making positive environmental changes in their community.PLT_Activity_96 for a pdf file of “Improve Your Place.” (for grades 5-8)
Can It Be Real?
A beetle that drinks fog. A flower that smells like rotting meat. A fish that “shoots down” its prey. Are these plants and animals for real? In this activity, students discover extraordinary plants and animals, and gain insight on how they are uniquely adapted to environmental conditions.PLT_Activity_11 for a pdf file of “Can It Be Real?” (for grades 4-8)
Other Grants
A number of other organizations also providing funding for schoolyard gardens.
Project Learning Tree
https://www.plt.org/apply-for-greenworks-environmental-education-grant
Do you have an idea for a school/community native plant garden, a forest improvement project, a streamside restoration plan, a recycling program, or energy conservation project for your students? Need funds to implement it? Apply for a Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! grant!Sponsors
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U.S. Forest Service
International Programs, Conservation Education, Wildlife, Fish, Watershed, Air and Rare Plants (WFWARP), (R9) Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and Urban Connections The U.S. Forest Service serves as the lead governmental agency for MonarchLive! Program leadership is shared with International Programs (overall program leadership) and the Conservation Education programs (education leadership), while each ‘internal’ FS partner brings focused assistance to the project. The participation of the WFWARP program will engage a wide range of biologists and natural resource managers who are responsible for pollinator and butterfly management on FS lands. The Urban Connections program will assist the project with their experience in engaging urban populations, and will work closely with the project to help build ‘on-the-ground’ partnerships in both Chicago and Minneapolis. Additional internal partnerships are being developed and may include Range, Research and Development and External Affairs.
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Since 1995, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Without Borders-Mexico Program has made a continuing commitment to support the conservation of monarch butterflies. By working with various partners to protect the monarch overwintering habitat, the Service helps ensure that highly valued butterflies in the United States are protected on their multi-generational migration through Mexico. The National Wildlife Refuge System, in partnership with the National Park Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, and CONANP, is working to develop a Monarch Butterfly Sister Protected Area Network to collaborate on habitat preservation and restoration, research, monitoring, environmental education, and public outreach across North America. The National Wildlife Refuge System and the National Conservation Training Center support Monarch Live: A Distance Learning Adventure as a means of connecting children with nature through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Let's Go Outside! program.
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Project Learning Tree
Project Learning Tree® (PLT) is the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation. PLT provides educators with comprehensive environmental education curriculum resources that can be integrated into lesson plans for all grades and subject areas. PLT teaches students “how to think, not what to think” about complex environmental issues, and helps students learn the skills they need to make sound choices about the environment. Developed in 1976, PLT has an international network of more than 500,000 trained educators using PLT materials that cover the total environment. The American Forest Foundation (AFF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) conservation and education organization that strives to create a future where North American forests are sustained by the public which understands and values the social, economic, and environmental benefits they provide to our communities, our nation, and our world.
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Other Partners
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Journey North
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University of Kansas Monarch Watch
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Eden Place
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El Valor
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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
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Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
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Monarch Butterfly Fund
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North American Pollinator Protection Campaign/Pollinator Partnership
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Alternare
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Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas
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Biocenosis
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Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza
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Cerro Prieto