July 28, 2022
The International Monarch Monitoring Blitz is a collaboration of volunteers from across the United States, Canada and Mexico who collect observations of monarchs and milkweed plants to help with gathering conservation data of migrating monarchs from July 29 through August 7, 2022. This “Blitz” is the 6th annual International Monitoring Blitz to help with the declining population of the migrating monarch butterflies.
This ten day “Blitz’ encourages volunteers to look for milkweed plants and examine them for monarch eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and butterflies. The”Blitz” data are uploaded and shared with researchers by citizen science volunteers to help monarch butterfly researchers answer important questions about monarchs and the milkweed distribution. Other key information, as in reproduction and natural resources, will help butterfly conservationists identify and prioritize the actions needed to conserve the monarch butterfly species.
Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) with wings spread out on flower showing veins and markings. 
Monarch caterpillar crawling on milkweed plant leaf on a summer evening in Hampton, Virginia. 
Monarch butterfly feeding on butterfly bush on a autumn afternoon in Hampton, Virginia.
The data collected by volunteers help researchers answer key questions about monarch butterfly and milkweed distribution, timing of reproduction, and the use of natural resources. In turn, this information helps conservationists identify and prioritize actions to conserve the species.
So, I would like to encourage each of you to take part in this Monarch Monitoring Blitz and help make a difference in saving the monarch butterfly species.
The data you collect can be shared with the following participating community science programs that are listed below:
- Journey North (journeynorth.org)
- Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (mlmp.org)
- Mission Monarch (mission-monarch.org)
- Naturalista (naturalista.mx)
- Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper (monarchmilkweedmapper.org)
I personally have been documenting my monarch butterfly data and milkweed observations with Monarch Larva Monitoring Project. It is a really easy process and have been enjoying my first year of doing a citizen science project with the monarchs.
The International Monarch Monitoring Blitz asks for you to follow the Blitz and share your participation in this international conservation effort on social media by using the hashtag #MonarchBlitz!
Let’s preserve and conserve our natural world!!!
Thank you for reading my Field Notes Blog, and I hope you will share this post with others.
All the very best,
Lori
Awesome post! Very cool about the Blitz and the coordinated effort! Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Katy!