Mission Monarch

On July 30th the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) and Sullivan County Conservation District held a joint event as a part of the North America wide Mission Monarch project. Mission Monarch is a citizen science program that began at the Montreal Space for Life Insectaruim and now takes place throughout North America. It is a 10 day long program  (Saturday July 27th to Tuesday August 4th) that encourages folks to get outside and monitor milkweed plants for monarch eggs and catapillars. This 9 day stretch is prime breeding time for monarchs and the program is part of an international resource and education effort aimed at saving the migratory populations of this endangered species.  

Sullivan County Conservation District's Education and Outreach Specialist Dawn Dextraze is a lover of butterlies and served as the expert in the field for Mission Monarch on July 30th. Monarch migration is a natural phenomenon that is unique among butterflies because of the scope of their migration" said Dextraze, "some monarchs fly over 3000 miles from their breeding site to their overwintering grounds in the Oyamel Fir forests of central Mexico...since many pollinators share the same habitat as monarchs they are an indicator of what is happening to all pollinators." 

Mission Monarch is a citizen sceince program documenting the monarch's reproductive success before they migrate. The program is part of an international resarch and education effort aimed at saving the migratory populations of this endangered species. "Citizen science encourages public participation in scientific research usually under the direction of professional scientists. It's a terrific tool for both educators, scientists, and land management organizations." said Dextraze. 

The project works by gathering folks together to follow four easy steps. First, find and identify milkweed. There are three types in New Hampshire, common milkweed, swamp milkweed, and butterfly weed. "During Mission Monarch at Up on the Hill, we looked at Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Monarchs exclusively lay their eggs on milkweed plants, and milkweed is the only food source for the catapillars, so it is vital that we preserve these plants and their habitat to support monarchs." said Alison Marchione, UVLT's Programs Director.

Once the milkweed is identified, participants look for the small, light yellow monarch eggs on the fronts and backs of the leaves, and for the catapillars, which are usually near the new growth at the top. "I learned today that catapillars perfer to eat the younger plants and the new growth," said Marchione. Managing for monarch habitat means that you should mow down some - but not all- of your milkweed in early June to have small plants and new growth for catapillars, while still leaving some bigger plants to bloom and provide a nectar source for adults. 

Finally, as milkweed plants, eggs, catapillars and adults are identified they are marked down on a datasheet, which is then entered online at the Mission Monarch website (www.mission-monarch.org) to be added to all the data collected throughout North America. The group at Up on the Hill monitored 256 milkweed plants and found 49 caterpillars, 101 eggs, and 15 adult butterlies!

A follow up to the Mission Monarch monitoring will be held by Dextraze and Marchione at Up on the Hill Conservation Area in Charlestown on Saturday, September 14th. At this event, participants will be catching monarch butterflies that are in the process of migrating south and tagging them. Tagging the butterflies allows for scientists to learn about monarch migration and track where the butterflies come from and where they go. There is no charge for this event and no experience is necessary. More Information about this event can be found on the UVLT webpage (www.uvlt.org/calendar) as well as the Sullivan County page (https://www.sccdnh.org/programs).

"We have this great property down in Charlestown that has perfect monarch habitat." said Marchione. "The fields are full of milkweed. In fact the prior owners who donated the property to UVLT save milkweed seeds and plant them, boosting the monarch population. I knew when Dawn mentioned Mission Monarch that Up on the Hill Conservation Area would be a perfect location for this event and the butterfly tagging event." 

Up on the Hill Conservation Area was doanated to UVLT by Chris and Harvey Hill in late 2016 and is now owned and managed by UVLT, with input from the Hills. "The Hills still do a lot of management, including mowing and maintaining the property for pollinator habitat." Marchione said. The property itself is 1,100 acres of farm and forest land, with a large wetland complex, and a beautiful view of Mount Ascutney. It is open to the public and has a marked trail system for hiking and other non-motorized, pedestrian recreation. 

(All photos courtesy of Alison Marchione)