Monarch Butterfly Thanksgiving Count 11/14 - 12/6
The annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count, a massive community science event is about to take place along the California coastline. Running from November 14th through December 6th, the count will bring together community members, scientists, and conservation professionals to tally the amount of western monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, overwintering in stands of trees along the coast and assess their habitat. Here in Sonoma County the count will be taking place at historic overwintering sites from Bodega Bay north through Sea Ranch. This effort is critical to understanding the health of the monarch population and has been taking place since 1997. The data collected by dedicated volunteers has helped to show the steep decline of the western monarch butterfly, and the population is now facing the possibility of extinction.
Our regional count coordinator, Mia Monroe, is one of the co-founders of the Thanksgiving Count, and while covid-19 is preventing her from training new volunteers and taking them out to the field this year, there are still ways you can help support western monarchs if you haven’t previously been involved. Everyone is encouraged to document sightings of monarch butterflies and native milkweed plants at Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper, a website operated by the Xerces Society and several state and federal Fish and Wildlife organizations. If you are able to support monarch populations by planting native milkweed and nectar plants, this can go a long way in helping stabilize their population levels. It’s important to remember that all pollinator plantings should be pesticide free, and well away from areas where they might be contaminated with pesticide drift. Any milkweed that is planted should be native to our area, like heart leaf milkweed, Asclepias cordifolia, as tropical milkweed varieties are often hosts to the monarch parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. Lastly tell your friends about what is happening with western monarch butterflies and stay informed by checking the results of this year’s Thanksgiving Count as they are published online.