Welcome!
The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) is a citizen science
project involving volunteers from across the United States and Canada in monarch
research. It was developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota to collect
long-term data on larval monarch populations and milkweed habitat. The overarching
goal of the project is to better understand how and why monarch populations vary
in time and space, with a focus on monarch distribution and abundance
during the breeding season in North America.
As an
MLMP
volunteer, your contributions will aid in conserving monarchs and their threatened
migratory phenomenon, and advance our understanding of butterfly ecology in general.
or log in
News and Updates
Check out this blog post about opportunisitic monarch butterflies that are reproducing now in San Antonio, Texas. Article features U of MN grad student Kelly Nail.
All of the K-6
students at Weaver Lake Elementary School in Maple Grove, Minnesota studied
monarchs and insect ecology this fall. They had a schoolwide monarch fair
at which students shared their findings about monarch life cycles, camouflage,
parasites, and ecology with their parents, teachers and administrators. View the YouTube videos the students made about their work.
The December monthly update email has been sent. You can view it online here. Sign up for our email list.
We invite your attendance at a 2.5-day meeting, June 21-23, 2012, at the University of Minnesota’s Landscape Arboretum. This meeting will be an opportunity for monarch biologists, agency land managers, monarch conservationists, citizen scientists, and others interested in monarch biology and conservation to share information on monarch population trends, new findings in monarch biology, and successful monarch conservation efforts. It will include speaking and poster sessions, field trips, workshops, and plenty of time for informal sharing and networking.
This 5th international conference on monarch biology and conservation is being planned and sponsored by the Monarch Joint Venture and the MonarchLab at the University of Minnesota. For more information, please visit the meeting website or contact Priya Shahani or Karen Oberhauser.
Archived News
Over 700 MLMP Monitoring Sites in the U.S. and Canada
Latest Gallery Photos
Why Participate?
Does your heart soar and fill with wonder when a monarch flutters by? Are
you concerned about the monarch population or wild species in general?
The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) is an exciting way
for monarch and nature enthusiasts to contribute basic knowledge about monarch population
dynamics, and foster monarch and habitat conservation. Help from citizens across
the country gives scientists a far bigger picture of the health of the monarch population.
Your involvement is the key!
MLMP
volunteers are always learning. During Nature Center
training sessions, volunteers learn about monarch biology, practice monitoring
and data entry protocols, and receive all of the materials necessary to conduct
monitoring. Or, you can learn on your own with our online directions. Learning to
monitor is only the beginning; your observations and data collection activities
will invoke awareness of and curiosity about the local environment. Volunteers communicate
with monarch scientists with their questions and concerns through email. All data
are compiled by scientists and made available to volunteers. So, you’ll
see your direct contribution to increased understanding of the monarch population.
Monitoring can be done alone or with others. The
MLMP
is a terrific way to introduce young adults to field science and the love of nature.
Monitoring is also a passion to share with a friend or relative.
The best reason to participate in the
MLMP
is your enthusiasm: about monarchs, nature, conservation, and continued learning.
Please consider signing up today,
contact us for further information on how to become an
MLMP
volunteer, or check to see if there will
be a training session at a Nature Center near you. We hope to hear from
you!