Links to Useful and Informational Sites

Monarch Monitoring

Journey North - a site devoted to tracking the migrations of many wildlife species
Monarch Monitoring Project - a history of past monarch migrations at Cape May, New Jersey
MonarchWatch - a comprehensive site dedicated to education, conservation, and research on monarchs
Texas Monarch Watch - a Texas Parks and Wildlife sponsored program monitoring all stages of monarchs in Texas
Jane Borland's Lamar High School Students in Arlington Texas share their monarch monitoring and research experiences
Citizen Science: MLMP featured in article on citizen science projects in BioScience magazine

Monarch Education

Monarch Lab at the University of Minnesota - Provides a solid background for understanding the ecology, behavior, and evolution of monarch butterflies; a forum for communication between students and scientists studying monarch butterflies.
Monarch Magic - offers a student monarch garden, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to help protect the monarch
Monarchs and Migration - learn more about monarch migration, run by the Science Museum of Minnesota
Monica the Monarch - a site created by an 8th grader from New Jersey on how to raise monarchs
Nature North Zine on Monarchs - lots of basic information on monarchs, including taxonomy
Texas Environmental Studies Institute - explores monarch butterflies, Texas fossils, Texas rivers and other environmental science programs serving the students of the Gulf Coast area of Texas.
Victoria Christian School - a middle school that keeps a log of its monarch observations, many good photos here
William Zittrich's Monarch Photos - many great photos of monarchs
Milkweed and Ozone Pollution - citizen monitoring research activity for teachers and students
Monarch Butterfly Thematic Resource Unit - excellent clearinghouse of resources for teachers using monarchs in their classroom
MonarchParasites.org - Welcome to the world of monarch butterfly parasites! In this website you will find information about the Ophryocystis elektroskirrha (Oe) parasite, how to rear healthy monarchs, check for parasites in adult monarchs, and some of the latest research from on OE.
Monarch Butterfly Mania (http://www.evansonart.com/monarch.html) - Follow one family's journey of learning to raise Monarch butterflies. This site has lots of great pictures and is very informative.
The Monarch Butterfly in North America - A website put together by several federal agencies that is a gateway to news, information, activities, and resources about the biology and conservation of monarch butterflies.
Monarch Butterflies, Milkweed and More Blog - a resource for information on the U.S. Western Monarch population, including raising butterflies

Butterfly Sites

How to Make Butterfly Gardens - University of Kentucky site, includes nectar preferences for specific butterflies
North American Butterfly Association - a site dedicated to increasing public enjoyment and conservation of butterflies
Butterflies of North America - an indexed guide (by state) to butterflies in North America - ran by the U.S. Geological Survey
The Butterfly Website - a lot of information on butterfly gardening, farming, ecology and education.
Children's Butterfly Site - a lot of information on butterflies, includes activities geared towards children
Electronic Resources on Lepidoptera - a site full of links to all facets of butterfly education
Museo Mariposas del Mundo - a museum in Argentina dedicated to butterflies
Tactics and Vectors: Research on Butterfly Migration - a site devoted to promoting field studies on flight tactics and the navigation of migrating butterflies in N.A.
The Butterfly Site - a clearinghouse for butterfly-related websites and resources
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/ - This site has wonderful photos of most stages of several butterflies that occur in Dallas County, including monarchs and all of their close relatives.

Gardening

Bring Back the Butterflies Campaign - has a guide to making gardens by region
Butterfly Encounters - sells supplies for butterfly gardens, including seeds from many milkweed species
Butterfly Gardening and Conservation - includes a step-by-step guide to making a garden, run by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation
The Butterfly Zone - the butterfly gardening connection, how to attract butterfies and more!
How to Make Butterfly Gardens - University of Kentucky site, includes nectar preferences for specific butterflies
Milkeedfarm.com - has guide on how to raise milkweed plants. You can also order seeds for different kinds of milkweeds.
A to Z Gardening - has lots of information on gardening

Monarch Current Events

Monarch Conservation

The Entomological Society of America had a symposium on monarchs at their Pacific Branch Meeting on March 2, 2005. Speakers included monarch biologists Lincoln Brower, Chip Taylor, Karen Oberhauser, Dennis Frey, Sonia Altizer and many more. Their abstracts are included at this link.
Ecotourism: A Tool for Sustainable Development - an informational article on ecotourism issues
The Michoacan Restoration Fund - this site's mission is to save the oyamel forests used by monarchs in Mexico
Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation - dedicated to preserving the monarch overwintering grounds in Mexico
Mystery of the Monarchs - an Earth & Sky article about monarch migration and possible threats to the monarch
Monarch Alert Project - collaborative research to locate sites where monarchs stop during their fall migration in California

Insect Sites

The Xerces Society - a site focused on public education about invertebrates

Milkweed Sites

MilkweedFarm.com - has information on different milkweed species in every state.
USDA guide to US milkweed species
Some plants in the genus Cynanchum are also eaten by monarchs, but Cynanchum nigrum is toxic to the larvae.