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Western Monarch Population Rebound Continues in 2022 but Winter Storms Could Impact Spring Breeding Population

Posted on February 1, 2023February 20, 2024

The western monarch population continued its growth in 2022, according to overwintering count totals recently released by the Xerces Society. The 2022 Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count tallied 335,479 monarchs, an increase from the remarkable rebound from the previous year, which came in at nearly 250,000. The annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count surveyed 272 overwintering sites. According to the Xerces […]

Field reports

Precision Agriculture and Habitat Establishment

Posted on December 7, 2022February 20, 2024

Where are the monarchs now? The first monarchs arrived at their overwintering sites in Mexico on the first of November – just in time for the Day of the Dead the following day. The last of the monarchs in each migration usually reach the colonies by the first week of December. Once the butterflies are […]

Field reports

Prescribed Fire is a Great Way to Maintain Pollinator Habitat; But Firebreak Preparation Should Begin Now

Posted on October 20, 2022February 20, 2024

Where are the monarchs now? Fall migration is in full swing! Eastern migratory monarchs are beginning to arrive in Mexico. Texas is a migration hotspot, and reports are picking up in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast. Western monarch activity is also ramping up, and some monarchs have reached overwintering sites in California. Learn […]

Field reports

Hope Grows with Eastern Monarch Population Holding Steady

Posted on May 27, 2022February 20, 2024

In a report released this week from the World Wildlife Fund Mexico (WWF), scientists determined monarchs occupied 2.84 hectares in December 2021, a modest increase from the 2.10 hectares occupied in December 2020. The report notes the 35% increase in monarch butterfly overwintering population numbers between 2020 and 2021 gives some reason for hope given […]

Field reports

‘No Mow May’ Makes Supporting Pollinators Effortless

Posted on May 11, 2022February 20, 2024

One of the many requests the world makes to farmers and other land managers is restoring pollinator populations by implementing pollinator-friendly conservation practices on their lands. This month, we share a conservation principle that we hope lightens the burden on farm managers: simply stop mowing, at least during the month of May. Last year, we […]

Field reports

Stewardship Practices for Planting Treated Seeds

Posted on March 28, 2022February 20, 2024

There are a host of stewardship practices deployed by farmers throughout the year that boost crop health and yield while also protecting monarchs and other pollinators. One of those practices that bears particular attention during planting season is the proper management of treated seeds. The Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship provides guidelines for managing treated […]

Field reports

Western Monarch Populations Rally, Total Nearly 250,000 in 2021

Posted on February 28, 2022February 20, 2024

The western monarch population saw an extraordinary rebound in 2021, according to overwintering count totals recently released by the Xerces Society. The 2021 Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count tallied 247,237 monarchs, a significant increase from the previous year’s count, which came in at just under 2,000. The 2021 count is the highest tally since 2016 and […]

Field reports

Early Sightings Fuel Optimism for Western Monarch Rebound

Posted on December 17, 2021February 20, 2024

The official 2021 western monarch tally will not be known until early 2022 but early observations indicate a promising rebound for these monarch populations. “Nature has given us a second chance,” Emma Pelton, a biologist with the Xerces Society, told NPR last month. Farmers for Monarchs detailed earlier this year the alarmingly low 2020 western […]