Monarchs in Motion – Scientists and Citizens Monitor the Butterfly’s Maryland Visit During its Spectacular Migration

A monarch butterfly lands on a milkweed. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo.

Each year thousands of monarch butterflies flutter through Maryland on their migration to Mexico, but scientists have learned something shocking about their stay in the Old Line State – they are not getting enough to eat. 

“As a hostess that embarrasses me because if you’re going to come to my house, I’m gonna feed you,” said Paula Becker, outreach ecologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Becker said the vividly colored insects are globally endangered. While they are not listed as endangered in the United States, Becker said their population is dropping.

To feed migrating monarchs, you can’t just look in the fridge or run to the store to buy more snacks for the butterflies.

Pam Magee right, and Laura Calert, left, Maryland Master Naturalists, complete a survey of monarch butterfly habitat Sept. 24 at Jug Bay in Lothian. Maryland DNR photo.

Instead, Becker and her team of volunteers carefully survey plots, identifying and counting blooming flowers and milkweed, and noting any monarch activity. That information is shared with the Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program, which collects data from across the country. 

Over time this monitoring will help scientists understand how monarch butterflies interact with their environment, and help track habitat change. These plants are good for more than just butterflies. 

“Being outdoors in general, and around native plants more specifically, boosts our physical health, our mental health, and our emotional health,” Becker said.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is working to protect and enhance monarch habitat across the state. Maryland is home to 14 varieties of milkweed, a wild flower that serves as the monarch’s host plant. Monarch caterpillars feed off milkweed, and adults need nectar-producing plants to snack on during migration.

Becker and her team have been surveying monarch habitat and contributing to the Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program since 2021. Volunteer Maryland Master Naturalists work in pairs to complete the surveys, which cover 10,000 square meters each.

A freshly tagged monarch butterfly. Maryland DNR photo.

Volunteers measure a 1-meter-by-1-half-meter rectangle using a PVC pipe, then count how many blooming flowers and milkweed plants are inside. They also note any monarch butterfly activity, such as caterpillars or eggs. 

This low-tech survey used by DNR was demonstrated at Anne Arundel County’s Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary during a visit from DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz as part of the department’s 2024 Science Week. 

The public can learn more about the native plants that support butterfly habitat each fall at the annual Monarchs and Milkweed Festival at Merkle Natural Resource Management Area in Prince George’s County. This year’s event took place on Sept. 28 and provided opportunities for the public to tag and release butterflies as well as take guided tours of the area’s gardens. There were also kids crafts and activities, food trucks and native plant sales, and a costume contest and hayrides. 

At the festival, butterflies were tagged with small alphanumeric stickers issued by Monarch Watch, a volunteer community science project that was initiated in 1992. When someone finds a tagged butterfly, they can report it to Monarch Watch, giving scientists a rough idea of the path the butterfly took.

A video with more information about the festival is available on the department’s YouTube channel and through the image below. 

Article by Rachael Pacella, Public Information Officer with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.