[leps-talk] Volunteers needed to study the breeding season movements of monarch butterflies

[Paul Cherubini]

Tyler, since you will only be looking at movement in eastern
North America, you'll fail to detect the movement of
eastern monarchs into the western States and vice
versa just like Nathan Miller did in his isotope study.
The Southwest Monarch Study has tagging proof that
some western monarchs - even those as far west as
Phoenix, Arizona - journey to the same overwintering
sites in Mexico where the eastern monarch go:
http://swmonarchs.org/az-recoveries.php
So it's highly likely some eastern monarchs from Mexico
(and / or their offspring) fly northwest in the Spring
and early summer into the western USA...but your
study will fail to detect that movement.

I don't mean to sound overly critical, but I just wanted to point
out some things your major professor may not have thought
of.  I'm sure you'll come up with some important new findings
just like Nathan Miller did.

Paul Cherubini
El Dorado, Calif.

 
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