About Project Monarch Health

 

Monarch Health is a community science project in which volunteers sample wild monarch butterflies to help track the spread of a protozoan parasite across North America.

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Our mission is to understand host -parasite interactions in monarchs and to enhance awareness of monarch biology and conservation through the coupling of community members and scientists.

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Backyard Ecology Podcast

Dr. Altizer and Kade Donaldson, Co-Directors of Project Monarch Health, were guests recently on Backyard Ecology, a podcast hosted by wildlife biologist Shannon Trimboli. The talk centers mainly around monarch parasites, conservation, and other closely-related topics. "Monarch Butterflies and OE (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha)" can be found on their website here.

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​Request a sampling kit

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This project runs every year and kits are available throughout the year, every year. Send an email

to monarchhealth@gmail.com with your mailing address to request a kit!  We welcome new volunteers, especially in areas where the map shows we need more samples.

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Check our our data sheet and instructions at the bottom of this page.

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Calling all volunteers in the southern US

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Participants in the southern coastal US, including Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Carolinas - please report any winter monarch sightings to Journey North!  Check out this news release for more details:   https://gadnr.org/publics-help-needed-reporting-wintering-monarchs