status of danaus plexippus in arizona - -...
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Southwest Monarch Study Tagging
Approximately 12,000 in AZ, NV, NM & CA deserts
23 recoveries in Mexico from AZ (18 wild, 5 farm)
10 sightings in CA from AZ
1 sighting in CA from NV
Copyright © 2010-2014 Southwest Monarch Study Inc.
Why TWO migration destinations?
Sightings in CA from AZ all tagged in early to mid September:
2008: 12010: 12013: 5 (all tagged
same week)2014: 3
Hypothesis: Wind direction & thermals with monsoons.
Wind & Sightings/Recoveries
• Wind direction and recoveries
• Multiple recoveries tagged on the same day.
Recoveries by sun angle
Migration begins when the noon sun angle is 56o to 57o, and ends when it is 46o to 47o.
Peak migration is at a sun angle of 52o to 53o.
November 2010 to March 2011
Hard freeze December 31, 2010 & February 1, 2011
Phoenix Monarch Count
0
5
10
15
20
10/3
0/10
11/1
3/10
11/2
7/10
12/1
1/10
12/2
5/10
1/8/
11
1/22
/11
2/5/
11
2/19
/11
3/5/
11
3/19
/11
Week
Co
un
t Rio Salado
DBG
Tempe Marsh
Asclepias:
Five climate zones reduced to three
Climate Zones:
Yellow: Low & Mid Altitude Deserts
Green: High Desert & Cool Plateau Highlands
Blue: Cold Mountainous Regions
(Davison, 1999)
Breeding season favored nectar
Monarchs will search for milkweed when breeding that isn’t in bloom yet
Breeding season nectar –
a critical need
Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis
Arizona Thistle, Cirsium arizonicum
Chocolate Flower, Berlandiera lyrata
Goodding's Verbena, Glandularia gooddingii
Richardson's Geranium, Geranium richardsonii
Red Barberry, Berberis haematocarpa
Trixis, Trixis californica
Sugar Sumac, Rhus ovata
Photo by Robbie Hannawacker
Importance of migration nectar
We’ve all heard the need for more Asclepias spp.
Monarchs use Asclepias for laying eggs, for larvae
During the migration monarchs are not breeding.
They need to store lipids to migrate and overwinter.
New free app for I-phone now and
Android in the near future.
Educational & Data Currently Available
Identifying monarch adults, egg, larvae, pupae
“Is it a monarch?”
Identifying Asclepias
Tagging info
Report a tagged monarch