The Monarch Mission by the National Wildlife Federation & LEGO Community Fund US

The Monarch Mission
Empowering Students to Improve Habitat for Monarchs
A Next Generation Science Standards–based curriculum K-12

National Wildlife Federation
11100 Wildlife Center Drive
Reston, VA 20190
Copyright @ 2016 by National Wildlife Federation
All rights reserved
Educators may photocopy these materials for the
non-commercial purpose of educational enhancement.
Written by Jennifer Hammonds
Edited by Karen Bishop, Jennifer Dowd,
Marya Fowler and Elizabeth Soper
Contributions by Cathy Downs, Elizabeth Soper,
and Monarch Lab—University of Minnesota
Designed by Jennifer Hammonds and Elizabeth Soper
Cover photo: Marya Fowler
USFWS,Tina

Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………….….......1
About the partnership, About the Curriculum, Schoolyard Habitats and Citizen Science
Kindergarten—Second Grade ………………………………………………………………………………...A1.1
 Lesson 1: The Monarch Butterfly
 Activity 1: Insects I know
 Activity 2: Is that Really an Insect
 Activity 3: Butterflies are Insects
 Lesson 2: What do Plants Need to Survive?..............................................................................A2.1
 Activity 1: Living and Non-Living Parts of a Habitat
 Activity 2: Observing Plant Life
 Activity 3: Plants’ Needs
 Lesson 3: Properties of Matter in a Monarch Garden………………….……….……………..…..A3.1
 Activity 1: Observing the Weather
 Activity 2: What’s the Matter in the Garden
 Lesson 4: Building a Monarch Habitat ………………………………………...…………………..…A4.1
 Activity 1: Habitat Diversity
 Activity 2: Habitat Hunt
 Activity 3: Monarch Recovery Garden Model
Third through Fifth Grade
 Lesson 1: Structure and Function: Animals vs. Plants………………………………………...…….B1.1
 Activity 1: What is Structure and Function?
 Activity 2: Examples of Structure and Function in Plants and Animals
 Activity 3: Names in a Flower System
 Lesson 2: The Sun: Feeding Ecosystems Everywhere……………………………………………….B2.1
 Activity 1: Food Chains
 Activity 2: Energy in a Food Chain
 Activity 3: Author of your Own Food Chain Story

Third through Fifth Grade continued...
 Lesson 3: Cycling Matter and Habitat Loss…………………………………………………….…...B3.1
 Activity 1: Building and Observing a Small Scale Ecosystem
 Activity 2: Cycles in the Garden
 Activity 3: Arguing in Class
 Lesson 4: Community Change………………………………………………………………………….B4.1
 Activity 1: Changing Cities
 Activity 2: The Oyamel Fir Forest
 Activity 3: Modeling Before and After
Middle School
 Green STEM Project Design……………………………………………………………………………..C-1
 Monarch Recovery Gardens……………………………………………………………………………..C-4
 Activity 1: Entry Event
 Activity 2: Driving Questions
 Activity 3: Habitat Basics
 Activity 4: The Monarch Butterfly and Its Habitat Needs
 Activity 5: Soil and Water Health
 Activity 6: Visioning, Action Planning and Habitat Team Roles
High School
 Green STEM Project Design………………………………………………………………………….…..D-1
 Monarch Recovery Gardens…………………………………………………………………….…….....D-22
 Activity 1: Entry Event
 Activity 2: Driving Questions
 Activity 3: Habitat Basics
 Activity 4: The Monarch Butterfly and Its Habitat Needs
 Activity 5: Soil and Water Health
 Activity 6: Visioning, Action Planning and Habitat Team Roles

High School continued...
 Monarch Larva Monitoring Project……………………………………………………………….…….D-21
 Site Information
 Measuring Milkweed Density
 Measuring Monarch Density
 Rainfall Data
 Estimating Monarch Survival
 Monitoring Milkweed for Aphids
Appendix
 Resources……………………………………………………………………………...…………….……..E-1
 Field Guide-Monarch Caterpillars……………….……………………………………………….……..F-1
 Journey North Data Collection Form………………………….……………………………………….G-1

The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to inspire
Americans to protect wildlife and natural resources for our
children’s future. The National Wildlife Federation has been
a leader in developing high quality educational programming
focused on the study and observation of nature, earth sys-
tems and wildlife to advance science learning for nearly 50
years. Combined, our K-12 programs reach 8,300 schools,
approximately five million students and thousands of educa-
tors every year. For more about the National Wildlife Federa-
tion visit our website at www.nwf.org
The LEGO Community Fund U.S. (LCFUS) mission is to in-
spire and develop the builders of tomorrow to reach their po-
tential by supporting programs benefitting children 0-14, pri-
marily in the areas of learning, creativity or creative problem
solving. We will support programs in the U.S. communities
where the LEGO Group operates, and will give preference to
programs benefitting disadvantaged children.

Monarch Recovery Gardens
THE MONARCH MISSION
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
Introduction: For many of us, one of our fondest memories of elementary school is
observing monarch butterflies in the classroom and learning about metamorphosis as these
remarkable creatures transformed from caterpillars to butterflies right in front of our eyes. As
educators, many of you have probably used the monarch butterfly to teach about life cycles
and migration. But this iconic species is in trouble and like many of our pollinator species is in
decline.
These brilliant orange and black butterflies are among the most easily
recognizable of the butterfly species. Their migration takes them as
far north as Canada and, during the winter months, as far south as
Mexico City. A single monarch can travel hundreds to thousands of
miles. Monarchs are truly spectacular migrants, because the
butterflies know the correct direction to migrate even though they
have never made the journey before. They follow an internal
"compass" that points them in the right direction each spring and fall.
The monarch migration is one of the greatest natural phenomena in
the insect world.
But it is this migration and the habitat the monarch depends upon during this journey that has
resulted in the species decline. It was in 2014, when biologists and the US Fish and Wildlife
Service became concerned about the monarch butterfly’s population numbers. According to
scientists, the continent’s monarch population has declined by more than 80 percent from its
average during the past two decades—and by more than 90 percent from its peak of nearly one
billion butterflies in the mid-1990s.
Why is the Monarch Butterfly in Decline?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently studying the status of the species to determine if
it should be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The reason for
the precipitous decline is primarily due to the loss of the monarch’s exclusive larval host plant
and a critical food source – native milkweed. These plants have been eradicated and/or
severely degraded in many areas across the U.S. due to the overuse of pesticides by commercial
agriculture and conventional gardening practices in suburban and urban areas. The accelerated
conversion of the continent’s native short and tall grass prairie habitat to crop production has
had an adverse impact on the monarch, and climate change has intensified weather events
which may also be impacting their populations. It is estimated that one million acres of
milkweed must be planted annually simply to keep pace with new losses. Creating all of the
habitat that monarchs need will require a massive habitat restoration program.

THE MONARCH MISSION
What is the National Wildlife Federation and our Partners Doing to Help?
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) recognizes the increased need for native milkweed to
restore monarch habitat across large landscapes, suburban and urban gardens. Because, the
lack of native milkweed is a limiting factor for the monarch butterfly, localized efforts to
increase the supply of native milkweed is critical. This is especially important in Texas where the
butterflies make their first stop after overwintering in Mexico before starting the annual
migration north. Without sufficient habitat and milkweed in this region, the migration of the
monarch stops. On a national level, NWF and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and many other
partners have joined forces to help protect the monarch by working to bring back native
milkweed and nectar producing plants that the species rely upon for breeding and feeding
along its migratory route.
How Can Schools Help Monarch Butterflies?
As monarchs lose more and more habitat on
agricultural lands, backyards have become
increasingly important. As part of a larger effort to
protect pollinators, NWF and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service recently signed an agreement, calling
on citizens to help monarchs by cultivating milkweed
and native nectar plants. With a long history of
creating habitat for wildlife, National Wildlife
Federation believes that individuals, schools and whole communities can play a key role in
helping monarchs recover.
Studying pollinators and the monarch butterfly gives students the opportunity to become
engaged in and empowered to help solve a current and tangible ‘real-life’ environmental
problem. The monarch butterfly is a species that students can have a direct positive impact on;
a species they see in their schoolyards, backyards and at their local parks. The study of the
monarch butterfly also lends itself beautifully to project-based learning. Students learn the
importance of pollinators, develop plans, and implement effective solutions—such as creating
monarch gardens with native nectar and milkweed (host) plants—that can make a concrete
difference for the species.
Here’s how your schools can play a role in this nationwide monarch-recovery
effort:
Create a NWF Schoolyard Habitat® NWF’s Schoolyard Habitat™ Program
(http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-wildlife/Create/Schoolyards.aspx) now with 5,000 participating
schools, is the single largest school garden program in America. It supports school and educator
efforts to develop wildlife and ecosystem education programs directly on the school grounds
and provides children with opportunities to learn in outdoor classrooms. Schools can also
participate in NWF’s Eco-schools USA program and explore the Schoolyard Habitat pathway
earning additional recognition and awards for your work. (www.eco-schoolsusa.org)

THE MONARCH MISSION
Plant milkweeds native to your region. Because they coevolved with your region’s wildlife,
native milkweeds are best. Sources of native milkweeds include Monarch Watch’s Milkweed
Market and the Xerces Society’s Milkweed Seed Finder.
Cultivate native nectar plants. Nectar sources are especially important during spring and fall
when monarchs migrate and need to fuel their flights, which can reach 2,000 miles during fall.
Sources for native nectar plants include the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s Native Plant
Database and regional planting guides published by the Pollinator Partnership.
Avoid pesticides use. In particular, steer clear of systemic insecticides such as neonicotinoids.
These are taken up by plants’ vascular systems, leaving caterpillars and butterflies that feed on
leaves, nectar and pollen exposed to the poison long after it has been applied. A new
study provides evidence that milkweed leaves treated with one neonicotinoid, Imidacloprid, kill
monarch caterpillars that eat them.
Get your students involved in citizen science (see page _, appendix I). Biologists need
volunteers to help study monarchs and students are great scientists. Programs such as
Monarch Watch, the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, and Journey North are great programs
to involve your students in real science and support in helping monarchs.
About Monarch Mission
The lessons and activities that are part of The Monarch Mission, Empowering Students to
Improve Monarch Habitat were created to complement your NWF Eco-Schools USA and
Schoolyard Habitat® work and to accompany the construction of your school’s Monarch
Recovery Gardens and monarch observations.
The curriculum is only one component to the overall experience. The Monarch Recovery
Gardens project is not a short-term learning project. It is a long-term learning experience that
will allow students to:
1) Increase the available habitat needs of the monarch, subsequently leading to an
increase in monarch numbers,
2) Provide a variety of field experiences for students, allowing them to apply new learning
and practice critical science, engineering and 21st century skills, and
3) Build awareness in the community about a national environmental issue, while
providing local solutions that can help bring them together, resulting in positive impacts
for pollinator species, specifically the monarch butterfly.
Each of these lessons and activities were designed starting with the Next Generation Science
Standards (NGSS) standards for the following grade bands, K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

THE MONARCH MISSION
As lessons and activities are being developed from the NGSS we are focusing on three key
components,
 Project-Based Learning: using Monarch Recovery Gardens as the focus for place- and
project-based, learning experiences.
 Green STEM: Using the natural world as the lens in which to integrate:
o science content,
o technology via web-based applications and online digital publishing tools
o engineering to create models, to demonstrate change over time and to solve
design challenges to creating sustainable monarch habitat, and
o Math to develop equations, measure plant growth, project progress, change
over time and the rate of population growth/decline.
Interdisciplinary Instruction: a scientifically literate student is able to communicate about
topics in science and understand the historical value or nature of an issue and to use art to
drive creativity and innovation.
Photo Credit: Harris Elementary
Photo Credit: Avelino Mateas
Common Milkweed: Discovery Hill Austin
Photo Credit: Marya Fowler

Introduction to Citizen Science
What is Citizen Science?
Citizen Science is the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the
general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists.
Goals and Objectives in the Classroom
The goal of Citizen Science in the classroom is to engage the student to not only learn about science
but to be the scientist. Through discovering new things and increasing their own knowledge of the
world students understand that science is not just memorizing a set of facts. By participating in
Citizen Science they are now empowered to contribute to the ongoing process.
Students will make use of a number of skills such as collecting and analyzing data, interpreting
results, making new discoveries, and developing and solving complex problems. According to the
National Science Foundation, the constructs of citizen science are knowledge, engagement, skills,
attitudes and behaviors. This creates a new science learning environment for students in the
classroom.
Validity and Success
Citizen scientists collecting and reporting data to Monarch Butterfly projects provide information that
contributes to the successful conservation of monarchs and their threatened migratory phenomenon.
For elementary grade level students Journey North’s Monarch Butterfly Migration Project is a great
place to start. According to its creators Journey North is “a global study of wildlife migration and
seasonal change.” Most students are familiar with this specie and the project is easy to participate in.
With the appropriate building blocks even kindergartners can ask questions about data-another skill
critical to building a scientific frame of mind. Students track the migration of the monarchs and learn
about animal behavior and adaptations as well as the life cycle of the monarch butterfly representing
key topics in life science. The project addresses content objectives through inquiry perspective which
provides students with a way to build scientific skills and habits of mind.
One school in Brookshire, TX has taken their Citizen Science participation to new heights. With a
new schoolyard Monarch Waystation garden in place they decided to embark on a sustained
program where the students would be part of a world community. They would learn about science
and conservation while helping the monarch population in their annual migration. They followed the
suggested lessons from the Journey North website and shared their sightings of adult monarchs,
eggs, chrysalides and caterpillars. Their students also participated in the Symbolic Migration and the
school was plotted on the map of participating schools. One key element of their sustained inquiry
was the Q/A with Dr. Karen Oberhauser where they learned important lessons about conservation
and citizenship.

A more advanced Citizen Science project suitable for secondary grade level students is the Monarch
Larval Monitoring Project (MLMP). The MLMP is a program in which volunteer citizen scientists
collect and report real scientific data on monarch egg and larval distribution and abundance from their
monarch breeding habitat(s).
The project involves youth and adult volunteers from across the United States and Canada in
monarch research. It was developed in 1997 by researchers at the University of Minnesota. Students
can begin the project by viewing the online training video series and the instructions provided on the
activity datasheets.
Citizen Science helps students to understand that science is a way of thinking about the world that
involves observing, questioning, analyzing, revising and collaborating. It exposes students to learning
opportunities relevant to the real world and allows integration of inquiry into the teaching of content.
Children learn science by actually doing science.
National Wildlife Federation, Journey North and the Monarch Larval
Monitoring Project are partners of the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV). The
(MJV) is “a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental
organizations, and academic programs that are working together to
support and coordinate efforts to protect the monarch migration across
the lower 48 United States”. The MJV is committed to a science-based
approach to monarch conservation work, guided by the North American
Monarch Conservation Plan (2008).
Cathy Downs
Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist
Chair – Bring Back the Monarchs to Texas

LESSON 1: THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY
GRADE
K-2
TIME
(3-4) 30 minute periods of time
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Reading, Engineering, Writing
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will
 Identify and observe insects and
their common characteristics.
 Build an insect
 Construct the monarch butterfly life
cycle
 Act out the monarch butterfly life
cycle
Questions should be answered in the
science notebooks and can be discussed
in pairs, small groups and with the whole
class. Building science literacy starts in
Pre-K. Help students build their skills in
reading, writing, listening and responding
to science.
MATERIALS
 Science notebook
 Activity 2 Engineering: A variety of consumables materials
along with scissors and glue
 Activity 2.1: Pictures of common insects via magazines, online
resources or the checklist at BugFacts.net.
 Activity 2.3 Book – On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects
 Activity 3.1: Copies of Evidence-Monarch Butterflies. Make one
copy per pair or per group of four, p. A1.8.
 Activity 3.2 Life Cycle Cards: Make one set per students or pair
of students, pp. A1.6-A1.7.
 Activity 3.3: Determine which of the life cycles you will make
available to your students and gather the needed materials.
 Optional: slides of insects and insect parts – create a center
where students can see insects in detail through microscope or
detailed microscope images from the internet.
THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY – FEATURES
Students are building content knowledge so that they are better able to design, build, study and maintain a
Monarch Recovery Garden. Monarchs are among the most easily recognizable of the butterfly species which call
the Americas home. Monarch butterflies are bright orange with black and white markings. The body of the
monarch is black. The head has a set of antennae. From the thorax come the wings are mostly orange with black
veins running throughout. The outer edge of the wings has a think black border. Within the black border are white
spots. The white spots can range in size and they decorate the wings. At the upper corner of the top set of wings
are orange spots. The underside of the monarch butterflies’ wings can be seen when the butterfly is at rest or
when it is feeding on a flower. Instead of bright orange, the underside is more drab and orange-brown.
Males and females can be told apart by looking at the top of their hind wings. Males have a black spot at the
center of each hind wing, while the females do not. While the spots on males were once thought to be scent
glands, they are actually vestigial and no longer serve that purpose. This is not the case for all butterfly species.
Left: Female monarch; note lack of hind wing patches (Photo: Candy Sarikonda)
Right: Male monarch; note dark spot on each hind wing (Photo: Carrie Benham)
Monarch Lab
A1.1

THE MONARCH MISSION
Empowering Students to Improve Monarch Habitat
A-1.2
2016©National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
Size: Monarch butterflies have a wingspan of 3 ½ to 4 inches in length and weigh on average of 500 mg or 0.5g
(about .02 oz.).
Lifespan: Most monarch butterflies do not live more than a few weeks. There are about four generations born
each spring and summer and most of the offspring do not live beyond five weeks. The lone exception is the last
generation born at the end of the summer.
The last generation of each year is the over-wintering generation that must make the journey back to Mexico.
Rather than breeding immediately, the over-wintering monarchs fly back to Mexico and stay there until the
following spring. In the early spring, they fly north to the southern United States and breed. Over-wintering
monarch butterflies can live between 8 and 9 months.
STANDARDS
ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to
define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it
function as needed to solve a given problem.
2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. Emphasis
is on diversity of living things and not specific animal/plant names

THE MONARCH MISSION
A-1.3
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 – INSECTS I KNOW
1. Investigating Question: What is an insect? What insects live in our schoolyard? Have students write or help
you write a list of every inset they can think of. Student can also make a picture list by drawing insects they
are familiar with. Have students begin this list in their science notebook, listing the traits or characteristics that
make insects, insects (for example: insects have eyes).
2. Take a nature walk. Go outside on a ten minute nature walk.
(Provide students with your outside expectations and safety
precautions.)
Define the boundaries for the investigation. Generate ideas
from the students about where they might find insects (where
they live and eat) and model finding and observing the physical
attributes and behavior of insects aloud. Instruct students to investigate what is living there and where they
are in the schoolyard. Encourage students to take mental notes, make a list or sketches in their science
notebook. After 5-10 minutes of independent or partner exploration, instruct students to pick an insect to
carefully observe and draw (5 minutes). Option: Provide student with a temporary notebook they can wear
outside. Just attach some note cards to their student lanyard and bring out a box of golf pencils for them to
use on the walk.
3. Debrief. Have students compare the drawing they created to the list of characteristics of insects. Did
everyone draw an insect or are some of them spiders, rolly pollies or centipedes?
ACTIVITY 2 – IS THAT REALLY AN INSECT?
Are insects and bugs the same thing? NO, a bug is a certain type of insect.
 Insects have three body parts. This is not always the case for bugs.
 Insects have a variety of different mouth parts, but true bugs have a
“stylet” used to suck juices, typically plants, but some species feed on
animals.
 Insects hatch from eggs and most go through complete metamorphosis,
while true bugs go through incomplete metamorphosis; which means
they hatch as nymphs from their egg. A nymph is a miniature version of
the adult bug.1
1. Investigating Question: What is an insect? Have students look through
magazines, such as Ranger Rick Jr. or Ranger Rick. Your librarian may
also have some field guides with pictures of insects and bugs found in your
region or state. A very simple visual of insects can be found at,
www.bugfacts.net/checklist.php What similarities and differences do they
notice?
2. Have a class discussion about the various traits students have found (this
can come from a mental or written list). As a class determine 5
characteristics that help scientists identify insects. Then ask them to compare
their list to an actual list of insect characteristics.
 Exoskeleton
 3 body regions: head, thorax and abdomen
1
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/true-bugs
NOTE: Students may have
named or drawn spiders, rolly
pollies and/or centipedes and
that is okay. Later they will
understand why not all insects on
their list are true insects.
Question 2-1: Do the
insects in the images
share the same
characteristics from your
first list? Are there new
traits you want to add to
the list or are there traits
you want to take off your
list?
Questions 2-2: How do
you think scientists
determined or came up
with the one list all
scientist would use to
identify insects?

THE MONARCH MISSION
A-1.4
 3 pairs of segmented legs
 1 pair of antennae
 Most have two pair of wings – Note: a few insects, such as ants don’t usually have wings; some
insects, such as flies only have one pair of wings.
3. Read: On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects by Tish Rabe, from the Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library.
ACTIVITY 3 – BUTTERFLIES ARE INSECTS
1. Investigating Question: How does a scientist prove
a claim? (How do they prove what they are saying
is true?) Have students Think-Pair-Share with a
partner. Be ready to defend the claim that a
monarch butterfly is an insect. Will they use their
notebooking, books, photographs? Although them
to gather (within a reasonable amount of time) what they need to defend their claim. See page 1.8 for
a set of monarch images students can use as a part of their evidence.
2. Now that students are confident monarchs are insects it’s time to look at them more closely. Pass out
the sets of Life Cycle Cards, Activity 3-2 to students, p. 1.6-1.7. Have each student work alone to
construct the cycle in the correct order. Next have them describe or tell their neighbor why they put
the cycle in that particular order. When the student is ready check their work.
3. Students may now create the monarch butterfly life cycle using one of the methods below:


Draw the cycle in their science notebook.
Color, cut out, and put together the Monarch Life Cycle Wheel, pp.1.9-1.11.
Color, cut out and glue into the science notebook, using the worksheet, Life Cycle of the Monarch
Butterfly, p. 1.12.

 Use a paper plate to create the monarch life cycle. See examples below.
Engineering Option: What purpose do wings serve on an insect? Provide students
with a variety of consumable materials and have them construct an insect that has
movable wings. Materials can include but are not limited to: pipe cleaners, egg
cartons, paper (a variety of types), Wiki Stix, buttons, beans, pebbles, googly eyes,
pom-poms, colored dots, straws, popsicle sticks, etc.
NOTE: There are limits to the
evidence the photos can provide,
for instance, students cannot tell
from the photo whether or not the
monarch has an exoskeleton.
ButterflyLifeCycleonPinterest

THE MONARCH MISSION
A-1.5
4. Sing: The Butterfly Ballad to the tune of “Mary had a Little Lamb”. After learning the words teach students to
act it out.
Act It Out:
 Verse 1: roll up in a ball on the
floor and cover your head
 Verse 2: crawl like a caterpillar
 Verse 3: act like you are eating
and gobbling up as much food
as possible
 Verse 4: act like you are
growing, stretch long and tall
 Verse 5: pull your knees up to
your chest and be as still as
possible
 Verse 6: fly like a butterfly
Copyright SuperTeacherWorksheets.com, Used with Permission.

THE MONARCH MISSION
Empowering Students to Improve Monarch Habitat A-1.6
LIFE CYCLE CARDS – ACTIVITY 3-2
MONARCH BUTTERFLY EGGS
MONARCH
BUTTERFLY
CHRYSALIS

THE MONARCH MISSION
LIFE CYCLE CARDS – ACTIVITY 3-2
ADULT MONARCH BUTTERFLY
MONARCH BUTTERFLY LARVAE

THE MONARCH MISSION
Images courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Regional Center

clcl
MonarchLab.org - Monarchs in the Classroom | Lesson 1: Activity 3 | p. 1
The Monarch Life Cycle
by ______________
THE MONARCH MISSION

MonarchLab.org - Life Cycle Wheel | Lesson 1: Activity 3 | p. 2
THE MONARCH MISSION

clcl
MonarchLab.org - Life Cycle Wheel | Lesson 1: Activity 3 | p. 3
THE MONARCH MISSION

THE MONARCH MISSION
www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_butterfly.htm Used with Permission.

LESSON 2: WHAT DO PLANTS NEED TO SURVIVE?
GRADE
K-2
TIME
SUBJECTS
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will
 Identify and categorize living and non-living
elements in the schoolyard.
 Observe plant surroundings and look for
patterns amongst a variety of plant life in the
schoolyard.
 Identify the four basic needs of plants.
Questions should be answered in student
science notebooks and can be discussed in
pairs, small groups and with the whole class.
Building science literacy starts in pre-k. Help
students build their skills in reading, writing,
listening, and responding to science.
MATERIALS
 Sticky notes – each student needs four
 Plant Needs’ game cards - each student will receive one
colored piece of paper for the game and then will receive
one of each color for their science notebook. Create your
own and laminate using construction paper or card stock.
Colors needed: yellow, blue, white, brown. Size: 3x5 or
smaller
 At least one of the three books is needed:
o The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony
o Oh Say Can You Seed? All About Flowering Plants by
Bonnie Worth
o From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
BACKGROUND
Students are building background knowledge that will help them design, build, study and maintain a Monarch
Recovery Garden. Plants and animals each have specific needs that must be met in order to survive. Some of
those needs are similar and others are different. Building upon Lesson 1 where we made observations of insect life
in the schoolyard, students will now make observations of plants species in the same location.
For something to be considered living it requires food to get energy to carry out all functions. All living things grow
and follow a life cycle. All living things breathe; each plant or animal having specialized organs to complete this
function. All living things reproduce and have sensory responses, such as animals to extremes in hot and cold and
plants to the absence of light, water and air.1 Plants, as living things require four specific elements to survive, food
(in the form of nutrients found in the soil), water, air, and sun.
 Air - During the process of photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide to make food and release oxygen, as a
result.
 Water - Roots carry water and nutrients to the plant. Water is also used during the process of photosynthesis
by helping to release energy from stored food in the plant. Water pressure also helps to promote the growth
of stems and leaves.
 Nutrients - Plants derive most nutrients from the soil. Nutrients can also come from fertilizers. Nutrients help
plants grow and function properly and act similar to vitamins for humans.
 Sunlight - During photosynthesis, plants take energy from sunlight to produce sugars or food.2
STANDARDS
K-LS 1-1 Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
1
Living and Non-Living
2
http://www.co.brown.wi.us/i_brown/d/uw_extension/plant_needs_6-22-2010.pdf
A2.1

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A2.2
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 – LIVING AND NON-LIVING PARTS OF A HABITAT
1. Investigating Question: What do I see outside? Take
students outside, preferably to an outdoor learning space.
Ask students to think back to their nature walk where they
explored the schoolyard for insects. Reflect on what was
seen while investigating. List all the things that students
say in two columns on your whiteboard.
2. Ask the students the difference between the two columns.
Add the labels to the two columns you’ve created.
Explain by saying, a habitat provides all the tings needed for life to exist. The ecosystem is the relationship
between all the things that are living and nonliving.
LIVING
(BIOTIC)
NON-LIVING
(ABIOTIC)
3. Once back inside ask students to create their own chart in their science notebook or create a two-tab foldable.
Ask students to include at least 5 biotic and 5 abiotic elements in their notebook/foldable.
NOTE
 Bring a whiteboard and
marker outside with you.
 Be sure to use academic
vocabulary with your
students.

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A2.3
ACTIVITY 2 – OBSERVING PLANT LIFE
1. Investigating Question: What is found around plants? Take your students back outside, if possible to
the same location and with their science notebook. Reflect with students about the last time they were
here. They learned about how living and non-living elements are a part of a habitat. Now students are
going to focus on one particular living aspect of a habitat, plants.
2. Ask students to make up-close
observations of the plants, grasses,
flowers and trees in the immediate
area. Pick one and then ask them to
make sketches in their notebook and
answer the following questions.
3. Next have students talk in groups of
four, sharing their sketches and
answers to the questions. Make sure
students know they can make changes to their original answers if they find they agree with someone else
in the group.
ACTIVITY 3 – PLANTS’ NEEDS
1. Investigating Question: What do plants need to survive? After the student’s recent plant observations,
we want to focus on what plants actually require to survive. Put up four large sticky (chart paper size)
notes. In the same groups as yesterday, ask one person from each group to place an answer on the sticky
note. Once completed, ask the students to take another look at the charts, look for patterns. Now ask them
what four things plants need to survive. See if the can come up with air, water, sun and soil.
Q1. How does it look and feel outside?
Q2. Where is the plant?
Q3. What is surrounding the plant?
Q4. What do you notice that is helping it grow?
Q5. Does how it looks and feels outside help plants grow?
What does it look and
feel like outside?
What is surrounding
the plant?
What do you notice
that is helping it grow?
Does how it looks and
feels outside help
plants grow?
YES NO
NOTE
Add images and/or print out text to help younger
students whose reading and written skills are not
as well developed as students in older grades.

THE MONARCH MISSION
A2.4
Parts 2 and 3 can be and is encouraged to be completed outside.
2. Read: Oh Say Can You Seed? All about Flowering Plants by Bonnie Worth and/or From Seed
to Plant by Gail Gibbons.
3. To reinforce the four elements that plants need to survive tell students they are going to play a
quick game.
 To play give each student 1 of the following pieces of colored paper (yellow, blue, white, and
brown) no bigger than 3x5.
 Without making any sounds they have to find the other three elements a plant needs to
survive. For example, if student one has a yellow strip of paper, then they have to find, a
students who has a blue, a students who has a white and a student who has a brown piece
of paper.
 Then as a group they must tell each other what element they are without speaking.
 When the group feels they’ve completed the task they are to immediately sit down where
they are, remaining silent.
 Let one group member whisper to you the four elements plants need to survive.
 Provide a reward for each group who is correct.
 Optional: After confirming each group’s correct answers they must act out each element for
the rest of the class – all without talking. First ask all the “suns” to stand up, students will act
out the sun, then ask all the “soils” to stand up, students will act out the soil. Do the same for
water and air.
4. Once back in the class give each student one of each colored paper. Have them right what
element the colored paper represents and then create a page titled, What Plants Need to
Survive, in their science notebook. Students may cut the paper down and tape or glue them
into their notebook.
Engineering Option: Design a learning tool using LEGOs that teaches what plants
need to survive. After they have a concept, provide student pairs with LEGOs. Once
they have completed their first design ask them to test it on other students. Did it
work as they planned? Allow them time to go back to the drawing board and
redesign their model. Also allow students to take photos of their design. Print them
off and display them in the class.

LESSON 3: Properties of Matter in a Monarch Garden
GRADE
K-2
TIME
120 minutes over a week’s time
SUBJECTS
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will
 Make weather observations;
 Record data about the sun’s
impact on the Earth’s surface;
 Record properties of matter
found in the monarch garden.
MATERIALS
 2 outdoor thermometers
 Copies of the data collection sheets, Sunlight Observations-Data
Collection and Discovery Box Data
 Book: What Is It Made Of? Noticing Types of Materials, by Marth E.H.
Rustad (If you do not have this title in your library work with your librarian
to find a suitable substitute.)
 Discovery Boxes with garden items. See Activity 2 notes for more
information
 V-Model of Engineering Design, found in the appendix, E-2
BACKGROUND
Matter can be understood in terms of the types of atoms present and the interactions both between and within
those atoms. The states, properties and reactions of matter can be described and predicted based on the types,
interactions and motions of the atoms within it, both in living and nonliving systems.
By the end of grade two, students should be able to distinguish between different kinds of matter, and understand
that matter exists in many forms. Matter can be described and classified by its observable properties, by its uses
and by whether it occurs naturally or is manufactured. Also, by the end of grade two, students are expected to
recognize that types of matter with different properties are suited to different purposes, e.g. soil can be used for
planting plants or blocks are part of construction sets.
As students get ready to work on their Monarch Recovery Garden, it’s important they have a basic understanding
about how the sun warms the Earth. The sun’ energy and how it flows through matter is an important concept that
will be built upon now and through high school. K-2 students only need to know that the sun provides warmth and
when the sun is not visible, whether due to the Earth’s rotation or because it is covered by clouds, they do not feel
as warm as they did before. This is also a good opportunity to identify patterns in seasonal and daily weather.
While the study of properties of matter is typically reserved for students’ studies of physical science, it’s essential
they recognize matter exists all around us, even in a garden. Students will begin to identify properties of matter by
observing objects found in their garden. They will observe, color, state (solid, liquid gas), texture and flexibility of
matter.
STANDARDS
K-PS 3-1 Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface
2-PS1-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their
observable properties. Observations: color, texture, hardness, and flexibility. Patterns: similar and different
properties.
2-PS1-2 Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the
properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. Properties: strength, flexibility, hardness, texture,
absorbency.
A3.1

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A3.2
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 – OBSERVING THE WEATHER
1. Investigating Question: What’s the weather like outside?
Choose a time period over the next 5 days to take students outside with
their science notebooks for 5-10 minutes. Once outside prompt students
to collect their data on the Sunlight Observations data sheet in their
science notebook. Option: You can cut out each data collection sheet
and tape each page as a series, one underneath the other. This will
ensure all the collection sheets will be on one notebook page and more
easily flipped through.
2. In preparation for Activity 2 – What’s the Matter in the Garden?, have
students collect one item from the schoolyard each of the 5-days. These items can be placed into the
discovery boxes and used a part of the activity. This discovery box items can be reused again in Activity 4.
NOTE: This activity requires a 5-day observation period with at least one sunny day. In
preparation for this activity do each of the following:
a. Place two thermometers outside to measure temperature one in a location receiving full sun
and another in a location that is shaded. Do not wait until you are outside with students to
place the thermometers. Setting them up before school will allow the sun’s energy to flow
through them during the lunch hour before taking your students out to make observations.
b. Cut out the data sheet or have students cut out the data sheet and glue it in their science
notebook. Their data will serve as evidence for future discussions.
Engineering Option: Have students determine how they can use LEGOs to construct
a bar graph showing the data they collected over their 5-days of weather observation.
Use the V-Model Engineering Design as a model to guide students through the
engineering design process.

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A3.3
ACTIVITY 2 – WHAT’S THE MATTER IN THE GARDEN?
1. Read: What Is It Made Of? Noticing Types of
Materials by Marth E. H. Rustad
2. This activity is best suited for the outdoors.
Provide each group of 2-4 students with a
discovery box. Ask students to record their
observations for each piece of matter in the box in
their science notebook. Option: If your discovery
boxes include several pieces of matter then you
may ask students to pick 4-5 to observe.
Explain: “There’s a lot of ‘matter’ in a garden.
When we work on our Monarch Recovery Garden,
it will be important to have an understanding of
the matter our monarchs and other wildlife will
encounter.”
Q1. How does it look and feel
outside?
Q2. Where is the plant?
Q3. What is surrounding the plant?
Q4. What do you notice that is
helping it grow?
Q5. Does how it looks and feels
outside help plants grow?
NOTE: Soon students will be working on
the creation, design, implementation
and maintenance for the school’s Monarch
Recovery Garden(s). The properties of
matter investigation is designed with the
garden(s) in mind.
Depending on the ages of your students, either
have your students create the data collection
pages in their science notebook or use the data
collection pages below. After collecting data
students can cut it out and glue it into their
science notebook.
Discovery Box – items listed are only
suggestions and remember students may have
collected discovery box items during their 5-day
weather observations from Activity 1.
Suggested Box Size: shoe size
Include magnifying glass(es), variety of mulches
(hardwoods of varying colors, recycled mulches),
pebbles, soil, lava sand, dried molasses, moss,
plant leaves, flowers, stems, sealed vials of water
and air, etc.

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A3.4
SUNLIGHT OBSERVATIONS – DATA COLLECTION – ACTIVITY 1
Name: ___________________________________________________________________
Date: ____________________________________________________________________
Temperature in Full Sun: _________ °F Temperature in the Shade: ________ °F
Circle what it looks like outside.
Cloudy Partly Sunny Raining/Snowing Sunny
Circle how you feel when you stand in the SUN.
Hot Warm Cold Cool
Circle how you feel when you stand in the SHADE.
Hot Warm Cold Cool
Circle the day of the week.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

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A3.5
SUNLIGHT OBSERVATION GRAPH – ACTIVITY 1
100°
95°
90°
85°
80°
75°
70°
65°
60°
55°
50°
45°
40°
35°
30°
25°
20°
15°
10°
5°
0°
Temperature in Full Sun
Days of the Week
TemperatureinFahrenheit

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A3.6
100°
95°
90°
85°
80°
75°
70°
65°
60°
55°
50°
45°
40°
35°
30°
25°
20°
15°
10°
5°
0°
Temperature in the Shade
Days of the Week
TemperatureinFahrenheit

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A3.7
What it Looks Like Outside
Place an “ X ” in the chart box that shows what it looks like for each day you
make observations.
Cloudy
Partly Sunny
Rainy/Snowy
Sunny
1 2 3 4 5
Observation Day
TypeofWeather
Write 1-2 sentences summarizing your graph.

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A3.8
How I Feel When I Stand Outside
Full Sun
Shade
Hot Warm Cold Cool
How Many Total Students for the Week
AmountofSun
When you think about the temperature outside during your week long observations, did the
temperature feel different in the sun versus in the shade?
YES NO
Give a reason for your answer.
Which statement best describes the sun?
________ Provides warmth to humans, wildlife, and plants.
________ Helps humans, wildlife and plants, cool down.

DISCOVERY BOX DATA – ACTIVITY 2
Properties of Matter
Word Bank:
Texture – hard, soft, smooth, rough, cold, sticky, prickly, bumpy
Flexibility – bendable, not bendable
Object Name Use Color
Solid, Liquid,
or Gas
Texture Flexibility
A3.9

LESSON 4: Building a Monarch Habitat – A friend in need is a friend indeed
GRADE
K-2
TIME
SUBJECTS
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will
 Identify elements of a habitat
 Observe a variety of different
habitats
 Define diversity
 Count the different types of plant
and animal life in each habitat
 Talk about monarch butterfly
decline
 Build a model of a Monarch
Recovery Garden.
MATERIALS
 Copies of Habitats and Diversity, p. A4.5: 1 per student or pair of
students National Geographic Video:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/140819-monarch-
butterfly-way-station-vin?source=searchvideo
 Habitat Hunt, p. 6– 1 per student pair
 Habitat Hunt Animal Cards, p.A4.7and A4.8: 1 card per student pair.
Cards can be repeated or you can create more Habitat Hunt Animal
Cards Monarch Recovery Model Boxes: 1 box per 2 students. To create your
Monarch Recovery Garden Model Boxes see the Engineering Option
in Activity 3.
 Copies of the Monarch Recovery Garden Model Guide, p.A4.9: 1
per student pair
BACKGROUND
Pollinators are animals that move from plant to plant while searching for protein-rich pollen or high-energy nectar to
eat. As they go, they are dusted by pollen and move it to the next flower, fertilizing the plant and allowing it to
reproduce and form seeds, berries, fruits and other plant foods that form the foundation of the food chain for other
species—including humans. Pollinators are themselves important food sources for other wildlife. Countless birds,
mammals, reptiles and amphibians eat the protein and fat-rich eggs, larvae, or adult forms of pollinators, or feed
them to their young. Pollinators play a critical role in the food supply for wildlife and people!
Bees are well-known pollinators, but over 100,000 vertebrates – including butterflies, moths, wasps, flies and
beetles – and over 1,000 mammals, bird reptiles and amphibians, act as pollinators. The loss of any species
weakens the ecosystem that all species rely on for survival, including humans. Monarch butterfly decline is an
indicator that there is something wrong in our shared environment and a warning that we could be affected as well.
Do we really want to live in a world where the next generation has no chance of seeing a monarch butterfly on a
flower?
The Problem:
 The North American monarch population has declined by more than 90 percent in the past two decades.
This is due to decline in summer breeding habitat in the U.S. and decline in winter habitat in Mexico.
 1/3 of the monarch’s summer breeding habitat has been destroyed, largely in the Midwest. Expansion of row
crop agriculture and, to a lesser extent, development, has destroyed 90 percent of our nation’s native
grassland ecosystems, on which monarchs depend. Milkweed, the only host plant for monarch caterpillars,
has declined in the U.S. due to overuse of herbicides by commercial agriculture and conventional gardening
practices in suburban and urban areas.
 Monarch overwintering sites are under threat, especially in Mexico where the forests used by monarchs are
under logging pressure.
 Monarchs are being directly killed by insecticides both as adult butterflies and as caterpillars, in agricultural,
suburban and urban landscapes.
A4.1

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A4.2
STANDARDS
K-ESS 3-3 Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other
living things in the local environment.
2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. Emphasis
is on diversity of living things and not specific animal/plant names.
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 – HABITAT DIVERSITY
1. Investigating Question: What does “diversity” mean? Gather three books and/or three images from the
internet showing different ecosystems and the wildlife, plants and animals that are found there. Another option
would be to work with your librarian and/or art teacher to locate similar books and photographs or paintings
for this activity. Book choices include.
Author: Tony Fredericks
 In One Tide Pool
 Near One Cattail: Turtles, Logs and Leaping Frogs
 Under One Rock
Author: Mary Quattlebaum
 Jo MacDonald Hiked the Woods
 Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond
Author: Marianne Berkes
 Over in a Forest: Come and Take a Peek
 Over on a Mountain: Somewhere in the World
 Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef
 Over in a River: Flowing Out to Sea
2. Students will use each of the three images or a page from three different books to take a closer look at the
diversity or difference in plant and animal life in each habitat. Use the Habitats and Diversity data sheet, found
on page A4.5. Then students will go outside to look at the diversity in plant and animal life in the schoolyard.
Students will organize their observations using box 4 of the Habitats and Diversity data sheet.
3. Talk about what they think diversity means in a habitat based on the data they collected. Complete this
activity by allowing students to share what they found and then write or draw in their science notebook what
diversity means.
ACTIVITY 2 – HABITAT HUNT
1. Investigating Question: What habitat elements are found in my schoolyard? Review the four basic elements
of habitat and the importance of each for an animal’s survival.
2. The Habitat Hunt will be completed outside. Give each pair of students a Habitat
Hunt data sheet, found on page 6, clipboard, and four different colored flags.
3. Then provide each student pair or allow students to choose a local/regional animal
from pages 7 and 8. Once they have their animal explain: “You are a
_____________________________, and in order to survive you need food, water,
cover and places to raise your young. Take a look around you. Do you see all the

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A4.3
necessary habitat elements for you to survive here? Have students spend some time exploring the area of the
schoolyard you have defined for them, looking for all the characteristics of habitat that meet their specific
needs. Based on what they find, they will determine if the area could be considered “home” or if they need to
continue looking.
ACTIVITY 3 – MONARCH RECOVERY GARDEN MODEL
1. In preparation for making designing and planting their Monarch Recovery Garden model, have the following
discussion with your students.
How would you feel if one of our friends in class left? What if someone in class left every week? What
would our class eventually look like? (There’d be no more students.) What would you want to do? (I’d want
to know why they were leaving, and if there was anything I could do to help or keep friends from leaving.)
Well, this is what’s happening to monarch butterflies and they need our help. In the last 20 years, when
your parents were growing up, the monarch population in North America went down by 90 percent. Here’s
what 90 percent looks like. (Have 10 kids stand up – they are all monarchs. Now have 9 sit crisscross on
the floor where they were previously standing – there is only one monarch left.) We know what will help
their numbers go up; healthy diverse habitats that do not use pesticides or insecticides (no chemicals).
(Stop for a moment and ask students what the class could do to help monarch butterflies. Based on prior
learning, students should suggest a garden, a place to live, etc. Go with the garden idea and then watch
this National Geographic Video: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/140819-monarch-
butterfly-way-station-vin?source=searchvideo. Continue the discussion below.)
Habitats and Diversity
Q1. Look at each habitat. Why do
you think it is important to
have a variety of plants in a
habitat?
Habitat Hunt
Q1. Will you stay and set up home
for you and your family here?
Why or why not?
Q2. What other habitat elements
would you like to see here?
Q3. If habitat elements could be
added to meet your survival
needs could you stay and set
up home here?
NOTE
 It will be necessary for students to
identify the habitat needs of their
individual animals prior to going
outside to complete their data sheet.
 When students return to the
classroom, wrap up by allowing them
to share with another pair of students
our share out with the entire class.
 Optional: Allow students to take photos
using their personal phones or school iPads
of each habitat element they find. Print those
images and have students place them on
the back of this page, with tape, and label
underneath the image what habitat element
is pictured. Students may find they have
anywhere from no elements to all four.

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A4.4
Monarch butterflies need to kinds of plants, host plants and nectar plants. Host plants are considered the
“nursery”, while the nectar plants are where they “eat”. Butterflies do not sleep like you and me, they only
rest (butterflies are quiescent). When butterflies need to take shelter for the night they go to protected
places called “roosts”. Roosts may be tall grasses, perennial herbaceous plants, woody shrubs, and caves,
and in some cases, man-made structures.
Diversity is the key to a successful Monarch Recover Garden (MRG). The MRG location on the school
grounds will need to be in an area of full sun where it receives at least eight hours of direct sunlight. Also
consider, wet, sandy or muddy spots for butterflies to take in salts and other mineral nutrients. Using dark
stones or tiles for butterflies to perch on to warm up on cool mornings adds to the butterfly activity in the
garden.
2. Investigating Question: How can I design a model habitat suitable for monarch butterfly? Hand out the
Monarch Recovery Garden model box (see Engineering Option below for instructions on creating these boxes)
and Model Guide, found on page A4.9. This activity works best in pairs, as it’s easier to have both students fully
engaged working on their model. Go over your expectations for constructing the model and keep students
updated on the time they have to complete the design and construction process.
3. Once students have completed their model and the MRG Model Guide, have each pair of students take a
picture of their work. Provide students with an 8.5 x 11 piece of white cardstock or one-fourth of a white poster
board to serve as their base (put their names in one corner). If your school is developing a pollinator garden
this year, make sure to reference the students’ work during the planning phases and ask for their suggestions.
Whatever your plans, make sure students are actively involved in the garden process so they take
ownership and responsibility for its growth and success!
Engineering Option: Use a cardboard or clear plastic shoe box to store each group’s model materials.
Now it’s time to reuse the natural items from Lesson 3 to help construct a more robust Discovery
Box. You may want to raid your math manipulatives and consumables from the science lab. The
following list is only a suggestion. When you have gathered what you feel are adequate supplies for
your students to create their model of a Monarch Recovery Garden, be sure you keep an inventory
and count of what each box includes. Sometimes objects sprout legs and disappear.
pattern blocks sticks colored wooden blocks
leaves base ten blocks craft pom-poms
2-sided counters cotton balls pebbles
bark tangrams Cuisenaire rods
popsicle sticks pipe cleaners 1-inch cubes
Grass color tiles Tree seeds (acorns, pecans, etc.

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A4.5
NAME: ______________________________________________________________________
HABITATS AND DIVERSITY

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A4.6
NAME: ______________________________________________________________________
HABITAT HUNT
Directions: You are a _______________________________________, and in order to survive you
need food, water, cover and places to raise young. Take a look around you. Record the following
information and decide whether or not you will stay and set up home here.
Food Source: __________________________________________________________________
Water Source: _________________________________________________________________
Cover: _______________________________________________________________________
Places to Raise Young: __________________________________________________________
QUESTIONS
Could this be a home for you and your family? YES NO
Explain why or why not using words or drawings.
What other habitat elements would you like to see in the schoolyard?

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RING-NECKED PHEASANT
The “ring-neck” is a
large bird with short
rounded wings and a
long, tapered tail.
Ring-necked
pheasants are
usually found in
fertile croplands and
cultivated grain fields scattered with fallow weed lots,
pastures, small wetlands and occasional woody
areas with underbrush.
Adult pheasants feed primarily on waste grains,
weed seeds, insects which are located by scratching.
Harsh winter conditions can make it difficult for these
ground feed birds to find food.
CHIPMUNK
The eastern
chipmunk is found in
deciduous forests,
shrub habitat, forest
edges and suburban
and urban areas
where there is a lot
of cover to protect it
from predators.
Chipmunks are omnivores (they feed on both plants
and animals). Their diet includes seeds, nuts,
berries, fruits, flowers, mushrooms, insects, worms,
snails, frogs, bird eggs and small birds.
They are most active in the early morning and late
afternoon. Although they climb trees, they spend
most of their lives on the ground or underground in
burrows.
COMMON MUSK TURTLE
Also know as a
“stinkpot” because
when it is captured
or disturbed it
secrets a smelly fluid
from its top shell.
This is a small
turtle, about 3-5
inches, has tan, brown, gray or black top shell that
may have dark flecks and be coated with algae.
This is an aquatic turtle and loves rivers, streams and
reservoirs. Shallow, slow-moving streams and rivers
with muddy bottoms and dense vegetation are
preferred. Musk turtles are less common in ponds
and lakes.
The diet of the musk turtle includes freshwater
mussels, snails, crayfish, aquatic insects, worms,
small fish, tadpoles, carrion and aquatic plants.
PRAYING MANTIS
The praying mantis
became the State
Insect on October 1,
1977. It is about 2-3
inches in length and
has shades of bright
green to tan.
The praying mantis can be found through out the
state from early May or June until the cold weather
sets in.
The praying mantis is not as common in hot humid or
very dry climates. Prefers sunny areas of green
growth dominated by shrubbery or herbaceous
plants.
The eat diurnal insects, including caterpillars, flies,
butterflies, bees and some moths.
A4.7
By Ontley - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17062222
Credit: D. Gordon E. Roberstson
Credit: Ken TimothyCredit: Gilles Gonthier

THE MONARCH MISSION
MONARCH BUTTERFLY
Monarchs are native
to North and South
America.
Monarch butterflies
use different habitat
in the warm months
versus the cold
months. They cannot survive freezing temperatures,
so they over-winter in the cool high mountains of
central Mexico and woodlands in central and
southern California. In the spring, summer and fall
they can be found wherever there are milkweeds.
They are always searching for milkweed and suitable
nectar plants.
These butterflies are like all butterflies, they change
their diet as they develop. During the caterpillar stage
they live only on milkweed plants. Adult monarchs
feed on nectar from a wide range of flowers. All the
monarch butterfly’s water needs are met through
nectar feeding.
PENNSYLVANIA LEATHERWING BEETLE
This beetle is the most
common of the
Goldenrod Solider
Beetle family. Both the
adults and larvae have
the ability to produce
“defensive chemicals
from the abdomens.
Commonly seen in groups in late summer and early
fall on goldenrod flowers where it feeds on nectar,
pollen and insects. This beetle has a big appetite for
aphids, so they are great to have in the garden—free
organic pest control!
They can be found in meadows, fencerows, gardens
and other areas with think, sunlit vegetation.
BUMBLE BEE
Bees are by far the
most important polli-
nators of native plants,
and the insects are
essential to producing
more than a third of
the foods and drinks
we consume.
Bumblebees are active during the day and are
non-aggressive bees.
Their nests can be found underground in abandoned
rodent burrows or mouse nests. Unlike honeybees,
they do not store large amounts of honey.
Bumblebees feed on nectar and pollen. Worker bees
collect the nectar and pollen and bring it to the hive
to feed the colony. All honey-producing bees need
access to water to cool the hive and help produce
honey.
LITTLE BROWN BAT
This bat is very small
ranging in size from
2.5 to 4 inches in
length. They are
brown in color and
they have ears which
are short and round.
The Little Brown Bat is typically found living around
swamp lands, but are also found in humid climates
close to water. Little Brown Bats have been found in
buildings and attics, trees under rocks, wood piles.
They sleep and groom during the day and hunt by
night. During the winter months they typically live in
caves and abandoned mines.
The humid habitat offers them access to plenty of
insects, such as mosquitoes, moths, wasps, beetles,
gnats and mayflies. In this environment they also
have access to plenty of water for drinking.
A4.8
Credit: Bat Worlds
Credit: Tony Willis

THE MONARCH MISSION
A4.9
NAME: ______________________________________________________________________
Monarch Recovery Garden Model Guide
What do I have to have in the garden to help increase the Monarch population?
Key – What will each object in my model represent?
OBJECT WHAT IT REPRESENTS
EXAMPLE: an acorn tree
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Extra:
Extra:
After you complete your key come to me for the base for your model. When you complete your model
take a picture of it, print it out and tape it to the back of this page.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.

BACKGROUND
Structure and function is a crosscutting concept within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and is
explained as, the way in which an object or living thing is shaped and its substructure determine many of its
properties and functions. Structure and function are complementary properties. The functioning of natural and
built systems alike depends on the shapes and relationships of certain key parts as well as on the properties of
the materials from which they are made. By this age students have had a lot of experience with their own
structures and functions, i.e. their five senses. What do they feel, hear, see, taste, and smell? What helps me
feel, hear, see, taste and smell? In this lesson students will take that knowledge and apply new learning about
the structure and function of basic plant parts. Students are not expected to memorize plant structures and the
associated function, but are expected to apply their understanding that both plants and animals have structures
with functions that aid them in survival.
A sense of scale is necessary in order to know what properties and what aspects of shape or material are
relevant at a particular magnitude or in investigating particular phenomena – that is, the selection of an
appropriate scale depends on the question being asked. For example, understanding how a bicycle works is
best addressed by examining the structures and their functions at the scale of, say, the frame, wheels, and
pedals. However, building a lighter bicycle may require knowledge of the properties of the materials needed for
specific parts of the bicycles. Think about the scale to which your students will be exploring structure and
function.
STANDARD
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to
support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. Limited to macroscopic structures.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will
 Compare and contrast the basic structure and
function between plants and animals.
 Dissect two flowers, make observations and dialogue
with peers, looking for similarities and differences.
 Create a graphic organizer to demonstrate
understanding
MATERIALS
 Flowers – (2) varieties per student pair for dissection
 Flowers – (1) variety per student pair for observation
only
 Magnifying glasses, hand lens, or field microscope
 Handout – Names of a Flower System
 Notecards – 6 per pair of students
GRADE
3-5
TIME
60 minutes
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Engineering and Technology
Structure and Function: Animals vs. Plants
B1.1

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 1
B1.2
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1: WHAT IS STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION?
1. Investigating Question: What is meant by structure and
function of an object or living thing? Ask students to make
observations about the similarities and differences of their
classmates. Ask them to write down two similarities and
two differences. (Make them physically observable not
inferred observations.)
2. Discuss the fact that although each student in the class
is a unique individual with his or her own special
combination of characteristics, we all have certain
features in common. Now ask students to make a list, in
their science notebook, of 3 body parts and briefly
explain their function. For example: fingers- I use them
to grab, hold and pick up things and also to write and
type (text).
3. Pose this question: “Could we make the same
observations about plants and animals?” After a brief
discussion explain that students will have an opportunity
to make observations about a few plant species (Might
want to use flowers from the garden – look at the plant
parts prior to class to determine whether or not your garden’s flowers would be a good fit for this activity).
4. Have students work in pairs. Share your expectations and pass out the materials listed. Provide your
students enough time to make observations, sketches, notes, etc. in their science notebook. See Teacher
Facilitation below to help guide students through this part of the activity. Optional: Have students use their
phones or school iPads to take pictures that can be printed and placed in their science notebook alongside
their written notes.
Teacher Facilitation
 Explain to students that they will carefully take each flower apart and group its similar parts together.
Suggest that they begin by looking the flower over carefully to see how many different kinds of parts
they can readily see. Caution them that toward the center of the flower the parts are smaller and harder
to distinguish. Remind them to use their hand lenses/glasses/scopes to check for slight differences.
 Ask students to hold the flower upside down and carefully remove the parts, one at a time. Remind
them to work with one flower at a time, working from the outside toward the inside. Have them place
all the like parts together on one index card then count and record the number on the card. Do this for
each flower.
 Next have students line these cards up in order from the outer most parts of the flower to the
innermost parts. Have available several of the same type of flowers that are not to be dissected so
students can refer to the original configuration of the parts.
NOTE:
Best scenario would be to provide each pair
or small group of students with two different
flowers. This will allow them to find
similarities and differences between their
flowers and answer the essential questions
with greater understanding.
Simple Flowers to Dissect
 Tulips
 Lilies
 Magnolias
 Iris
 Rhododendrons and Azaleas
Complicated Flowers
 Daisies
 Chrysanthemum
 Dandelions
 Sunflowers
 Black-eyed Susan

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 1
B1.3
 Have students compare their results by observing the order, groupings of parts, and the number of parts
with other groups via a Gallery Walk. Do they notice any relationship between the numbers of parts?
ACTIVITY 2: EXAMPLES OF STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS
1. Investigating Question: What are two examples of structure and function for plants and animals? Have
students create a two-tab foldable providing evidence that plants and animals have internal and external
structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction. Use the example below as a
guide. The foldable can be finished for homework. Encourage students to provide:
 2 examples for both plants and animals
 Structures: students may draw, get pictures from the internet, take their own photos, and/or cut out
images from a magazine
 Functions: students will neatly write or type, print out, copy and paste the function associated with the
structure.
 Students will briefly explain in words what their images show. (four complete sentences; one sentence for
each example) (bottom strip-under the two- tabs)

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 1
B1.4
Activity 3: Names in a Flower System
1. Investigating Question: Do flowers have structures and functions they need to survive just like humans do?
Explain to the student that the different parts of the flower have names and specific functions in the plant. Give
each group a copy of Names of a Flower System. Use an information text group reading strategy to review
Names of a Flower System with students. Reminder: Students are not required to memorize or understand the
function of the plant parts, only to see that there are differences in structures and functions for plants and
animals. Optional: This text discusses parts of the flower. As you are reading with students also allow them to
use their hand lens and a fresh flower to observe the parts you are reading about.
Technology & Engineering Option: Student triads will use LEGOs to design 3 scenes
showing a pollinator picking up pollen and dropping it off at another flower in the garden.
Then students will use a smart phone to record a short “movie” of what’s happing.
Share each movie with the class.

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 1
B1.5
NAMES OF A FLOWER SYSTEM
Flowers come in many different shapes, sizes, and
colors. Although they may look very different, you have
learned they share similar structures that help them
function in the garden just like you have body parts that
help you function and survive each and every day.
Turn over a flower that’s not been dissected and
you will see a little skirt of green leaves around the
base (Instruct student pairs to make this observation).
This lower outermost layer is composed of SEPALS.
The whole group of them is called the CALYX. Before
the flower opens, the sepals protect the more delicate
flower parts inside. Sepals are usually green, but in lilies
and tulips they are colorful and look just like petals.
The PETALS stand out in a flower because their major
function is to attract specific animals to the flower for the
purpose of pollination (Ask students what pollinators
they know of). Petals have different adaptations, colors,
shapes and smells to insure frequent visits by these
specially invited guests, leading to pollination and
ultimately the production of seeds.
Look closely inside the petals and you’ll see a group of
yellow, fuzzy containers on thin stalks. Don’t look too
closely or you may end up with yellow dust on your nose.
That’s POLLEN from the STAMENS. The stamens are
made of a thin FILAMENT which holds up a bigger
structure, called the ANTHER. The anthers are full of
pollen and when open, they release dusty pollen to be
picked up by various pollinators (or your nose). The
pollinators take the pollen from flower to flower, usually
on their legs.
Last but not least, hidden among the stamens is the
PISTIL. There can be just one or many depending upon
the flower type. The pistil is often divided into three parts.
The enlarged base is the OVARY where the seeds
develop. At the end of the pistil is the stigma. It is sticky
making it easy for pollen to stick to it, and pollen on a
stigma leads to seeds in fruits and vegetables!

BACKGROUND
The sun reigns as the supreme energy source in habitats around the world. From the sun plants gather energy
needed to make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Without the sun, the entire chain and
subsequent webs could not exist. Many times we see food chains that start with the producer and not the sun.
Leaving out this essential element can lead to student misconception at the very foundation of the food chain
concept.
Along with understanding the sun’s role in a food chain, it’s also important for students to understand the
symbols used to provide a visual model of these chains. Ask your students to explain what the arrows mean
between the elements of a food chain. Usually students are unable to tell you or they say it represents “eats”.
“Eats” usually works until you get to the producer and the sun, because the grass doesn’t eat the sun. Guiding
students to understand the true meaning of the “arrows” will deepen their understanding of the concept. The
arrows used in food chain models show how energy flows and how it is passed from one element to the next.
Now when students get to the producer and the sun’s energy within a food chain they will exchange the word
“eat” with the words “energy flows from”. For example, energy flows or is passed from the sun to the prairie
grass and then energy flows or is passed from the prairie grasses to the insects, etc.
STANDARDS
5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth and motion and to
maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Students will
 Connect prior knowledge on habitats and
food chains with new observations from a
children’s book.
 Create a food chain, placing habitat
elements in order as energy flows from
one element to the next, placing strong
emphasis on the sun’s role in a food
chain.
 Research the monarch butterfly food
chain.
 Write their own food chain story, modeled
after the story they read and focusing on
the monarch butterfly food chain using
native plants and natural predators.
MATERIALS
 Book: Pass the Energy, Please! by Barbara Shaw McKinney
 Notecards cut in half, 7 halves per small group or pair of
students
 6 pennies or plastic markers per small group or pair of
students
 Books as student resources on butterfly habitat, specifically on
monarch habitats, such as:
o Monarch Butterfly, Gail Gibbons
o National Geographic Readers: Great Migrations
o Hurry and the Monarch, Antione O Flatharta
o Velma Gratch & the way cool butterfly, Alan
Madison
o Monarch and Milkweed, Helen Frost
 Science Notebook
GRADE
3-5
TIME
2 ½ hours
SUBJECTS
Science, Reading, Writing
The Sun: Feeding Ecosystems Everywhere
B2.1

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 2
B2.2
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1: FOOD CHAINS
1. Investigating Question: What is a food chain?
2. Write the food chain found in number five below, large on a piece of
poster board. Roll it up and put a rubber band around it. You will use it
when you go outside.
3. Take students outside and have them bring their science notebook and
a pencil. Read, Pass the Energy, Please!, by Barbara Shaw McKinney.
Before you start reading, ask your students to find the ecosystems file in
their brain’s life science filing cabinet and do a quick scan. Tell them,
“Keep that content fresh in your mind as I read aloud.”
4. Ask, “What was the main idea of the story?” Depending on the age of your students and where you are in
your studies related to ecosystems, they will say things like, animals, food chains/webs, producers and
consumers. Make note of these words in your notebook and add them to the class word bank/wall.
5. Unroll your poster board and ask students to copy the “list” in their science notebook and describe what they
think it is.
Sun Grass Insect Mouse Snake
6. After discussing the questions, put a name to what students have been describing, if they do not already
know it’s a food chain. Encourage students to develop their own definition and then you can give them to
“book” definition. “A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web starting from the sun and producer
organisms such as, grass or trees and ending at top predators such as, grizzly bears or killer whales or
decomposers.” Along with their definition ask them to write a food chain they might find in their schoolyard.
Give students the opportunity to Think-Pair-Share their definition and schoolyard food chain.
NOTE
Create a word bank that’s
visible to the entire class of the
words used during your studies.
This can serve as a tool and
reminder to use their academic
vocabulary while writing.
Ask the following questions to students. Students can work in pairs or small groups and then open
it up to a class discussion.
Q1. Describe what you see.
Q2. What words could we use in place of the arrows? Why do you think that?
Q3. What would happen if the sun was taken out of the list? Why do you think that?

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 2
B2.3
ACTIVITY 2: ENERGY IN A FOOD CHAIN
1. Investigating Question: Why is energy important to plants and animals?
2. Give student pairs or small groups 7 half pieces of notecards and 6 pennies (or any place holder/marker). Ask
them to write one of the food chains from the story, Pass the Energy, Please!, on the notecards. One food
chain link per card, for example,
3. Next have students place their cards in the correct order. Use the coins to represent the passing or flow of
energy. Student pairs also need to answer these questions, 1) “What role does the sun play in the food
chain?” and 2) “Why is energy important to plants and animals?” Use a strategy that will allow students to
check each other’s food chains and discuss the answer to the question above.
PASS THE ENERGY, PLEASE! Food Chain options for students – feel free to add to or create your own
1. Kelp and sea-weed, sun, fish, sea urchin, otter
2. sun, grass, buffalo
3. manatee, sea grasses, sun
4. bamboo shoots, panda, sun
5. grasses and tree leaves, cheetah, sun, gazelle
6. milkweed pod (seeds), sun, snake, mouse, owl
7. phytoplankton, Arctic seal, sun, zooplankton, polar bear
8. dead animal carcass, sun, plants, vulture
4. Once students know their order is correct instruct them to write their food chain in their science notebook,
along with the question and their answer found in part three.
ACTIVITY 3: AUTHOR OF YOUR OWN FOOD CHAIN STORY
1. Investigating Question: What do I need to know to write my own
monarch food chain story?
2. It’s time for your students to become the author of their own Pass
the Energy, Please!, mini-story. See note for Activity 3 in the box
above.
3. Explain: All authors have to do research for the books they write.
We need to build our knowledge about the monarch butterfly and
the ecosystem it lives in. Assign groups of students to find
answers to the following questions or have students work together
in small groups to answer the five questions below. Depending on
the age of your students you may want to ask them to come up
with the questions they need answers to in order to write their
food chain story.
SUN GRASSINSECTMOUSE SNAKE
NOTE
It will be helpful for students to
have books, computers,
and/or other print and digital
resources to do a little
research for their story. There
are a few selected titles found
under the Materials, but work
with your librarian to find just
what you’d like your students
to access.

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 2
B2.4
4. Review the writing style in the story, Pass the Energy, Please! Are there any patterns to the author’s style?
Will you copy her style or will you create your own (You might like to provide students with a monarch
template/outline to write their final story in). As a class come with the expectations or use the ones listed
below.
 Main character: monarch butterflies
 Demonstrate how energy flows through the monarch ecosystem
 Show the sun’s role in the monarch ecosystem
 Use facts in your story, i.e., native plants and natural predators monarchs encounter
 Age-appropriate grammar and academic vocabulary
5. Work with the Language Arts teacher to set up a writer’s workshop, giving the students an opportunity to work
through the writing process and illustrations. Students can use online digital storybook makers or even use
PowerPoint to create their story and record themselves reading the story aloud. Provide students with the
opportunity to read their stories aloud (this would be a great book buddy read aloud with younger students)
and post them in the hallways for students to read while they are waiting, or in the school library.
Q1. What is the life cycle of the monarch butterfly?
Q2. What do monarchs eat?
Q3. What does the monarch butterfly require to live; what are its habitat requirements?
Q4. What type of climate do they live in?
Q5. Where (geographically) can monarchs be found?

BACKGROUND
Students are playing an active and important role as conservation stewards by constructing a schoolyard
habitat specific to the needs of the monarch butterfly. The Monarch Recovery Garden is a large scale project
with many small working systems. To help students grasp the important role these systems play, they will be
creating a small scale biological ecosystem. This will allow them to examine and better comprehend how matter
cycles through a habitat. The water, carbon and nitrogen cycle are all critically important in a healthy functioning
habitat. It is important for students to have a basic knowledge of these biogeochemical cycles. For a review or
basic introduction to each cycle use:
 USGS Interactive Water Cycle Diagram: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle-kids-beg.html. You can
download a printable copy for student to cut out and put in their science notebook.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/146/pdf/gip_146_poster.pdf
 University of Climate and Atmospheric Research-Carbon Cycle Diagram:
https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/images/carboncycle.jpg. An interactive game from Windows2theUniverse
can be found at, http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/climate/carbon_cycle.html.
 And for the Nitrogen Cycle check out the video at https://youtu.be/xfwZV6rtnvw. A simple diagram can
be found at http://www.realtrees4kids.org/sixeight/cycles.htm
Please note students’ knowledge is basic and they are not required to understand all of the processes
within each phase of the cycles. For example, students should understand that when water droplets
evaporate from the undersides of leaves the droplets turn from a liquid to a gas through a process called
transpiration and the gas is released into the atmosphere. They are not required to understand the chemical
process, structure and function, and details associated with transpiration.
Another function of a healthy habitat is a place where multiple organisms get what they need to survive: food,
water, cover and a place to raise young. In other words, a habitat is home to plants and animals. But, when we
look closer, different living things have different and specific needs for food, water and cover. When two
organisms (any kind of living things) have very similar habitats, their needs and how they meet these needs
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Students will
 Design a model of a closed ecosystem, by
constructing a three layer aquatic, terrestrial and
decomposition biological column
 Make observations, collect data and draw
conclusions about the water, carbon and nitrogen
cycles
 Determine the relationship between biochemical
cycles and living plants and animals.
 Construct arguments from evidence
MATERIALS
 Take a picture of one of your school gardens and print
it out for each student.
 Materials for groups of 3-4 students to create a
biological column – aquatic, terrestrial, and
decomposition systems – reference:
http://goo.gl/SfMQyS - note: please read through the
options provided in Activity 1 and be prepared to carry
out the terrarium project with your students.
 A copy per student: Can You Back that Up? Preparing
an Argument from Evidence
GRADE
3-5
TIME
(5) 50 min time blocks plus observation time
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Engineering, Language Arts
Cycling Matter and Habitat Loss
B3.1

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.2
may be distinct, allowing them to live in close proximity to each other without competition. Two birds for
instance, might live in the same tree but eat different foods, have different predators and have different
tolerances to sunlight. The birds live in the same place, but do not fill the same role (called a niche). If
organisms share the same niche, they may compete and limit the number of organisms that can live there.
Competition, over a long time, may lead to greater animal and plant diversity as organisms carve out distinct
niches. In the case of the monarch butterfly, they have very specific habitat needs to support their life cycle. If
your school already has a pollinator garden in place without the specific host and nectar plants for the monarch,
then students are unlikely to see monarchs in this garden.
As students go through the learning activities, work through the process of creating a Monarch Recovery
Garden, conduct monarch citizen science investigations, students’ thoughts and ideas will be challenged. One
strategy to help students effectively discuss their analyses and conclusions is by constructing arguments from
evidence. Constructing arguments from evidence is not a skill for older students. It’s a skill that takes time to
build and requires multiple learning opportunities with the same overarching core ideas. Without details to file
through in long-term memory students will have difficulty formulating an argument to support what they are
reading, writing or observing. Questions that require higher level thinking and push students beyond their
comfort zone, lead to evidence. Having an understanding of specific content is a process that’s rarely, if ever,
linear and happens over time. Students must have multiple opportunities to inquire, observe, ponder, discuss
and reflect. As students work through the learning activities, in the construction and monitoring of their garden
they will have numerous opportunities to gather evidence and defend their thoughts and ideas.
STANDARDS
3-LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well,
some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. Needs and characteristics of organisms and habitats
involved. Systems thinking – interdependence of species. Students can construct arguments for the decline in
pollinators and habitat.
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, and the environment.

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.3
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1: BUILDING AND OBSERVING A SMALL SCALE ECOSYSTEM
1. Investigating Question: How can I build a terrarium that
supports plant and animal life?
2. You can provide students with the terrarium option on
page 8 or you can provide students with the following
investigative option:
 Give your students with the following resources.
After reviewing these resources students are to
provide you with a materials list based on the type of ecosystem they are wanting to build.
o Pillbug Terrarium How To: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqru5x3PP1I
o Teacher Vision: Soda Bottle Terrarium: link to pdf.
o NWF – Make a Soda Bottle Terrarium: http://www.nwf.org/activity-finder/crafts/terrarium.aspx
o Bottle Biology: http://www.bottlebiology.org/investigations/terraqua_main.html
o 2 Liter Bottle Ecosystem Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d6W_eLisQk
o Indiana Expeditions: Bottle Biology: https://goo.gl/KiE08m
3. Instruct students to follow the directions on the method of terrarium instructions they have chosen. Encourage
students (or assign) realistic cooperative groupings, for example, instead of using the term Materials Manager
that student is instead the Lab Manager or instead of being the Recorder/Reporter that student is the
Communications Manager.
4. Upon completion of their terrariums have students answer, Questions Part A below in their science
notebooks.
5. Provide students with a regular and consistent time for them to continuing making observations and recording
the terrariums health status. Use, Questions Part B throughout this time.
NOTE
The terrarium project will take
several days to complete. Set aside
class time, recess, and/or before/after
school time to complete the terrariums.
QUESTIONS PART A
Q1. List living and non-living types of matter, including solids, liquids and gases.
Q2. How is your model ecosystem similar to and different from your garden ecosystem?
Q3. What are the limitations of your model?
QUESTIONS PART B
Q1. Explain how water is cycling in your terrarium.
Q2. Explain how carbon is cycling in your terrarium.
Q3. Explain how nitrogen is cycling in your terrarium.
Q4. Is your small scale ecosystem a suitable habitat from monarch butterflies? Explain your answer.
Q5. Using your terrarium as a model to visualize this scenario, choose one of the following events
and explain three impacts it would have on systems in your habitat: extreme drought, hurricane,
and wildfire.

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.4
ACTIVITY 2: CYCLES IN THE GARDEN
1. Investigating Question: How does matter cycle through my school garden?
2. Give each student one of the pictures you took of the schoolyard habitat. Have them tape it to the top of a
new page in their science notebook.
3. Take students outside to the garden with their science notebook and a pencil
4. Remind students about the observations they made in their terrariums regarding the water, carbon and
nitrogen cycle.
5. Underneath their picture, students will work in pairs to describe how water,
carbon and nitrogen cycles through the garden. Help students by
instructing them to focus on a specific part of the garden and not all the
plants and animals in the garden. Provide students with an example if
needed.
6. Now students will do an Inside-Outside Circle or Parallel Lines (also called
Tea Party, Face to Face or Ladder).
 Have one partner from each pair move and form a circle with
students facing outward. This will be the inside circle.
 Remaining students find and face their partners, forming the outer
circle.
 Pose question 1 from the box below. Inside partner will answer and
outside partner will listen (Have students pause for “think time,”
then cue them to share).
 Next, partners switch roles – outside partner talks, inside partner
listens. Use the same question allowing for each partner to share
their thoughts.
 After that, outside circle will rotate clockwise, ending up with a new
partner.
 Now with a new partner, ask question 2.
 Repeat this process for question 3 – 5.
7. Follow up back in the classroom by asking students to answer the
questions in complete sentences in their science notebook.
Q1. Why is the water cycle
important to plants and
animals that live in the
garden?
Q2. Why is the carbon cycle
animals in the garden?
Q3. Why is the nitrogen cycle
animals?
Q4. What would happen if
precipitation was taken out
of the water cycle system?
Q5. What would happen to
monarchs in our garden if
the carbon cycle stopped
working?
Engineering Option: Have students use LEGO or natural items found outside to construct a model
demonstrating how matter cycles through the garden habitat. Use the V Model of Systems Engineering to
help students go through the process of design with clear direction.

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.5
ACTIVITY 3: ARGUING IN CLASS
1. Investigating Question: How do I make a claim, supported
by evidence that some species survive better in a habitat
than others?
2. As students become more involved with their schoolyard
habitat and monitoring and evaluating the progress of their
monarch numbers, students need to be able to effectively
communicate what they know and what they want to
happen. One skill that will help them is the capability to
construct arguments from evidence.
3. Place students in groups of three or four. Provide students
with the scenario below and the worksheet, Can you Back that Up? Preparing My Argument from Evidence,
found on pages B3.6 and 3.7. Eventually students and student groups should be able to come up with their
own question, claims and evidence, but for this activity we are providing the scenario and the question they
will write on their worksheet.
Context: In habitats some organisms (like the hummingbird) can survive well, some survive less well (like the
monarch), and some cannot survive at all.
Question: Why are monarch butterflies not coming to our habitat? (This comes from the scenario below.)
SCENARIO – COMMUNITY AND SCHOOLYARD HABITATS
After learning about the importance of community habitats in class we wanted to investigate the types of plants
and animals we had on our school grounds so we could provide habitat for our local wildlife, we were
especially interested in what we could do to improve habitat for our local species.
During the next week we used the Eco-Schools USA Biodiversity Audit to identify the types and numbers of
plant species we had. Next we split into groups to conduct biodiversity audits for the types and numbers of
mammals, birds, reptiles and insects found around the school.
All the groups concluded that our school grounds are boring, very little biodiversity! We had very few trees,
shrubs and other vegetation and since we learned that animals need food, water, shelter and a place to raise
young, we knew we had a lot of work to do.
It was important to our class to provide these habitat elements at school. We wanted the local wildlife to return.
The school is surrounded by concrete sidewalks and asphalt. We actually have very little green space. When
we learned more about community and schoolyard habitats we discovered that lots of pollinators need our
help. So we developed an action plant and set out to provide a schoolyard habitat for the local pollinators.
After more research and working with members of our community we had our National Wildlife Federation
Schoolyard Habitat built – a beautiful pollinator garden! Now we were ready and on the lookout for increasing
numbers of certain pollinators, including the monarch butterfly and the ruby-throated hummingbird. After three
weeks of observations we noticed an increase in the number of hummingbirds that were visiting the gardens.
They were visiting several of our flowers including the Trumpet Creeper and Honeysuckle, Canada Lily and the
Red Columbine. What we didn’t notice were any monarch butterflies. We had a new question to investigate,
“Why are monarch butterflies not coming to our habitat?”
NOTE
Students’ arguments need to focus on:
 the types of plants monarch butterflies,
need for all stages of their life cycle,
 the school’s geographic location along the
monarch’s migratory path, and
 the time of year students are making
observations.

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.6
CAN YOU BACK IT UP? PREPARING AN ARGUMENT FROM EVIDENCE
NAME: _______________________________________________ DATE: ________________________
MY QUESTION IS? WHAT DO I ALREADY KNOW?
WHAT TESTS AND/OR INVESTIGATIONS DID I CONDUCT RELATED TO MY QUESTION?
THIS IS WHAT I FOUND FROM MY TESTS AND/OR INVESTIGATIONS?
WHAT IS YOUR CLAIM? (Claims are made based on the results of your investigations.)
Adapted from Question, Claims and Evidence, The SWH Template - May be photocopied for classroom use only.
©2008 Lori-Norton-Meier, Brian Hand, Lynn Hockenberry and Kim Wise

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.7
WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIM?
PERSONAL:
INTERNAL RESOURCES
(other students or groups)
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
(any source that doesn’t come from a member of the class, i.e. books, community experts, internet, videos, etc.)
REFLECTIONS
My ideas have change because:
My ideas have not change because:
Adapted from Question, Claims and Evidence, The SWH Template - May be photocopied for classroom use only.
©2008 Lori-Norton-Meier, Brian Hand, Lynn Hockenberry and Kim Wise

#272 Thematic Unit—Our Environment © Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Soda Bottle Terrarium
Students can make their own mini-environments with plastic soda bottles, seeds, and small plants.
Other materials and the directions are listed below. Small groups may work together on one terrarium
or students can build their own individual gardens.
Note: The directions below can be copied and placed at a special center where all the necessary
materials and equipment are available. Make a chart and assign center times to the students.
How to Make a Soda BottIe Terrarium
You will need: 1 plastic soda bottle with top cut off
potting soil
grass seed
small plants
gravel
water
spoon
plastic wrap
rubber band
What to do:
• Make a layer of gravel on the bottom of the bottle.
• Spoon the soil into the bottle; fill it about 1
/3 full (see picture above).
• Sprinkle the grass seed on top of the soil.
• Poke a hole in the soil with your finger.
• Put the roots of the plant into the hole.
• Smooth the dirt in and around the hole.
• Water the plants lightly.
• Cover the top of the bottle with plastic wrap.
• Place a rubber band around the plastic wrap to keep it in place.
Follow-up:
• Draw a picture of your terrarium. Label it Day One.
• Observe your garden every day of the week. Draw a picture of any changes you see.
Label each change with the day. Use the Changes worksheet for your
work.
B3.8

© Teacher Created Resources, Inc. #272 Thematic Unit—Our Environment
Name ____________________________________________
Changes
In each box draw a picture of the changes you observe. Be sure to write the day and date in
each box.
Day 1 Date: _________________ Day ______ Date: _________________
Day ______ Date: _________________ Day ______ Date: _________________
Day ______ Date: _________________ Day ______ Date: _________________
B3.9

BACKGROUND
Our land is changing. Land covered by forest is changing to farmland, land covered by farmland is changing to
suburbs; cities are growing. Shorelines are shifting; glaciers are melting; and ecosystems boundaries are
moving. As human population numbers have been rising, natural resource consumption has been increasing
both in our country and elsewhere. We are altering the surface of the Earth on a grand scale. Nobel Prize
recipient Paul J. Crutzen has said, “Humans have become a geologic agent comparable to erosion and volcanic
eruptions…”
Land cover change has effects and consequences at all geographic scales: local, regional and global. These
changes have enabled the human population to grow, but they also are affecting the capacity of ecosystems to
produce food, maintain fresh water and forests, regulate climate and air quality and provide other essential
functions necessary for life. As citizens, it is important for us to understand the changes we are bringing about
to the earth system, and to understand the impacts of those changes for life on our planet. To learn more about
the impacts associated with monarch habitat loss in the United States and Mexico refer to the introduction,
NWF’s numerous blogs on the monarch butterfly, http://blog.nwf.org/tags/monarch-butterfly/, and in the National
Wildlife magazine article, Battle for Butterflies, https://goo.gl/AZLj7j.
Please note: Providing effective educational content related to climate change, including the loss of habitat and
the peril or extinction of a species is best done in developmental stages that are grouped according to age
levels. These stages are vitally important to environment based education because of the subject’s deep
underlying complexity. The National Wildlife Federation along with the North American Association for
Environmental Education, NAAEE, recommend that content specific to climate change, habitat loss/destruction
and species peril and extinction be carefully taught according to age level. This allows for cognitive and problem
solving development of the human mind and also make sense because the subject inherently requires strong
and effective building blocks of knowledge and skill. Also keep in mind that the size and extent of environmental
problems can seem overwhelming to younger children who do not yet grasp all the possibilities for solutions.
Younger children also are less able to grasp the potential of collective societal scale and action or that
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Students will
 Analyze aerial photos to see how land use has changed over time
 Make claims about the merit of a solution to address the decline in
the monarch population.
 Explain how our extraction of natural resources impacts wildlife
habitat.
 Develop a conceptual model that demonstrates monarch habitat
today and what it can look like in the future with community-wide
pollinator restoration habitats.
 Design a physical model to be presented to a variety of community
members, both inside and outside the school building to build
support for the project.
MATERIALS
 One inch grid on transparency. At one
for the teacher to use or enough for
each pair of students to have.
 Thin dry-erase markers, two colors
per student pair
 Color copies of the two San Antonio,
TX images. At least one for the whole
class to view on the projector or
enough copies for each pair of
students to have.
 Access to recyclable materials.
GRADE
3-5
TIME
(5) 50 minute class periods
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Engineering, Social Studies
COMMUNITY CHANGE
B4.1

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.2
individuals can make a useful contribution to such large scale challenges. The guidelines created by National
Wildlife Federation and NAAEE are found in the appendix.
STANDARDS
3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and
the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
4-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources
and that their uses affect the environment.
5-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the
Earth’s resources and environment.
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1: CHANGING CITIES
1. Investigating Question: How do our needs and wants
impact monarch butterflies?
2. Ask students the questions found in the green box to the
right. Have pairs of students come up with their ideas and
write them in their science notebook. Students should be
prepared to share with the whole class. Debrief as class
and write down students’ ideas on chart paper or other
space where students can view clearly. Don’t spend too
much time here. You will revisit this after more exploration
and investigation.
3. For this activity you will need a two line per inch grid
copied on a transparency. The grid paper is found on
page B46. Students will be looking at change over time.
You can do this as a whole class or if you have enough
resources allow each pair of students to have their own
photos and transparency grid. Share the pictures below.
NOTE
The goal of this activity is for students to see that as our communities grow we are making certain concessions.
Some knowingly and others unknowingly. As a community grows so does its reliance on natural resources. We
want students to begin to see the cause and effect between habitat loss and our use of energy resources, the
increase in air and water pollution and the increase in pesticide and herbicide use.
Q1. Why are monarch butterfly numbers
decreasing?” [habitat loss and
fragmentation, climate and weather
changes, pollution, pesticides/herbicides-
some of this was addressed in Lesson 3.]
Q2. “What is the relationship between our
natural energy resources and monarch
butterflies?” [Students should struggle
more with this question. Traditional
instruction tends to separate the physical
sciences from the life science. Here we
are wanting students to begin to see that
there are consequences, intended or not,
to our actions (needs and wants).]

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.3
4. Create a grid on your transparency. Label the X-axis A-O and Y-axis 1-18. Line up the transparency and the
image and use a piece of tape to hold it in place. With a red marker choose 4 random squares to look at
more closely. You will do the exact same thing and mark the exact
same squares for both the 1991 and 2010 images. For example, if
you mark A5, B2, D9 and E4 on the 1991 map, then you will mark
A5, B2, D9 and E4 on the 2010 map.
5. Explain to students that San Antonio is a major “highway” for
monarch butterflies as they migrate into and out of Mexico. Ask,
“What has changed in your squares?” “What could such a significant
change in this city’s geography mean for the monarch”? [Habitat
loss due to loss of green space, loss of biodiversity/the plants the
monarchs rely on (Remember without native milkweed, monarchs
will not be able to make their migrations very far north). Monarchs are having to travel longer distances
to reach safety because of the fragmentation of their habitat.]
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THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.4
KEY
Greens: green space of some type, like park systems, darker greens tend to be forested undisturbed natural areas.
Blues: dark blue-deep waters, such as lakes, rivers and oceans out past the shore and drop offs, the lighter blues are
streams, creeks, and ponds
Whites: represent clouds or smoke if irregularly shaped, but if white and symmetrical then it is an urban structure
Grays: on the ground represent urban areas, including highways, streets, schools, businesses, etc., but if in the sky
above the surface the color represents haze and pollution
Yellows/Browns: represent soil, clear-cut forests and mountains and/or agriculture (crops)

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.5
KEY
Greens: green space of some type, like park systems, darker greens tend to be forested undisturbed natural areas.
Blues: dark blue-deep waters, such as lakes, rivers and oceans out past the shore and drop offs, the lighter blues are
streams, creeks, and ponds
Whites: represent clouds or smoke if irregularly shaped, but if white and symmetrical then it is an urban structure
Grays: on the ground represent urban areas, including highways, streets, schools, businesses, etc., but if in the sky
above the surface the color represents haze and pollution
Yellows/Browns: represent soil, clear-cut forests and mountains and/or agriculture (crops)

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.6

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.7
ACTIVITY 2: The Oyamel Fir Forest
1. Investigating Question: What impact does logging have on the environment and how is logging impact
where monarch butterflies spend the winter?
2. Another example for students to look at is the spread of logging operations, around the overwintering
grounds for monarch butterflies overwinter. The Oyamel Fir Forests of the Mexican Sierra Madre Mountains
are some of the rarest habitat in the world. Students can watch a ten minute video
(https://youtu.be/Sw6Ug6RUPTQ) about the La Cruz Habitat Protection Project which highlights how the
forest has changed overtime, how community leaders are working together to make change to preserve
existing habitat and plant for the future in hopes of increasing monarch butterfly numbers all while preserving
the needs of the families who live there. While students will see the
obvious changes to the landscape, the habitat loss and
fragmentation along the monarch migratory path, what they don’t see
are the minute changes, such as in atmospheric pollution, pollution
to waterways and ground water, etc.
3. Talk about the environmental impacts of logging. For
background associated with logging impact see,
https://goo.gl/uMvSBw. Have students use a multi-flow
Thinking Map to show cause and effect related to the
relationship between the monarch butterfly and our natural
resources.
4. Ask students to reply again to the two questions asked in Activity 1, page B4.2. You could use this as a
post-assessment to see how their understanding has changed or to see what knowledge they have
added.
Continue to the Next Page - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTE:
The multi-flow Thinking Maps
are found on pages B4.8 and
4.9. Thinking Maps and
other graphic organizers are a
great way for students to
demonstrate their
understanding and could be
used to better understand
your students’ line of thinking.

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.8
NAME: __________________________________________________ DATE: ____________________________

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.9
ANSWER KEY GUIDE

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.10
ACTIVITY 3: MODELING BEFORE AND AFTER
1. Investigating Question: What native plants need to be included in our Monarch Recovery Garden?
2. Review with students if needed, what the needs are for the monarch butterfly.
3. Have student pairs or groups conduct a basic site inventory found on pages B4.12 and 4.13. Students will
need their science notebook and a pencil, along with their smart phone or tablet to inventory their schoolyard.
4. Have student groups use Google Maps or Google Earth to pinpoint an area of the community they’d like to
focus on for their today and tomorrow model. Below are three examples. Students can pinpoint their
community or neighborhood focus and then dive in further for a more detailed look at specific points along
their pathway of choice. For example in the following communities where would the best habitat locations
be? What business or neighborhood associations could students engage in habitat restoration? For locations
or areas with impervious surfaces, what solutions can students come up with to create habitat?
5. Resources:
Monarch Way Stations
http://monarchwatch.org/waystations/
National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools USA – Monarch Heroes
http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School/Pathways/Schoolyard-Habitats/Monarch-
Butteflies.aspx
Schoolyard Habitats
http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Create/Schoolyards/Resources.aspx
Community Wildlife Habitats
http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Create/Communities/Community-Stories.aspx
Pollinator Pathway
http://www.pollinatorpathway.com/about/
Urban Texas community between a local elementary school and high school.
Community population: 383,000
Engineering Option: Have student groups create a today and tomorrow model demonstrating how habitat loss is
contributing to the decline in monarch butterfly populations (today) and how engaging the community in habitat
restoration could help to reverse that decline (tomorrow).
Student Question: You know what plants and other habitat elements are needed for the monarch to have the best
chance at survival. What does this look like in your community? In your neighborhood? From your school to the
middle or high school?

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.11
Officially listed as an urban city, this local elementary and high school sit on the
outskirts of Philadelphia, PA and could be considered more suburban.
Community Population: 1.57 million
This is a rural community housed on the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Reservation.
Community Population: 580
6. Have student groups design a physical blue print of their
today and tomorrow model and develop a materials list. Use
the sketch from their site inventory to develop their “today”
blueprint. Encourage students to incorporate their LEGOs in
their design as well as natural materials from the schoolyard
and reuse recyclable materials.
7. Allow student groups to find materials they want to use for
their model at home and school and allow time in class,
before school and after school for students to have ample
time to go through the design process and have meaningful
discussions.
8. Display in the library or other common areas. Allow students
to present their projects and conclusions to a variety of
audiences, such as at a staff meeting, PTA meeting, school
and/or city board meeting.
Follow-Up Questions
Q1. What are the limitations of your model?
Q2. What can you do to make your model
come to life?
Q3. What or who do you need to make your
model come to life?
Q4. Besides restoring monarch butterfly
habitat, what other positive impacts will
your project have?

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.12
BASIC SITE INVENTORY: MONARCH BUTTERFLY GARDEN
School Name: __________________________________________________________________________________
Students Names in Group: ________________________________________________________________________
Date Survey Conducted: ______________________
Latitude: _____________________________ Longitude: ____________________________
Talk as a group and come up with a vision for the garden. My Group’s Vision for the Monarch Garden?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Use this site to find your pollinator eco-region using your zip code. http://www.pollinator.org/guides.htm. Pages 18-20 list
plants and habitat hints. Find the milkweed and nectar plants that are native to your region for inclusion in your Monarch
Recovery Garden.
NATIVE MILKWEED FOR MY REGION
MILKWEED NAME WE HAVE WE DON’T HAVE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Why is it important to have more than one variety of milkweed? _______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
NATIVE NECTAR PLANTS FOR MY REGION
NECTAR PLANT NAME WE HAVE WE DON’T HAVE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What month(s) is the best time to plant? _________________________________________________________
Why? _______________________________________________________________________________________

THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.13
What is puddling and why is it important for monarchs? https://goo.gl/7pfC7p
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Sketch the garden or selected site as it looks now. Use symbols to represent trees, plants, walkways, rocks, etc.
Why does the group think this is a good site for the Monarch Recovery Garden? _______________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
SYMBOLS

D-1
PROJECT NAME: Monarch Mission: Empowering Students to Improve Monarch Populations through the creation of a
Monarch Recovery Garden(s)
DURATION: 7-10 class and
field investigation hours +
building the recovery garden
SUBJECT/CLASS: Science TEACHER(S): GRADE LEVEL(S): 9-12
OTHER CORE OR ELECTIVE CLASSES TO BE INCLUDED, IF ANY:
Reading/ELA, Computer Science, Engineering, and/or Environmental Clubs
LEARNING STANDARDS:
HS-LS2-6 Evaluate claims, evidence and reasoning that the complex
interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and
types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may
result in a new ecosystem.
HS-LS2-7 Design, evaluate and refine a solution for reducing the
impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
HS-LS2-8 Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on
individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.
ETS 1-2 Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking
down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved
through engineering
ETS 1-3 Evaluate a solution to a complete real-world problem based on
prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints,
including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible
social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
ETS 1-4 Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed
solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and
constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the
problem.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will:
 Use a variety of primary and secondary sources, from peer-reviewed media.
 Construct graphs and other visuals to represent the present state of monarch
butterfly populations.
 Propose solutions based on qualitative and quantitative evidence for the
decline in migrating monarch butterfly populations.
 Conduct field investigations using the Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project,
MLMP.
 Compose and adopt a vision statement.
 Use technological applications to show simulations of how your solutions will
improve habitat and increase the number of migrating monarch sightings.
 Use the engineering design process to evaluate, create and construct a
healthy, native and sustainable Monarch Recovery Garden.
 Develop and execute a plan to engage the community in on-going monarch
recovery work.
21ST
CENTURY COMPETENCIES
(Model these skills. What will you
need to teach and/or assess?)
collaboration
X
creativity and innovation
X
communication
X
other
critical thinking
X
AdaptedfromBuckInstituteforEducation–ProjectDesignTemplate©2016NationalWildlifeFederation–Eco-SchoolsUSA

D-2
PROJECT SUMMARY
(include student role, issue,
problem/challenge, action to be
taken, and purpose/beneficiary)
Students will take on the role of citizen scientists. They will work together to improve monarch butterfly habitat at
school and in locations within the community.
Along with their monarch monitoring, maintenance of their monarch habitat and outreach, students will participate in
the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project that focuses on the health of the monarch butterfly during this life cycle stage
through careful identification and observation.
Students’ goals are to inform and engage the community about the plight and solutions related to the monarch
butterfly and design a monarch habitat that can be used to study the monarch, serving as a teaching and learning
resource, to conduct citizen science around the monarch butterfly and to serve as a community resource; a model
example of native and sustainable monarch habitat.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENTRY
EVENT (what is your hook – how
will you engage students making it
meaningful to their lives)
Students will analyze a monarch population graph to determine trend over time. Next students will be asked why this
insect is important; does it really matter if the population is threatened and eventually becomes extinct? Using
information from the Butterfly Conservation, http://butterfly-conservation.org/, students will start to answer this
questions.
ENVIRONMENT-BASED DRIVING QUESTION – will my students understand it-find it interesting? Does it require in-depth inquiry and higher-level
thinking to answer? Is it open-ended with multiple ways to reach the goal? To answer, will students need to learn the important content and
skills I’ve targeted?
How can we, as citizen scientists:
 Design a monarch habitat that can be used to conduct monarch larva and adult monarch monitoring investigations?
 Inform the school and greater community about the important role the monarch butterfly plays in an ecosystem and what its decline means to
overall ecosystem health?
 Build an application that all members of the community can contribute to and is specific to our location and will share qualitative data over time?
 Encourage the community to build monarch habitat throughout the city?
STEM ELEMENTS
Science: ecosystem dynamics, populations, predator-
prey relationships, human impact, limiting factors,
fragmentation, sustainable development, habitat loss
Technology: graphic and web design, media outreach
strategy, habitat simulation depicting change over time
in monarch habitat for the community, data collection
application specific to local community
Engineering: design and construction of monarch habitat
and outdoor learning/observation space
Mathematics: number operations, communicate
mathematical ideas, reasoning and use tools to problem
solve, proportionality, equations, measurement and
data analysis

D-3
PRODUCTS
Individual: science notebook, , graphic organizers, research questions, research summaries that include graphical
representations of collected data, self and group reflections
Team: research symposium, infographic, write a blog and use social media and school media to share meaningful work,
community engagement days (planning, building, maintaining, informing, etc.), and summary containing next steps and
new inquiry questions
PUBLIC AUDIENCE
(experts, audiences, or
product users students will
engage with during/at end
of project)
Students should plan to present to the: (this is only an example – have students decide who they need on their side)
 City Council: As the result of their research, data collection, interviews, discussions, etc., what do students want
the city council to consider or do?
 School Board: As the result of their research, data collection, interviews, discussions, etc., what do students want
the school board to consider or do?
 Community Development and Planning Department of the city of residence: As the result of their research, data
collection, interviews, discussions, etc., what do students want the department to consider or do?
 Community leaders who are passionate about conservation, monarchs, education, STEM – can this person
advocate for you and help with outreach strategies.
RESOURCES NEEDED
Experts and/or Community Resources: Who are the people in the community who can help teams answer questions,
design, build and volunteer? Who are the groups with expertise in the areas teams need to learn about?
Space: Besides the classroom what other space is needed to carry out student learning? Science/Computer Lab, outdoor
space for pollinator gardens, place to hold presentations, field trips, etc.
Materials: What materials are needed for each phase of student learning? What do students need to be successful?

D-4
REFLECTION METHODS
(individual, team, and/or
whole class)
journal/notebooking focus group
whole-class discussion think/pair/share
survey Other
NOTES:

BACKGROUND
The survival of individual species of animals and plants relies on the health of their habitat. Today, more than
1,000 types of plants and animals in North America have been designated as endangered. To prevent the
extinction of these species and to conserve the amazing diversity of living things on this continent, people must
work together to protect and restore habitat for wildlife. The Monarch Recovery Gardens provide the opportunity
for students, teachers, and community volunteers to act as wildlife biologists and restoration ecologists as they
work on a small scale habitat on their own school grounds.
Every living species has specific habitat requirements. Habitat is the arrangement of living and non-living things
which together supply an organism’s basic requirements for life. These essential components include sources
of food, water, cover, and safe places to raise young.
Each species’ habitat has a characteristic physical environment, including climate, and often a characteristic
type of vegetation. Eastern temperate forests tend to have cold winters and wet, hot summers. Broadleaf trees
like oak and maple live well in these conditions; Eastern forests are defined by the mix of oak, maple, birch, and
other trees that grow there. These trees create a canopy that shades the forest floor and provides habitat for
many creatures, such as gray squirrels, white- footed mice, white-tailed deer, blue jays, and more. Deserts, on
the other hand, receive little rain throughout the year and can only support plants able to tolerate dry conditions
such as cacti and sagebrush, which in turn characterize the habitat for many other plants and animals.
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Students will
Use a variety of primary and secondary sources, from
peer-reviewed media.
Construct graphs and other visuals to represent the
present state of monarch butterfly populations.
Propose solutions based on qualitative and
quantitative evidence for the decline in migrating
monarch butterfly populations.
Conduct field investigations using the Monarch Larvae
Monitoring Project, MLMP.
Compose and adopt a vision statement.
Use technological applications to show simulations of
how your solutions will improve habitat and increase
the number of migrating monarch sightings.
Use the engineering design process to evaluate,
create and construct a healthy, native and sustainable
Monarch Recovery Garden.
Develop and execute a plan to engage the community
in on-going monarch recovery work.
MATERIALS
Science Notebook
Field Guides
Soil thermometer
Infrared or digital thermometer
Soil and water collection containers
One copy of graph: Total Area Occupied by
Monarch Colonies at Overwintering Sites in
Mexico, p. D-8
V Model of Systems Engineering, p. D-9
Copies of the following:
o Habitat Hunt, p. D-10
o Science-Based Cooperative Group Task
Cards, p. D-11
o Taking Earth’s Vitals, p. D-12
o Monarch Recovery Garden Visioning
Worksheet, pp. D-13-16
o Habitat Team Planning Worksheet, p. D-17-18
o Eco-Action Monarch Recovery Garden
Planning Worksheet, p. D-19
GRADE
9-12
TIME
7-8 hours
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Technology, Engineering
D-5

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-6
In forests and all other habitat types, plants and animals living there are adapted to their environment (they
have inherited characteristics that enable them to survive in that location). Most plants and animals have one
kind of habitat that suits them best, although they may be able to survive in several others. Other living things
can survive in only one kind of habitat.
Both teachers and students should read the blog and accompanying texts from National Wildlife Federation,
Battel of the Butterflies, http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-
Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2015/Battle-for-Butterflies.aspx
STANDARDS
HS-LS2-6 Evaluate claims, evidence and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively
consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new
ecosystem.
HS-LS2-7 Design, evaluate and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment
and biodiversity.
HS-LS2-8 Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and
reproduce.
ETS 1-2 Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking down into smaller, more manageable
problems that can be solved through engineering
ETS 1-3 Evaluate a solution to a complete real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that
account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social,
cultural, and environmental impacts.
ETS 1-4 Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem
with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
NOTE:
When working with your students to create monarch habitat, please refer to the introduction. The needs of the
monarch butterfly are specific. It is critical to their preservation to create and maintain a healthy and sustainable
habitat using a diversity of native species that will meet the needs of the monarch.
Go to, http://www.pollinator.org/guides.htm or download the app for Android or iOS, titled BeeSmart® Pollinator
Gardener and find your eco-region for a list of native pollinator plants. Search the list for milkweed and nectar plants
and ensure that they are incorporated into the garden.

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-3
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 – ENTRY EVENT
1. Watch: The Art of Movement – Monarch Migration, 3:03
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2015/02/23/spc-art-of-movement-monarch-butterflies.cnn.html
2. Share graph with students, Total Area Occupied by Monarch Colonies at Overwintering Sites in Mexico –
image found on page D-8.
3. Based on the data in the graph, ask pairs or small groups of students to come up with three possible reasons
for the decline, three possible solutions and three investigable questions (questions whose results can be
measured). Have students record their responses in their science notebook.
4. Have a class discussion around reasons, solutions, and
measurable investigations. Make 3 separate class charts
and record the top five for each category, agreed upon by
the students. Ask students to record these lists in their
science notebook.
ACTIVITY 2 – DRIVING QUESTIONS
Students will determine develop driving questions based on provided models and work together to
describe what will be measured.
1. Unveil the driving questions to the class.
 How can we, as citizen scientists, design a monarch habitat that can be used to conduct monarch
larva and adult monarch monitoring investigations?
 How can we, as citizen scientists, inform the school and greater community about the important role
the monarch butterfly plays in an ecosystem and what its decline means to overall ecosystem health?
 How can we, as citizen scientists, build an application that all members of the community can
contribute to and is specific to our location and will share qualitative data over time?
 How can we, as citizen scientists, encourage the community to build monarch habitat throughout the
city?
2. Go outside for 5-10 minutes. Ask students to think about the Driving Questions presented in class and just
make observations about the natural world around them.
3. Gather outside in a central location, such as the outdoor learning area, a garden, etc. Based on Activity 1
responses and the student’s recent walk around the school grounds, are their changes students want to make
to the driving questions? If yes, make changes and post the driving questions for all students to see. Also
encourage students to make note of these driving questions in their science notebook.
4. Have students work in small groups to develop how each driving question will be measured. What will
success look like? Come together as a class to finalize the measurements and post for all students to see.
Engineering Option: Give students the opportunity to design a habitat for the animal species they conducted
the Habitat Hunt. Their design should include the four habitat elements and maintain the characteristics of the
ecosystem the species is found. Students should also refer to the V Model of Systems Engineering as they
go through the design process.
Student Questions: Do you need to research species habitat? Will you be able to explain your
specie’s habitat needs and why it could or could not be found in and around your location?

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-4
ACTIVITY 3 – HABITAT BASICS
Students will define habitat and differentiate between types of wildlife habitat.
1. What do wildlife need in order to survive? Have this discussion with students (This should be a review from
elementary school). Here are a few examples, but you are welcome to supply examples based on wildlife in
and around your location.
a. Cedar Waxwing: This sleek, brown, black-masked bird eats berries starting in late summer, and
insects during the warmer months. They need a clean water sources, such as puddles that return with
regularity, ponds, etc. Cedar Waxwings prefer the edge of a forest, and so find cover in think
undergrowth or amongst trees that grow along the edge. They often make their nests on the branches
of cedar or maple trees.
b. Fireflies: For food, fireflies eat soft-bodied insects, snails, slugs and mites (only in the larval stage;
many don’t eat anything in the adult stage). Water is from the food they eat, rain puddles, dew or
damp soil. Adult fireflies find cover in think grass, under leaves. They lay eggs in rotting wood or
damp debris on the ground, and larvae spend the winter just under the soil (this could be considered
a place to raise young).
2. Hand out the Habitat Hunt data sheet, p. D-10. You may either provide students with an animal species or
allow them to choose. For this exercise we are just talking about wildlife in general and not specific to any one
species or type of species. Provide your expectations for being outside including how
much time they have to complete the hunt and the boundaries in which to stay.
a. Optional: Divide students into groups of 2-4 and provide each group with a set
of 4 utility flags. Each group would receive a different color.
ACTIVITY 4 - THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY AND ITS HABITAT NEEDS
1. Just like the species in Habitat Hunt, the monarch butterfly
requires food, water, cover and places to raise young. Go out into
the schoolyard (into the gardens if you have any) and ask
students to observe the insect populations, keeping in mind the
four elements of habitat. In their science notebooks have them
answer this question as best as they can and then Think-Pair-
Share with a nearby partner.
2. Back inside ask students to pair up. It’s time for some friendly
competition.
COMPETITION 1: Using their phones, tablets, laptop, etc. you want students to provide you with the four
specific habitat needs for monarchs. What would allow them to successfully thrive at the school? No general
answers, specifics.
If they need some search help give them these keywords:
MJV NWF USFWS Monarch Habitat
[MJV: Monarch Joint Venture, NWF: National Wildlife Federation, USFWS: US Fish and Wildlife Service]
Q1: Draw the life cycle of the monarch
butterfly.
Q2: What are the specific habitat needs of
the monarch butterfly?

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-5
What you want students to supply:
Food: Milkweed and nectar plants (must have both) (native milkweed
and nectar plants = extra points)
Water: Moist ground, areas or rocks where puddling of small amounts
of water can collect
Cover: on trees or bushes
Places to Raise Young: Milkweed (native milkweed = extra points)
COMPETITION 2: Sketch and label the life cycle of a monarch butterfly.
ACTIVITY 5 – SOIL AND WATER HEALTH
1. Whether you and your students will be designing, building, and maintaining your first Monarch Recovery
Garden, have one on the school grounds already or are preparing to design and build somewhere in the
community it is important students understand the health of the soil and water play a vital role in the success
of a Monarch Recovery Garden. Test schoolyard soil at least three different areas. Test water from the
sources that will be used, i.e. outside facets and/or rain barrels, etc.
If you are a GLOBE school, conduct the following protocols and submit your data at
WWW.GLOBE.GOV:
Soil pH, Soil Temperature, Soil Infiltration and Soil Fertility
Water pH, Alkalinity
If you are not a GLOBE school, LaMotte soil and water testing kits are available for purchase through many of
the large K-12 science supply vendors.
For those who are not GLOBE schools will collect soil and water temperature at three sites and will use the
Taking the Earth’s Vitals data sheet, p. D-12.
Directions:
1. Divide your students into four groups and ask each group to elect task managers, p. D-11. Grouping option:
Students work in 3 groups of 4, meteorologists, soil technicians or geologists and environmental quality
technicians. Each group will be responsible for one of three Vital Signs on the data sheet.
2. Distribute materials to the Accountability Manager (student in
charge of materials pick-up, safe and appropriate use and
return of materials).
3. Each specialty group will answer the following two questions
based on the data they have collected.
4. After each specialty group collects their data and answers the
questions above, they will come back together as a group of
twelve to discuss and analyze their findings and their answers
to the questions.
5. One of the Communications Managers will be selected by the group to present a summary of their findings
and explaining how their data can support work to conserve the monarch butterfly.
Q1. Over time, if we continue collecting data
what conclusion might you be able to
draw related to wildlife and site
conservation?
Q2. How can this type of data help efforts to
increase monarch populations?
Constributions to mrsfickenscher.wikispaces.com are licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-6
ACTIVITY 6 – VISIONING, ACTION PLANNING AND HABITAT TEAM ROLES
VISIONING STATEMENT
The first task of the Habitat Team is to define and set clear and attainable project goals. Use can use an
Eco-Schools Action Planning worksheet found on page 18 to support your planning. The construction of a
Monarch Recovery Garden may seem daunting, but it won’t be overwhelming if it’s developed in phases. First,
establish long-term goals; next, identify readily accomplished short-term goals to help move towards the larger
vision. Fundraising, solicitation of materials, curriculum integration, etc. are all ongoing projects. With each phase
of habitat development, important lessons are learned.
The overall long-term goal can be written as a vision statement. What does the school envision for this garden
space? Take the time to develop this vision with as many different groups of people as possible, including
students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community volunteers. This process will build support,
enthusiasm, and ownership for the project. Keep in mind that the vision is not set in stone; it will probably need to
be updated as the project progresses.
Use the worksheet on pages D-13-16 to think about the vision and sketch out both short and long-term goals as
well as an overall vision statement. The Monarch Recovery Garden Visioning Worksheet, pp. D-13-16, can be
completed by older students and the Habitat Team. Younger students’ thoughts and desires regarding the garden
can be captured through brainstorming, discussion and drawings.
THE HABITAT TEAM
No one should undertake a Monarch Recovery Garden alone. Generally, the more people involved and informed
about the project, the more sustainable the project will be over time. Of course, the greater the number of people
actively engaged, the greater the numbers who will learn and reap the education, community and conservation
benefits.
A dedicated team is necessary to tackle the planning, fundraising, publicizing, building, and planting involved in
the development of a Monarch Recovery Garden. This conservation team is the working committee that acts as
the driving force behind the development of the garden site. The habitat team is composed of members of the
Eco-Action Team and should include teachers, students, parents, maintenance personnel, administrators, and
community volunteers. The diverse skills and support each member of the team brings to the project are
invaluable to the habitats overall conception, construction, and maintenance. This team will have the important
task of determining how to include students in the creation and implementation of the project. Members of the
team will consider curriculum alignment with the goal of finding ways of using the Monarch Recovery Garden as
to assist in meeting the school’s curriculum objectives.
Most teams find that regular meetings, clear delegation of responsibilities, and frequent communication both
between team members, the Eco-Action Team and the wider school community, lead to effective progress.
Engineering Option: Soils performs vital functions. They can support plant life, regulate water and solute
flow, filter, buffer, decompose, and detoxify. Soils can store and cycle nutrients and provide support for
structures. Soils can be engineered to serve a specific purpose. Provide students with a scenario, such as to
engineer a soil that will support an outdoor learning center with harming the soil composition of the
surrounding soil that will be used for monarch recovery gardens. Students should also refer to the V Model of
Systems Engineering as they go through the design process.
Student Questions: How are soils different (look at their physical properties)? How does a soil’s properties
impact how they are used? What soils or combination of soils will help me solve this problem?

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-7
HABITAT TEAM ROLES
TEAM ROLE IDEAL QUALITIES RESPONSIBILITIES
Habitat
Team Leader
Effective organizer, able to delegate
responsibilities and communicate effectively
Oversee development of the habitat plan and
coordinate other team members.
Budget
Coordinator
Well organized; comfortable using online
budgeting programs or software
Maintain receipts: keeping records of
purchases, donations, etc. Research possible
grants and sources of funding and donations.
Curriculum
Coordinators
Leadership skills, knowledge of state based
knowledge and skills required by state. At
least on educator should be on this team,
ideally one from each grade
Assist faculty to make effective use of the
Monarch Recovery Garden site to meet
academic standards. Compile resources and
activities for staff use.
Historian
Creative. Research and explanation skills
Help with student research into historical uses
of the school ground. Document project
progress using the Eco-Schools Dashboard,
the school website and by using a free online
scrapbook or chronicling site.
Maintenance
Responsible; knowledgeable about the native
plants and watering restrictions and needs
Coordinate on-going maintenance of site.
Oversee delegation of tasks. Use online
scheduler in order to maintain a regular
schedule for the garden (Signup Genius).
Volunteer
Coordinator
Good communication skills
Promotes volunteer involvement. Works with
maintenance team to provide volunteers on a
consistent basis. Send thank you notes to all
who contribute.
Communications
and Marketing
Writing and social media skills
Coordinates publicity and updates to local
media and National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-
Schools USA. Contribute to the school
newsletter. Report to the PTA and school
staff. Provide continuous updates to the
community on the project progress.
Student Liaison Leadership skills and positive energy Ensure ongoing involvement of student body.
1. Read the Habitat Team Roles above. Using the planning sheet on pp. D-17-18 and work in groups or as a
class to start making suggestions. Think about the skills of your peers and adults you know at school and in
the community.
2. Make a master list of team members that can be kept and/or displayed for easy and quick access.

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-8
ACTION PLANNING
1. Gather results from the Habitat Hunt and Taking Earth’s Vitals. Organize and summarize the findings in a
way that will plan for the Monarch Recovery Garden.
2. Decide how you will measure success in achieving your objectives. For example, will you measure
monarch larvae*, number of monarch observations, numbers tagged, a combination, etc.
3. Negotiate a time frame for each action item. Is the target action to be achieved in the short, medium or
long term?
4. Decide who is to be responsible for each action. Students should take as much responsibility as possible.
5. Include a section for monitoring any financial costs you may incur or save based on your activities.
6. Make your Eco-Action Plan accessible to the whole school community through your website or post it in a
visible location, such as the school office or library. For examples of Eco-Action Plans, check out the sample
plan included in each Eco-Schools Pathway. A blank Action Plan can be found on page D-19.
* The Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project is conducted through the Monarch Lab at the University of
Minnesota. Learn more about how you and your students can have a direct impact on understanding the
various aspects related to monarch butterflies. The links and documents to participate in the field monitoring
project start on page D-25.

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-9

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-10

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-11
HABITAT HUNT DATA SHEET
DIRECTIONS: You are a ____________________________________, and in order to survive you need
food, water, cover and places to raise your young. Take a look around you. Record the following
Create a graph in your science notebook to determine the number of food and water sources, and areas
of cover and places to raise young.
Once you have collected your data answer the following questions in your science notebook.
1. Will you stay and set up home here?
2. Why or why not?
3. What other habitat elements would you like to see here?
Food Source:
________________________________________________________
Water Source:
_______________________________________________________
Cover:
_______________________________________________________
Places to Raise Young:
_______________________________________________________

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-12
SCIENCE-BASED COOPERATIVE GROUP TASK CARDS
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
 Reads all the directions aloud for the
group.
 Keeps the group on task.
 May clarify directions with other
principal investigators or the teachers.
 Comes up with a new question(s) based
on current data
LAB TECHNICIAN
 Use equipment and materials safely
and appropriately
 Takes accurate measurements
 Validates measurements
ACCOUNTABILITY MANAGER
 Picks up materials.
 Ensure safe use of materials.
 Ensure appropriate use of materials
 Returns equipment and materials
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
 Records measurements
 Keeps the questions and hypotheses
fresh in the minds of the group. What
are we trying to measure? Why the
purpose?
 Summarizes data and conclusions.
 Presents findings to the class on behalf
of the team

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-13
TAKING EARTH’S VITALS DATA SHEET
Directions: Use the appropriate thermometer to check the air, water and soil temperatures. Be gentle
when pushing the thermometer into soils, sand or gravel.
SITE NAME: __________________________________________________________________________________
VITAL SIGN: WEATHER
GPS COORDINATES
TIME
CLOUD
COVER
TEMPERATURE
PRECIPITATION IN
CENTIMETERS (cm)
N:
W:
Feet:
Meters:
F:
C:
Coordinates: provide North and West along with elevation in meters and feet.
Time: A.M. or P.M.
Cloud Cover: Full Sun, Partly Cloudy, Mostly Cloudy, Cloudy
Temperature: provide degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius
VITAL SIGN: SOIL CHARACTERISTICS
TYPE OF SOIL
(explain)
SOIL TEMPERATURE SOIL pH
5cm depth:
10cm depth:
Describe the soil using your senses, what does it feel like, smell like, look like?
Do not taste the soil.
VITAL SIGN: WATER READINGS
WATER SOURCE WATER
TEMPERATURE
WATER pH NITRATES
F:
C:
Water Source: where does the water you are testing originate? glacial, rain barrel, tap (municipal), etc.

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-14
Monarch Recovery Visioning Worksheet
Group members and their role in the project:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Please respond briefly.
1. Describe how your schoolyard currently looks. Take pictures and attach to this page if you prefer.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the schoolyard currently used? _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Describe your ideal schoolyard – what would it look like? Sound like? How would it be used? _____________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
In working towards creating a wildlife habitat area on the school grounds, consider these questions.
4. Where on the school grounds will the habitat be located and what evidence do you have to support this
location? ________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What should the size and shape of the garden site be? ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What will this habitat provide for the monarch butterfly? ___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-15
7. What type of ecosystem are you restoring or recreating? __________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What will the source of water be in your habitat? _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
9. How will students be involved in the design and development of the habitat site? ________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
10. How will classes use the completed site? What special features will the site need to accommodate these uses?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Which community members, business and organizations might be of assistance, labor and financial, with this
project? _________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
12. Sketch how the site will look after it is constructed. After a year. In the summer. In the winter.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER PLANTING AFTER ONE YEAR

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-16
IN THE SUMMER IN THE WINTER
13. Use the above ideas and information to form a vision statement for the Monarch Recovery Garden. This
statement should include:
Wildlife for which this garden is designed
Location and reason for selecting that area
Size of the habitat project
Other details that will help the school and community understand and “see” the project better

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-17
Our Monarch Recovery Garden Vision
School ___________________________________________________________ Date __________________
Our Monarch Recovery Garden Vision is: ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-18
HABITAT TEAM PLANNING SHEET
This form lists the members of our Monarch Recovery Garden team. Each participant recognizes their role as a
member of this team. Many others will be involved in the project, but those below take responsibility for the specific
project areas listed below.
NAME HABITAT TEAM EMAIL
1.
2.
3.
4.
Habitat
Team Leaders
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Budget
Coordinators
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Curriculum
Coordinators
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Historians
1.
2.
3.
4.

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-19
1.
2.
3.
4.
Maintenance
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Volunteer
Coordinator
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Communications
and Marketing
1.
2.
3.
4
1.
2.
3.
4.
Student Liaison
1.
2.
3.
4.
I acknowledge and support the creation of the Monarch Recovery Garden, which will help guide the project
along the way.
NOTES: ____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Principal/Director Signature ________________________________________________ Date ______________
Habitat Team Leader(s) ___________________________________________________ Date _______________

THE MONARCH MISSION
D-20
ECO-ACTION PLAN PLANNING WORKSHEET
What is the
issue?
What action will
we take?
Who will do it?
When will it be
done?
How will we
monitor
progress?
How will we know
if we succeeded?
What will it cost?

Rev. 3-1-2010
Page D-21
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name of Participant(s):
Primary Mailing Address:
Secondary Mailing Address:
E-mail Address, if available:
How many years have you collected data for the Monarch Larval Monitoring Project?
When was the last year you participated?
Are you participating as part of an organization (school, nature center, etc.)? If so, what organization?
Will anyone (family, friends, etc.) be helping you with the monitoring? If so, please list their names (and ages if
they are students/children).
We like to know a little about our volunteers. If you would like, tell us about your profession, other interesting
information about you, whether you have helpers while you monitor, or anything else you think we would like to
know.

Rev. 3-1-2010
Page D-22
SITE INFORMATION
Information on your monitoring site will help scientists understand how the environment in and around your site
influences monarch presence and abundance. If you cannot answer a question, it is okay to skip it.
1. If you have collected MLMP data in the past, is this the same site you monitored in previous years? If not,
why not?
2. Where is your site located?
City or Township: County: State:
Geographical Coordinates, if known:
3. What type of site is it (only one):
• CRP land (Conservation Reserve Program)
• Other “old field” (not currently used for crops)
• Pasture
• Restored prairie
• Natural prairie
• Nature preserve
• Roadside (ditch or strip next to a road)
• Garden (planted milkweeds that are watered and maintained)
• Agricultural area (cornfield, soybean field)
• Other
4. On what date this year did the milkweed emerge?
5. We would like to know the size of your site. This means the entire contiguous area in which milkweed is
growing, not just where you monitor. You may either give us the area, dimensions, or estimate the area.
Please answer a or b.
a. What is the area of your site? (Indicate units – square meters,
acres, hectares, etc. Measure the length and width of the site and multiply them, or use a
quantity that you already know, such as 40 acres.)
b. Estimate the size by choosing one of the following: (only one)
• Very small: 0-10 sq. meters (100 sq feet) – e.g. a small garden
• Small: 11-100 sq meters (1000 sq feet) – up to the size of half a tennis court
• Medium: 101-1000 sq meters (10000 sq feet)– a little smaller than a football field
• Large: 1001-10,000 sq meters (2.5 acres)
• Very large: Over 10,000 sq meters (large fields and bigger)
6. Please list all milkweed species at the site.
7. Was this milkweed planted by humans, or did it grow naturally?

Rev. 3-1-2010
Page D-23
8. Please check any forms of management that occur on your site:
 Mowed 1-2 times per year
 Mowed more than 2 times per year
 Fertilized 1 or more times per year
 Weeded
 Planted with an agricultural crop (milkweed is a “weed” in this site)
 Burned every year
 Burned every 2-3 years
 Burned with a frequency of less than once every 3 years
9. Which of the following are found within your site? This includes the entire contiguous area that contains
milkweed, not just the part of it that you monitor.
 Flowering plants
 Native grass
 Lawn grass
 Shrubs (less than 3 m tall)
 Trees (more than 3 m tall)
 Natural body of water (pond, lake, or river)
 Human-provided water (birdbath, pond, etc.)
10. Which of the following border your site? This includes the entire contiguous area that contains milkweed,
not just the part of it that you monitor.
 Lawns
 Agricultural fields
 Residential buildings
 Industrial or commercial buildings
 Roads
 Body of water (lake, pond, river)
 Deciduous woods
 Evergreen woods
 Schoolyard
 Park
 Other
11. How would you describe most of the area immediately surrounding your site? (only one)
• Undisturbed (forest, prairie, or other natural vegetation)
• Rural agricultural
• Small town
• Suburban
• Urban
12. If your site is in a city, suburb, or town, what is the population?
• Less than 5,000
• 5,001 – 25,000
• 25,001 – 100,000
• Over 100,000

Rev. 3-1-2010
Page D-24
13. Is either of the following within 1 km (0.6 miles) of your site?
• Another small to medium area with milkweed (0-1000 sq meters)
• Another large to very large area with milkweed (over 1000 sq meters)
14. What is the elevation of your site?
• 0-750 m (0-2500 ft)
• 751-1500 m (2501-5000 ft)
• 1501-2250 m (5001-7500 ft)
• 2251-3000 m (7501-10000 ft)
• Over 3000 m (over 10000 ft)
15. Do you ever release adult monarchs at this site? If so, how often and how many?
• Yes
• No
If yes, how often? (only one)
• Once
• 2-3 times
• More than 3 times
And how many? (only one)
• 1-5
• 6-10
• More than 10
16. Do you collect monarchs at this site? If so, what stages and approximately how many?
Stage
Check if this
stage is collected
Check how often
A few Every once in a while Most or all that I see
Egg  A few  Every once in a while  Most or all that I see
L1  A few  Every once in a while  Most or all that I see
Pupa  A few  Every once in a while  Most or all that I see
Adult  A few  Every once in a while  Most or all that I see

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-25
MEASURING MILKWEED DENSITY
TIMING
Complete the “Milkweed Density Datasheet” once per year. Since the milkweed may not all be above ground at
the beginning of the season, wait to do the density measurements until the middle of the season.
PROCEDURE
If you can easily count all of the milkweed plants at your site, record the actual number of milkweeds at the site
and the size of your site.
If your site is too large to easily count all of the milkweed plants, you will randomly sample points to obtain plant
density data, counting the number of milkweed plants in several 1 meter squares. Follow these steps:
1. Start at any side of your site, randomly choose a direction, and walk one or more transects, or paths, through
the site. On a transect, stop every 5-10 paces, and use a meter stick to delineate a square that is 1 meter on
each side. The appropriate number of paces will vary with the size of your site (more paces for larger sites),
but must be consistent for all of your
samples. Use a consistent method for
delineating each meter square plot,
i.e. the square is always directly to
the right and in front of your right
foot when you stop.
2. Count all of the milkweed plants
within that 1 meter square, and
record the data on the Datasheet.
3. When you reach the edge of your site
while walking a transect, randomly
choose a new direction that takes
you back into the site, and continue
walking and recording data from the
1 square meter plots. It is possible
that some transects will cross each
other, but very unlikely that actual
sampling plots will overlap, so don’t worry about intersecting transects.
4. Continue with this method until you have sampled up to 100 squares (the more squares you sample the more
accurate your density estimate will be, but more than 100 is not necessary).
Tip: A good way to randomly select a direction is by throwing a pencil or ruler into the air. Walk in the direction
that it is pointing. The goal is to sample randomly and obtain data that are representative of the whole site. It is
important not to let the presence or absence of milkweed influence your choice of samples.
Sampling transects. Note that the sampling plots will be farther
apart than shown here.

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Page D-26
MILKWEED DENSITY DATASHEET
Year: Observers: Site Name: City, State:
You only need to do this activity once during the season (at middle of season)
If you can count all of the milkweed plants at your site, record the number of milkweed plants and area of your site
(you can record the area in square meters, square feet, or acres).
Number of milkweed plants: Area of site:
If your site has too many milkweed plants to count, use the sampling procedure described above and complete the
table below.
Point
#
# of milkweed
plants in 1x1
meter square
Point
#
# of milkweed
plants in 1x1
meter square
Point
#
# of milkweed
plants in 1x1
meter square
Point
#
# of milkweed
plants in 1x1
meter square
1 26 51 76
2 27 52 77
3 28 53 78
4 29 54 79
5 30 55 80
6 31 56 81
7 32 57 82
8 33 58 83
9 34 59 84
10 35 60 85
11 36 61 86
12 37 62 87
13 38 63 88
14 39 64 89
15 40 65 90
16 41 66 91
17 42 67 92
18 43 68 93
19 44 69 94
20 45 70 95
21 46 71 96
22 47 72 97
23 48 73 98
24 49 74 99
25 50 75 100

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-27
ACTIVITY #1: MEASURING MONARCH DENSITY
Objective: Obtain a count of monarch eggs and larvae at the site by examining a recorded number of milkweed
plants. The result will be a per plant density measurement of the monarch population at the site. We use this
measurement to see how densities vary within a year, between years, and among different sites and locations.
You can choose one of three different datasheets to record your monarch density data for Activity 1.
 Datasheet #1A – (BASIC): this datasheet asks for the total numbers of plants and monarchs you observe at the
site—for example, 4 eggs on a total of 100 plants observed. If you use this datasheet, you will need to print a
new copy each time you monitor your site. It is the simplest datasheet for recording and is great for new
volunteers or working with kids.
 Datasheet #1B – (For combining full season summary in one place) Like Datasheet #1A, this sheet asks for the
total number of plants monitored and monarchs seen. However, you can record data from multiple
monitoring events, and will only need one or two sheets for the entire monitoring season (although you will
be more limited for writing space). You can use this to record data in the field if you write small, or can use it
to combine all your weekly data in one place.
 Datasheet #1C – (ADVANCED): this datasheet asks you to keep track of the number of monarchs you observe
on each individual plant you observe, instead of just reporting the total numbers of plants and monarchs that
you observe. For example, with Datasheet #1C, you could record seeing 2 eggs on 1 plant, 1 larva on another,
and zero monarchs on a third. This information will be useful in understanding potential impacts of crowding
on monarch survival. Because you will also record the milkweed species, we’ll be able to assess how female
monarchs make egg-laying decisions when they have more than one milkweed species in a single site. Your
data will be added to overall monarch densities, but will also be analyzed separately.
Method: Regardless of what datasheet you use, the basic monitoring method remains the same. You will examine
as many milkweed plants as possible, keeping track of the number of plants examined, and recording the number
of monarch eggs and larvae of each instar that you find. Follow the specific instructions below: Try to monitor on
the same day and at about the same time each week, throughout the time that milkweed is growing in your area.
It is okay if your timing is slightly off from one week to the next, or if you have to miss weeks.
1. Record the required basic monitoring event details. Record the date you monitored, the temperature in the
shade (indicate Fahrenheit or Celsius), start and stop times, etc.
2. Always record the number of milkweed plants that you examine. The result will be a weekly estimate of
monarch density at your site, measured as a proportion of milkweed plants with monarchs.
3. Examine as many plants as possible. If you can monitor every milkweed plant at your site, please do so. If
there are too many for you to monitor all of them, randomly select plants to monitor during each monitoring
session (it does not need to be the same subset of plants each week). It is important to monitor an unbiased
sample of milkweed plants. In other words, you should not just look at the milkweed plants that you think are
most likely to have monarchs on them because you will overestimate the monarch density at your site. You
can avoid bias by following the directions below.

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-28
 For large sites where milkweed is more evenly distributed, walk one or more random, straight-line
transects, or paths, through your site. First, choose a random direction to walk. You can do this by
tossing a pencil or stick, and walking in the direction it points, or using some other random sampling
method. After choosing a direction, hold your arms out to your sides as you walk. Stop and examine every
milkweed plant that falls along your path between your fingertips. As you examine these plants, keep
track of the number of plants you look at, whether they have monarchs or not. Record the total number
of plants on one of the Activity 1 datasheets. When you reach the perimeter of your site, you can
generate another random direction to conduct the next transect, or simply turn 90 degrees back into your
site and continue monitoring. Continue running these transects through the site until you feel you have
adequately sub-sampled the site, or have run out of time.
 For sites where milkweed density is patchy, a systematic approach to sub-sampling may be easier. To do
this, estimate the total number of milkweed plants at the site, and determine how many you are capable
of observing each week. You can use this number to calculate your sub-sampling method. For example, if
your site has 900 milkweed plants, and you have time to monitor 300 of them each week, your method
would be to observe and record every third milkweed plant that you observe. Again, be sure not to bias
your sample by choosing plants you feel are more likely to have monarchs present..
Note: you do not need to use the transect method if you are able to examine all of the milkweed plants at your site.
4. Search for monarch eggs and larvae on each plant that you examine. Remember that monarch eggs and
larvae can be hard to find! To examine a milkweed plant, look carefully at all parts of the plant, including the
bottoms of the leaves, the area within the very small leaves at the top of the plant, and buds and flowers if
they are present. Keep an eye out for caterpillar clues, such as chew marks on the leaves or frass. Handle the
plants carefully, to avoid knocking any larvae off the plant. Remember, not all eggs and caterpillars that you
find on milkweed are monarchs; use the pictures of each instar below and our Field Guide to Monarch
Caterpillars to help you distinguish monarchs from other insects.
Note: Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish one “plant” from another; many species of milkweed have different
growth forms. A rule of thumb is that if stems are separated by dirt, you can call them separate plants. We know
that they might not be separate plants; common milkweed stems all over a field might actually be from the same
“plant” and all be connected underground, and the stems in a clump of swamp milkweed (which is one plant) are
often separated by dirt. If there are uncertainties, please email us first for clarification. Always write what you are
doing in the notes section of your site information page, and be consistent from year to year.
5. Keep track of the number of milkweeds, monarch eggs, and larvae that you find, and the instar of each
monarch larva. Use one of the Activity 1 datasheets to record your observations of eggs, larvae, and
milkweed. Be sure to identify the larvae to instar (see photos below, MLMP Life Cycle cards, Field Guide to
Monarch Larvae, or illustrations on MLMP clipboard). Note that you can record the number and stage of any
dead monarch eggs or larvae that you see.
6. Scan for adult monarchs. Note any adult monarchs you observe, and their sex, if known. To avoid counting
individuals more than once, count the maximum number of adults that you observe at any one time by
scanning the entire site when you see an adult. Record this number on the datasheet, indicating how many
are males, females, or unknown.
7. Note what plants are blooming each week. This information will help us learn about the diversity of blooming
plants at your site and tell us if there were any nectar plants there to attract and feed adult monarchs. You do
not need to record how many of each kind of blooming plant,, just the species.
8. Note any disturbances at the site. Record the date and type of disturbance, which might include mowing,
herbicide spraying, haying, or anything else that might affect the milkweed plants or monarchs.

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-29
9. Note Aphis nerii presence or absence (optional). Note if you saw any of the bright yellow Oleander Aphids
(Aphis nerii) while you were monitoring. You don’t need to record numbers of aphids or plants with aphids,
just whether they were there or not. If you didn’t look, just check “didn’t look”.
ADULT MONARCHS
Male and female monarchs can be distinguished easily. Males have a black spot (indicated by a red arrow) on a
vein on each hind wing that is not present on the female. The ends of the abdomens are also shaped differently in
males and females, and females often look darker than males and have wider veins on their wings.
Male Monarch Butterfly
(photo courtesty of Michelle Solensky)
Female Monarch Butterfly
(photo courtesy of Barbara Powers)
EGGS AND CATERPILLARS
Monarch egg on milkweed leaf — The egg is a little
more than 1 millimeter tall.
(Photo courtesy of Lynda Andrews)
Close-up of monarch egg — Note the pointed
shape, the glossy color, and the vertical striping.
(Photo courtesy of Michelle Solensky)

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-29
Monarch egg (left) and latex drop (right)
(Photo courtesy of Anurag Agrawal)
Live monarch egg about to hatch
(Photo courtesy of Valerie Evanson)
Dead monarch egg – Note the “puddle” of dead larva
in the bottom of the egg.
(Photo courtesy of Valerie Evanson)
Monarch first instar consuming eggshell —
Note the dull greenish-grey color, and the size
(not much bigger than the egg).
(Photo courtesy of Mary Holland)
First instar feeding damage — This circular feeding
pattern is an indication that a monarch first
instar was on the plant at some point.
(Photo courtesy of Tom Collins)
Monarch second instar — Second instar larvae have a
distinct pattern of black, white, and yellow band, and
the body no longer appears transparent and shiny.
(Photo courtesy of Monarch Lab)

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-30
Monarch third instar — This third instar monarch has
just molted. As monarch larvae develop, they increase
in size and their stripes become more distinct. Third
instar larvae usually feed using a unique cutting motion
on leaf edges.
Monarch fifth instar — Older monarch larvae have
bright yellow, black and white striping and 2 pairs of
tentacles (on front and back ends).
(Photo courtesy of Richard Hicks)
Monarch fourth instar — Fourth instar monarchs front
tentacles extend beyond the tip of the head. Internal
changes, including the development of reproductive
structure, begins to occur in late instar monarchs.
Monarch instars — The entire larval stage in monarchs
lasts from 9-14 days under normal summer
temperatures. The speed of monarch development is
temperature dependent.

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-31
APHIS NERII (APHID)
Aphis nerii – the only bright yellow aphid found
on milkweed.
(photo courtesy of Anurag Agrawal)
Aphis nerii – hundreds of aphids on one
milkweed plant.
(Photo courtesy of Grant Bowers)

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-32
DATASHEET #1A: MONARCH DENSITY (WEEKLY SUMMARY)
Use this information to fill in Datasheet #1B Season Summary of Monarch Density.
Date: Observers: Site Name: City, State:
Start Time: Stop Time: Temp in Shade:
Eggs 1
st
Instars 2
nd
Instars 3
rd
Instars 4
th
Instars 5
th
Instars
# of Adults
(F = female
M = male
U = unknown)
# Dead
(egg or larval
stage)
# of Milkweed Plants Observed
(use tick marks to represent 1, 5, 10,
or 20 plants and record total at end
of session)
Plants in bloom at site (species, not numbers of plants!):
Note any disturbances that occurred at the site over the past week (mowing, herbicide spraying, haying, etc.):
Did you see any Aphis nerii at your site this week? Circle one: Yes No Didn’t look
Other Notes:

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-33
DATASHEET #1B: MONARCH DENSITY (SEASON SUMMARY)
Date
Temp
in
Shade
Start
Time
Stop
Time
Live Monarch Eggs & Larvae # Dead
(&
larval
stage)
# of Adults
(F = female
M = male
U = unknown)
# of
Milkweed
Plants
Observed Plants in Bloom
Aphis nerii?
(Yes / No /
Didn’t Look)Eggs 1
st
2
nd
3
rd
4
th
5
th
Were there any disturbances (such as mowing) at your site during the monitoring period? Please describe the kind and timing of any disturbance.

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-34
ACTIVITY #1C: MONARCH DENSITY (WEEKLY DENSITY PER MILKWEED PLANT)
Objective: Activity #1C, like the simpler Activity #1A, results in an estimate of monarch density at your site. The
difference is that you will keep track of the number of monarchs you observe on individual plants, instead of just
reporting the total numbers of plants and monarchs that you observe. Whereas in the simpler activity you would
report seeing, for example, 4 eggs on a total of 100 plants observed, this protocol will allow you to report if these
eggs were on 4 separate plants, or if they were all on the same plant. This information will be useful in
understanding potential impacts of crowding on monarch survival. Because you will also be recording the
milkweed species, we’ll be able to assess how female monarchs make egg-laying decisions when they have more
than one milkweed species in a single site. Your data will be added to overall monarch densities, but will also be
analyzed separately.
Method: Follow the directions for Activity #1A, with these modifications. When you look at a plant with no
monarchs, place a tick mark in the box labeled “0 monarchs/plant.” When you see one monarch on a plant, write
“e,” “1st,” “2nd,” “3rd,” “4th,” or “5th” (depending on whether you see an egg or a first, second, etc. instar) in one
of the boxes under the words “1 monarch/plant.” When you see 2 monarchs on a plant, write “e,e” or “e,1st,” or
“1st,1st,” etc., depending on the stage of the two monarchs you see. Do the same in the boxes under the words “3
monarchs/plant,” “4 monarchs/plant,” and “>4 monarchs/plant” as needed. Note if an individual is dead; for
example, if you see a dead first instar and a live first instar on a plant, you would note “dead 1
st
, 1
st
”. At the end of
the session, add up the total number of plants (including those with and without monarchs), eggs, and larvae you
observed, and tally this in the appropriate section in the summary below below the table.
If you have only one species of milkweed on your site, you’ll use one table per monitoring session. If you have
more than one milkweed species, you should keep a separate table for each species you observe. There are two
tables per sheet.

Rev. Jan 2016 - Page D-35
DATASHEET #1C: MONARCH DENSITY (WEEKLY DENSITY PER MILKWEED PLANT) PLEASE SEE INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE
Key: e = egg | 1 or 1
st
= 1
st
instar | 2 or 2
nd
=2
nd
instar | 3 or 3
rd
= 3
rd
instar | 4 or 4
th
= 4
th
instar | 5 or 5
th
= 5
th
instar | p = pupae
Milkweed Species: Date: Start Time: Stop Time: Temp in Shade: _
0 monarchs/plant 1 monarch/plant 2 monarchs/plant 3 monarchs/plant 4 monarchs/plant > 4 monarchs/plant
Total plants: Total Eggs: Total 1
st
s: Total 2
nd
s: Total 3
rd
s: Total 4
th
s: Total 5
th
s:
Total Pupae: Dead (list stages): Adults: _____ males, ______ females, ______ unknown
Milkweed Species: Date: Start Time: Stop Time: Temp in Shade: _
0 monarchs/plant 1 monarch/plant 2 monarchs/plant 3 monarchs/plant 4 monarchs/plant > 4 monarchs/plant
Total plants: Total Eggs: Total 1
st
s: Total 2
nd
s: Total 3
rd
s: Total 4
th
s: Total 5
th
s:
Total Pupae: Dead (list stages): Adults: _____ males, ______ females, ______ unknown
Plant species blooming:
(Disturbance and Aphis nerii data collected on next page.)

Rev. Jan 2016 - Page D-36
Note any disturbances at your site this week:
Did you see any Aphis nerii at your site this week? Circle one: Yes No Didn’t look
Other notes or observations:

Rev. 2-24-2010
Page D-37
ACTIVITY #2: RAINFALL DATA
Objective: Obtain measurements of weekly or daily rainfall at the site.
Method: Mount a rain gauge at or near the site and record rainfall amounts.
We are interested in following the weather patterns at your site, especially rainfall. If possible, buy an inexpensive
rain gauge and mount it at your site. Check the gauge regularly and record rainfall amounts on Datasheet #2 –
Rainfall Data. Make sure to empty the gauge so it is ready to collect precipitation during the next rain event.

Rev. 2-24-2010
Page D-38
DATASHEET #2: RAINFALL DATA
Year: Observers: Site Name:
City: State:
Date Emptied Rainfall Date Emptied Rainfall Date Emptied Rainfall

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-39
Example of rearing set-up. Photo by Ilse Gebhard.
ACTIVITY #3: ESTIMATING MONARCH SURVIVAL
We are interested in learning about the natural enemies that may affect monarchs. Some of these enemies are
parasitoids, organisms whose young develop inside the monarch larvae, eventually killing them. This activity will
help us learn how common this kind of parasitism is at your site. Here, we provide information on how to collect
data on parasitoids and a protozoan parasite called Oe (Ophryocystis elektroschirrha). If you choose to participate
in the Oe study, you’ll need to contact the coordinators at the University of Georgia to obtain a sampling kit (see
instructions below).
Objective: Obtain an estimate of survival in monarch larvae collected at your site. These data will help us
measure the importance of mortality factors in populations of different densities and at different times and
locations.
Summary of Method: Collect any 4th or 5th instars each week as you complete Activity #1 Monarch Density. If
you would like to collect earlier instars as well, you can do this; just be sure to note that you are collecting earlier
instars on the online Site Information form. You may collect larvae from your monitoring site or other locations. If
you collect them from your site, enter their information under your monitoring site profile; if you collect them
from other locations, use the data entry form under the “Enter/Edit Data on Monarchs You Rear from Other
Locations” section. Rear larvae indoors and record whether they survive to adulthood, and, if not, what caused
their death (parasitized by flies, parasitized by wasps, dead for an unknown reason, etc.). If you choose to test
butterflies for the Oe parasite, do this before releasing them back at the site. Additionally, we would like to
identify parasitoids that you rear from monarchs (or other butterflies or moths); please see #8 below for
information on how to send the adult parasitoids to us.
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR REARING LARVAE TO ESTIMATE SURVIVAL
1. Larvae can be kept in an aquarium, large jar, ice cream
bucket, or another container. The container should be
easy to open, since you need to clean it every day. It
should have a screen covering or holes for air flow and
should allow you to see the larva inside. Unless you plan
to move the pupae, the cage should be large enough for
the adult to expand its wings when it emerges. Keep the
cage out of the sun or other hot places (like a car in
summer). High temperatures can kill the larvae. It is best
if you keep only one larva in each container, as this will
help combat disease and allow you to track individual
larvae accurately, since you’ll want to know the stage at
which they were collected.
2. Cages must be cleaned daily. Empty out the caterpillar frass (poop) and old milkweed. Wash your container
frequently (at a minimum every time a new larva is introduced) using a 20% bleach-water solution.
3. Give larvae fresh milkweed daily. You can pick several days’ worth of milkweed, wash it, and keep it in a plastic
bag in a refrigerator. It stays fresher if you put a damp piece of paper towel on the bottom of your container.

Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-40
4. The 4th and 5th instars that you collect will likely pupate within a week. When they
are ready to pupate, they’ll crawl to the top of their cage and form a pre-pupal “J”
before shedding their skin for the last time. You can tell that they will shed their larval
skin soon (within minutes) when their tentacles hang very limply and their bodies
straighten out a little. Be careful to not jostle the container while larvae are pupating.
5. The pupa stage lasts nine to fourteen days. Pupae turn darker the day before
butterflies emerge, and look black on the day they emerge. At this point, the wings
are visible. The butterflies usually emerge in the morning. Their wings will be soft,
flexible, and wet when they emerge, but they’ll be ready to fly in about 4 hours. If they
fall, carefully pick them up by holding the thorax, and hold their legs next to the top
or side of the cage. They need to hang with their wings pointed down. A pupa that
has been very dark for more than a few days is almost always dead. Within a day of
an adult butterfly emerging, release it back at the site from which it was collected
after recording information on the Activity 3 datasheet.
6. Larvae that have been parasitized by flies will often not pupate
successfully, but will hang limply and die, although some flies emerge
from the pupa. Fly maggots come out of the host larva or pupa on a silk-
like thread, and pupate on the bottom of the container. The adult flies
emerge about 7-10 days later. Wasps emerge as adults from their host
pupa. In both cases, be sure to remove the wasps or fly pupae if there
are living monarch larvae in your rearing container; they may mate and
parasitize new hosts. Please consider sending the specimens to us to
identify after the adults have emerged (see #8).
7. Remove diseased larvae from any container with other larvae to avoid
spreading the disease.
8. Please send us adult parasitoid flies or wasps that come from monarchs
you rear. After the adult flies emerge from their pupae (7-10 days after
they emerge from the monarch), put them in small containers (e.g. pill
bottles, small boxes, Ziploc-style plastic storage containers), with a
cotton ball or tissue to prevent them bouncing around. Each container
should hold all of the parasitoids that emerged from ONE monarch. Put
them in a freezer until you have several or until the end of the season.
Label each container so we can determine the date of collection of the
monarch, the stage at which the monarch was collected, the milkweed
species on which the monarch was collected, the location of collection,
and anything else you think is relevant. If you want, you can number the
containers, and write this information on a separate table that you send with the
containers. Contact info@monarchlab.org if you need assistance shipping the flies
to us, and notify us when a package of flies should be expected. Send the
specimens to:
Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
University of Minnesota
Dept of FWCB
2003 Upper Buford Circle, 135 Skok Hall
St. Paul MN 55108
Above: Monarch pupae
with silk-like thread
from tachinid fly
parasitoids. Photo by
Sonia Altizer
Above: Parasitized monarch
larva with three tachinid larvae
(maggots). Below: Soon after
emerging, the flies pupate,
turning reddish-brown. Above by
Jaap de Roode, below by Sonia
Altizer.
Right: Adult tachinid fly.
MonarchLab photo.
Below: Example container
label with fields needed.
Location collected:
Date collected:
Instar collected as:
Date and # flies emerged:
Date adult flies:

DATASHEET #3: ESTIMATING PARASITISM RATES
Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-40
Year: Observers: Site Name: City: State:
Larva
ID #
Location of
Collection
(if different from
site)
Date of
Collection
Larval
Instar at
Collection
Adult Monarch
Date of Sampling for
OE (if applicable) and
result (if known)
Result: parasitized by
fly, parasitized by
wasp, dead from
another cause
(accidental or
disease), adult
monarch
Number of
parasitoids - date
emerged from
monarch
Notes (e.g. cause of monarch
death - accidental, disease or
unknown; did adult flies
emerge from fly pupae; other
observations)Date Male
Emerged Female
Date infected
(yes/no)
# Date

DATASHEET #3: ESTIMATING PARASITISM RATES
Rev. Jan 2016
Page D-41
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TESTING ADULTS FOR OE (OPTIONAL)
1. Obtain a sampling kit from Project MonarchHealth (see address below). You will send the sampling card plus a copy of your
data sheet to the University of Georgia. You will still enter your data on the MLMP website for the monarch larvae you
collected, and whether they died for an unknown reason, turned into monarchs, flies, or wasps.
2. Butterflies should not be handled for the first four or five hours after they emerge, and can be kept in the cage until the next
day. To sample adult monarchs for the Oe parasite, wear gloves to prevent contamination. While the parasite is not harmful to
humans, it is easily spread from one monarch to another.
3. Remove the butterfly from its rearing container. Hold firmly as shown in the picture below, using a gloved hand. Be sure not to
use your other hand to touch the butterfly because that hand will be used to hold the tape sticker and sample for Oe spores. It
is critical that your bare hand NOT touch the butterfly!
4. Pick up a piece of transparent tape or sticker with your other hand. Gently, but firmly place the sticky side of the piece of tape to
the abdomen of the monarch. Press down so that it wraps around and sticks to the sides of the abdomen.
5. Gently peel the tape off and stick it to the index card. You will remove scales in the process, but it will not harm the monarch.
Label the tape sample with a number that corresponds to the datasheet entry.
6. Sanitize your working surface with bleach solution. Thoroughly sterilize container with 20% bleach solution and clean all
supplies and tools with bleach before rearing another wild monarch.
7. After you’ve entered your MLMP data, send a copy of the MLMP Activity 3 datasheet and the index card to:
Project Monarch Health
c/o Sonia Altizer
Odum School of Ecology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602

Rev. May 2016
Page D-42
ACTIVITY #4: COMPARING PLANTS OCCUPIED BY MONARCHS TO RANDOM PLANTS
Objective: To assess whether female monarchs choose milkweed plants randomly within a site, or if there are
characteristics of milkweed plants that make some more likely to be chosen as sites for oviposition. This will help
us to understand what characteristics make milkweed “good” host plants for monarchs.
Methods: Measure and compare the same characteristics (height, reproductive status, age, herbivore damage,
and the presence or absence of invertebrates) of plants with monarchs and randomly-selected plants. You will
measure all (or a subset if you find over 30 plants with monarchs) of the plants you observe with monarchs and a
random set of 30 plants at your site.
You will fill out Datasheets 4A and 4B every week if you do this activity. Complete datasheet 4A (milkweeds with
monarchs) while you are doing your weekly Activity 1 monitoring (Measuring Monarch Density). If you find more
than 30 plants with monarchs, you can stop recording when you get to 30 to save time.
Since it will be hard to record characteristics of random plants simultaneously, use one of the methods described
below AFTER you have completed your weekly monitoring activities to complete the 4B datasheet (random
milkweed plants).
It works well to copy the two datasheets below on two sides of one paper.
DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING IN PLANT CHARACTERISTICS ON BOTH DATASHEETS (4A AND 4B):
1. For datasheet 4A, record the stage of monarch(s) on the plant, then fill out the other characteristics as
described below. If monarch densities are very high at your site, you can stop recording plant characteristics
after the first 30 occupied plants. Keep looking for monarchs for Activity 1 (Measuring Monarch Density) and
recording the number of monarchs you observe and the total number
of milkweeds examined. For datasheet 4B, most plants probably won’t
have monarchs, but it’s okay if they do (as long as they are selected
randomly).
2. Look at the plant to determine what, if any monarchs or other
invertebrates are on it, and record what you see on the datasheet. It is
important to do this first, since your presence and plant manipulation
will disturb some of the invertebrates. The Milkweed, Monarchs, and
More Field Guide (available at: http://monarchlab.org/store) is helpful
for identifying invertebrates you are likely to encounter.
3. Record the species of milkweed. Here is a helpful webpage courtesy of
the Monarch Joint Venture (see Milkweed Resources category):
http://www.monarchjointventure.org/resources/downloads-and-links/
4. Measure the plant height in cm to the top of the top set of leaves; if
the plant is not standing straight, or if it is a recumbent species
(growing horizontally along the ground), measure its length. If it has
several branches, measure the height of the tallest branch (see photo).
Photo courtesy of Janet Allen
Measure height to
this branch
Not this branch

Rev. May 2016
Page D-43
5. Note the presence/absence of buds, flowers, and seed pods.
6. Evaluate the percentage of leaf material that is yellowed and senescing (growing old). This is a subjective
measurement, but use the categories provided on the datasheet for percentages.
7. Evaluate the percentage of leaf material that is eaten by herbivores or infected by a disease or air pollution.
Use the categories provided on the datasheets for percentages.
8. For each milkweed plant you record, measure out a one meter square with that plant directly in the center of
the plot. Count the number of other milkweed plants inside the one meter square plot and record this on the
datasheet.
IF YOU HAVE A BIG FIELD WITH LOTS OF PLANTS YOU WILL NEED TO SAMPLE PLANTS
RANDOMLY TO FILL IN DATASHEET 4B:
Once you are done monitoring for monarchs, choose another random transect(s), and measure the characteristics
of 30 random plants. This can be done by standing at some point in the site or on the edge and tossing your ruler,
butterfly net, or pencil up into the air and walking in the direction it points. It is important to do this randomly so
that you don’t subconsciously start walking in a direction with good-looking or otherwise nonrandom plants.
Random milkweed plants that you record can have monarch eggs or larvae on them; the point is that they are a
random sample of the plants in your site.
Walk 10 paces (or 5 if your site is small) in your randomly selected direction, and follow steps 2-8 above for the
closest milkweed plant to your feet. Be sure to look for plants of all sizes, including very small plants, and not to
measure a more noticeable plant if an inconspicuous one is closer to your feet. Walk 10 (or 5) more paces and
repeat this process. Continue until you have measured up to 30 random plants (in addition to the ones you’ve
already recorded on Datasheet 4A). If you reach the edge of the field before you have measured 30 plants, then
randomly choose another direction and begin again, or simply turn 90 degrees back into your site and walk
another transect in that direction.
IF YOU HAVE A SMALL AREA FIELD WITH FEWER THAN 30 PLANTS, YOU SHOULD MEASURE
ALL OF THE PLANTS:
All of the milkweeds at your site should be measured if you have fewer than 30. In this case, your plants that are
occupied with monarchs will be part of the “random plant” survey, since you will measure all plants. You should
record the data on these plants on both datasheets – you don’t have to actually write the data down twice, but
enter them onto the web site for both 4A and 4B. We will then be able to determine if your “occupied” plants are a
non-random subset of all of the plants.

Rev. May 2016
Page D-44
DATASHEET #4A: CHARACTERISTICS OF MILKWEED PLANTS WITH MONARCHS
Date: Observers: Site Name:
City: _____________________________________________ State: ___________________________________
#/stage of
egg/larva
on plant
Other invertebrates
on plant
Plant
Height
(cm)
Buds
(Y/N)
Flowers
(Y/N)
Seed Pods
(Y/N)
Condition (1 = <5%, 2
= 5-40%, 3 = 41-80%,
4 = 81-100%
yellowed or dying)
Herbivory/Disease
(1 = 0%, 2 = <5%, 3 =
5-25%, 4 = >25%
damaged)
# other
milkweeds
within 1
m
2
Milkweed
Species
Example:
1egg, 1 4th
Aphids, spider, tussock moth
caterpillars
52 Y N N 1 2 1 Asclepias syriaca

Rev. May 2016
Page D-45
DATASHEET #4B: CHARACTERISTICS OF RANDOM MILKWEED PLANTS
Date: Observers: Site Name:
City: State:
Plant
#
Invertebrates on
Plant
Plant
Heigh
t (cm)
Buds
(Y/N)
Flower
s (Y/N)
Seed
Pods
(Y/N)
Condition
(1 = <5%
2 = 5-40%
3 = 41-80%
4 = 81-100%
yellowed or
dying)
Herbivory/
Disease
(1 = 0%
2 = <5%
3 = 5-25%
4 = >25%
damaged)
# other
milkweeds
within 1 m
2
Milkweed
Species
Ex:
Monarch egg,
lacewing egg, earwigs
30 N N N 1 1 12 Asclepias
syriaca
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

Rev. 4-24-2010
Page D-46
ACTIVITY #5: MONITORING MILKWEED FOR APHIDS
Objectives: We use data from this activity to document the seasonal and geographical spread of aphids and to test
hypotheses about factors that affect aphid population growth, the extent to which they damage plants, and the
ways the different aphids affect each other. There are three objectives associated with this activity. You may
choose to record data for any or all of them.
Objective 1) For each species of milkweed at your site, identify the number of plants that support aphid
populations of different species and sizes each week.
Objective 2) Record the number of plants of each species that are severely damaged due to aphids.
Objective 3) Estimate the number of mummies, ants, and insect predators found on each species of
milkweed.
Methods: This activity is designed to complement Activity 1 (Monarch Density), so you may use the same
sampling scheme and monitor the same plants at the same time. As with monarchs, please record both the
presence and absence of aphids on the plants. Aphids feed on stems, on top of and especially underneath leaves,
and on the new leaves at the very tips of the plants. You can identify the aphids present in your site using the
aphid identification cards. Three types of aphids are commonly found on milkweeds: the bright yellow aphid called
Aphis nerii, the greenish/brownish aphid called Aphis asclepiadis, and the translucent or orange-striped aphid
called Myzocallis asclepiadis. If you find a species of aphid that is not listed here, that’s great! Please record as
many observations as you can about this aphid species to share with us. If you can take a picture, we would also
love to see that. The aphid identification cards also include pictures of some aphid predators, plants that are
significantly damaged due to aphids (to help with objective 2) and parasitized aphid mummies (to help with
objective 3).
DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING OUT DATASHEET #5
Write the name of the observers and site location at the top of your sheet. You will complete one column for each
milkweed species at your site on each date. (So if you have only one milkweed species, you may use a single data
sheet for 5 weeks, but if you have more than 5 milkweed species at your site, you will need more than one data
sheet each week). At the top of the column, record the date and the temperature in the shade. In the next row,
record the name of each milkweed species at your site, and the number of plants of that species that you observe
at your site on that date. For each plant you observe, identify which species of milkweed it is, and record your
data in the appropriate column.
Objective 1. Make one tally mark for every milkweed plant you observe. If there are no aphids on the plant, put a
tally mark in the “0 aphids” box on the data sheet. If there are aphids on the plant, identify the aphid species and
estimate the total number of living aphids. Do not count aphid exoskeletons, which are dry and gray or clear.
Place a tally mark in the box with the appropriate range of aphid numbers on your data sheet. If there are more
than one species of aphids on a single plant, write down the species names and abundance of each in the

Rev. 4-24-2010
Page D-47
“combinations” row of the data table. For example, a plant with 10-100 Aphis nerii and 1-10 Aphis asclepiadis
would be recorded as “An 10-100+Aa 1-10”. If you have multiple plants with the same combination of aphid
species, use tally marks to identify the number of plants with each aphid combination.
Objective 2. Make a tally mark if the plant is significantly damaged because of the aphids. A plant can be
identified as significantly damaged because of aphids if there is shiny honeydew or mildew on at least 2/3 of the
leaves, and if the plant appears to be wilting or losing leaves as a result of this damage.
Objective 3. Keep an eye out for aphid mummies, ants, and potential predators on the plants. Parasitized aphid
mummies look like swollen, brown or tan, shiny aphids. If you observe any mummies on a plant, please estimate
the number and record that number in the box on the data sheet. Some ants will “tend” aphids, meaning they eat
the sweet honeydew that aphids produce and, in exchange, protect the aphids from predators. If you observe any
ants directly on the plants tending the aphids, please estimate the number of ants and record that number in the
box on the data sheet. Many insects eat aphids, including ladybeetles and lacewings. If you observe any predators
on the plant eating aphids, please estimate the number of predators and record that number in the box on the
data sheet. If you can identify the predators, please include their names in your list of observations at the bottom
of the data sheet.
Record any interesting observations at the bottom of the data table. Observations may include the identity of any
of the predators, other herbivore species you observe on the plants, descriptions of plant quality, or aphid
behavior. When aphids get crowded, they often develop wings, so this is something interesting to look for. Finally,
if you take any action to remove aphids from your plants, such as using a stream of water to disperse them or
killing them, please record that information as well.
Thank you for contributing to the aphid monitoring effort!

Rev. 4-24-2010
Page D-48
DATASHEET #5: MONITORING MILKWEED FOR APHIDS
Observers: _________________________ Site: _______________________________
Codes: An=Aphis nerii; Aa=Aphis asclepiadis; Ma=Myzocallis asclepiadis.
Date/Temp
Plant Species (#)
Objective1
1) 0 aphids
1) An 1-10
1) An 11-100
1) An 101-1000
1) An >1000
1) Aa 1-10
1) Aa 11-100
1) Aa 101-1000
1) Aa >1000
1) Ma 1-10
1) Ma 11-100
1) Ma 101-1000
1) Ma >1000
1) Combinations
(list both aphid species and
abundance for each)
Obj.2
2) Plants with aphid
damage
Obj.3
3) Mummies
3) Ants
3) Predators
On which dates, if any, did you first find aphids of this species with wings: An? Aa?
(Ma adults always have wings)
On which dates, if any, did you take action to control aphids at your site?
Observations (use back if necessary):

A B
C
B A
C D
Three aphid species are commonly found on milkweed: A) the milkweed
aphid (Aphis asclepiadis), B) the oleander aphid (Aphis nerii), and C) a
light green aphid with no common name (Myzocallis asclepiadis). A.
asclepiadis is greenish-brown in color and often tended by ants. The ants
consume the sugary honeydew that aphids secrete. A. nerii is bright
yellow to warn predators that it has sequestered toxins from the milkweed.
M. asclepiadis is almost translucent and sometimes has orange spots. All
M. asclepiadis adults (but not the smaller nymphs) are winged, in contrast
to the other aphid species where winged adults are rare. While A. nerii
and A. asclepiadis tend to clump together, M. asclepiadis tend to spread
out across a leaf. A. asclepiadis and M. asclepiadis are thought to be
native to North America, but A. nerii was introduced from Europe, along
with its other host, oleanders. Oleanders and milkweeds are in the same
family. Photos by K. Mooney and A. Agrawal.
A) In most aphid species, adults are females that give birth to nymphs
that are exact clones of themselves. This process is called
parthenogenesis. In the fall, most aphids undergo a sexual reproductive
phase, at which point they mate and lay eggs that overwinter. A. nerii,
however, is an obligate parthenogen, so there are no males or eggs. B)
Aphids molt 4 times between birth and their adult stage, leaving white
exoskeletons behind on the leaf. This picture shows all 5 instars, or size
classes, of aphids. C) As aphid nymphs mature, they must shed their
old exoskeletons in a process called molting. This winged aphid
emerges from its exoskeleton. D) Although all aphids have the genetic
instructions for making wings, most adults do not have wings and stay on
their original plant. When the population is overcrowded or the plant is
stressed, more aphids develop with wings, allowing them to escape
stressful conditions and colonize new plants. Photos by E. Mohl.

A B
C
B A
The native wasp parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes is one of the most
common natural enemies of Aphis nerii and many other aphids. A) A
female parasitoid forages on the bottom side of a milkweed leaf for aphids
to attack. B) A female “stings” an aphid by inserting her ovipositor into its
body. She lays one egg inside each aphid she stings. Photos by E. Mohl.
A) Over the course of about a week, the aphid’s body swells up as the
parasitoid wasp larva develops inside. B) The aphid dies and turns into a
brown or tan “mummy” as the parasitoid completes its development. C) The
wasp emerges from the mummy through a round hole as an adult, usually
about 10-14 days after the aphid was first stung. Pictured here is an empty
soybean aphid mummy. The soybean aphid is another exotic host to L.
testaceipes. Photos by E. Mohl.

C
A
B
BA
Aphis nerii reproduce prolifically, sometimes covering a plant. A) A. nerii
prefer new plant growth and often colonize the tips of plants. Shown here
near actual size, these two leaves host approximately 750 aphids. As the
aphids grow through 5 instars, they molt, leaving white exoskeletons
scattered on the leaf. B) As their populations grow, A. nerii also colonize
plant stems and the undersides of leaves. Photos by G. Bowers and E.
Mohl.
A) All aphids have mouth parts, called stylets, that allow them to feed on
the sugars flowing through the vessels in the plant. B) Just as a mosquito
is unlikely to do much harm to a person, a lone aphid will have little impact
on a plant. However, when aphid populations grow, they can cover the
leaves and stems and deplete the plant of important resources. Aphids
can also transmit diseases between plants. C) Aphids do not need all of
the sugar that they suck out of a plant, so much of it is secreted as sugary
honeydew. Honeydew can cover leaves, making them very sticky. Photos
by E. Mohl.

Many insect predators eat aphids. Some, like ladybeetles (A),
consume the entire aphid. Ladybeetles often lay clusters of bright
yellow eggs (B) on the underside of leaves on plants with aphids.
Other predators, like fly larvae (C), pierce the aphids and suck out
the juices. There are even some predators, like hunting wasps (D),
that pick up aphids and carry them back to their nests to feed their
young. Photos by E. Mohl.
Aphids can significantly damage plants when they reach high
densities. They suck the sugary fluid out of plants and excrete a
sticky substance called honeydew. When enough aphids do this, the
tops of leaves can become coated with the sticky honeydew and the
plant starts to wilt (A). White or black mold can grow on the
honeydew, preventing light from reaching the leaves. This can cause
leaves to curl and become discolored (B). Ultimately, plants begin to
lose their leaves as a result of aphid herbivory (C). Predators can
benefit plants by consuming aphids, which often results in new plant
growth. Photos by E. Mohl.
A
B
C
D
A B C

C-1
PROJECT NAME: Monarch Recovery Garden(s) DURATION: 7 class hours +
building the recovery garden
SUBJECT/CLASS: Science TEACHER(S): GRADE LEVEL(S): 6-8
OTHER CORE OR ELECTIVE CLASSES TO BE INCLUDED, IF ANY:
Reading/ELA, Computer Science, Engineering, and/or Environmental Clubs
LEARNING STANDARDS:
MS-LS1-5 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how
environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that
changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect
populations
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will:
 Use graphs and other visuals to better understand the present state of
monarch butterflies.
 Propose solutions based on qualitative and quantitative evidence.
 Conduct field investigations for soil and water samples
 Compose and adopt a vision statement.
 Use the engineering design process to evaluate, create and construct a
healthy native and sustainable Monarch Recovery Garden.
21ST
CENTURY COMPETENCIES
(Model these skills. What will you
need to teach and/or assess?)
collaboration
X
creativity and innovation
X
communication
X
other
critical thinking
X
PROJECT SUMMARY
(include student role, issue,
problem/challenge, action to be
taken, and purpose/beneficiary)
Students will take on the role of citizen scientists. They will work together to increase monarch butterfly populations in
their community. Students’ goals are to inform and engage the community about the plight and solutions related to
the monarch butterfly and design a monarch habitat that can be used to study the monarch, serving as a teaching
and learning resource, to conduct citizen science around the monarch butterfly and to serve as a community
resource; a model example of native and sustainable monarch habitat.
ENVIRONMENT-BASED DRIVING QUESTION – will my students understand it-find it interesting? Does it require in-depth inquiry and higher-level
thinking to answer? Is it open-ended with multiple ways to reach the goal? To answer, will students need to learn the important content and
skills I’ve targeted?
How can we, as citizen scientists:
 Inform the community about the importance of the monarch butterfly?
 Design a monarch habitat that can be used to conduct monarch investigations and increase our local monarch populations?
 Encourage the community to build monarch habitat throughout the city?
ENVIRONMENTAL ENTRY
EVENT (what is your hook – how
will you engage students making it
meaningful to their lives)
Students will analyze a monarch population graph to determine trend over time. Next students will be asked why this
insect is important; does it really matter if the population is threatened and eventually becomes extinct? Using
information from the Butterfly Conservation, http://butterfly-conservation.org/, students will start to answer this
questions.

C-2
STEM ELEMENTS
Science: ecosystem dynamics, populations, habitat,
predator prey, human impact, limiting factors,
fragmentation, habitat loss
Technology: graphic design, blogging, web design
Engineering: design and construction of monarch habitat
and outdoor learning/observation space
Mathematics: number operations, communicate
mathematical ideas, reasoning and use tools to problem
solve, proportionality, equations, measurement and data
PRODUCTS
Individual: science notebook, , Foldables, Thinking Maps, research questions, research summaries, self and group
reflections
Team: oral presentation, infographic, participation in Young Reporters for the Environment, write a blog and use social
media and school media to share, community engagement days (planning, building, maintaining, informing, etc.), and
summary containing next steps and new inquiry questions
PUBLIC AUDIENCE
(experts, audiences, or
product users students will
engage with during/at end
of project)
Students should plan to present to the: (this is only an example – have students decide who they need on their side)
 City Council: As the result of their research, data collection, interviews, discussions, etc., what do students want
the city council to consider or do?
 School Board: As the result of their research, data collection, interviews, discussions, etc., what do students want
the school board to consider or do?
 Community Development and Planning Department of the city of residence: As the result of their research, data
collection, interviews, discussions, etc., what do students want the department to consider or do?
RESOURCES NEEDED
Experts and/or Community Resources: Who are the people in the community who can help teams answer questions,
design, build and volunteer? Who are the groups with expertise in the areas teams need to learn about?
Space: Besides the classroom what other space is needed to carry out student learning? Science/Computer Lab, outdoor
space for pollinator gardens, place to hold presentations, field trips, etc.
Materials: What materials are needed for each phase of student learning? What do students need to be successful?

C-3
REFLECTION METHODS
(individual, team, and/or
whole class)
journal/notebooking focus group
whole-class discussion think/pair/share
survey Other
NOTES:

BACKGROUND
The survival of individual species of animals and plants relies on the health of their habitat. Today, more than
1,000 types of plants and animals in North America have been designated as endangered. To prevent the
extinction of these species and to conserve the amazing diversity of living things on this continent, people must
work together to protect and restore habitat for wildlife. The Monarch Recovery Gardens provide the opportunity
for students, teachers, and community volunteers to act as wildlife biologists and restoration ecologists as they
work on a small scale habitat on their own school grounds.
Every living species has specific habitat requirements. Habitat is the arrangement of living and non-living things
which together supply an organism’s basic requirements for life. These essential components include sources
of food, water, cover, and safe places to raise young.
Each species’ habitat has a characteristic physical environment, including climate, and often a characteristic
type of vegetation. Eastern temperate forests tend to have cold winters and wet, hot summers. Broadleaf trees
like oak and maple live well in these conditions; Eastern forests are defined by the mix of oak, maple, birch, and
other trees that grow there. These trees create a canopy that shades the forest floor and provides habitat for
many creatures, such as gray squirrels, white- footed mice, white-tailed deer, blue jays, and more. Deserts, on
the other hand, receive little rain throughout the year and can only support plants able to tolerate dry conditions
such as cacti and sagebrush, which in turn characterize the habitat for many other plants and animals.
In forests and all other habitat types, plants and animals living there are adapted to their environment (they
have inherited characteristics that enable them to survive in that location). Most plants and animals have one
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Students will
Use graphs and other visuals to
better understand the present
state of monarch butterflies.
Propose solutions based on
qualitative and quantitative
evidence.
Conduct field investigations for soil
and water samples
Compose and adopt a vision
statement.
Use the engineering design
process to evaluate, create and
construct a healthy native and
sustainable Monarch Recovery
Garden.
MATERIALS
Science Notebook
Field Guides
Soil thermometer
Infrared or digital thermometer
Soil and water collection containers
One copy of graph: Total Area Occupied by Monarch Colonies at
Overwintering Sites in Mexico, p. C-11
V Model of Systems Engineering, p. C-12
Copies of the following:
o Habitat Hunt, p. C-13
o Science-Based Cooperative Group Task Cards, p. C-14
o Taking Earth’s Vitals, p. C-15
o Monarch Recovery Garden Visioning Worksheet, pp. C-16-18
o Habitat Team Planning Worksheet, p. C-20-21
o Eco-Action Monarch Recovery Garden Planning Worksheet, p. C-22
GRADE
6-8
TIME
7-8 hours
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Technology, Engineering
C-4

THE MONARCH MISSION
C-5
kind of habitat that suits them best, although they may be able to survive in several others. Other living things
can survive in only one kind of habitat.
STANDARDS
MS-LS1-5 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors
influence the growth of organisms. (food, light, space, water)
MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological
components of an ecosystem affect populations.
ETS 1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precisions to ensure a successful
solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural
environment that may limit possible solutions.
ETS 1-2 Evaluate competing solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and
constraints of the problem.
ETS 1-3 Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to
identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solutions to better meet the criteria for
success.
ETS 1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or
process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 – ENTRY EVENT
1. Watch: The Art of Movement – Monarch Migration, 3:03
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2015/02/23/spc-art-of-movement-monarch-butterflies.cnn.html
2. Share graph with students, Total Area Occupied by Monarch Colonies at Overwintering Sites in Mexico –
image found on page C-11.
3. Based on the data in the graph, ask pairs or small groups of students to come up with three possible reasons
for the decline, three possible solutions and three investigable questions (questions whose results can be
measured). Have students record their responses in their science notebook.
4. Have a class discussion around reasons, solutions, and
measurable investigations. Make 3 separate class charts
and record the top five for each category, agreed upon by
the students. Ask students to record these lists in their
science notebook.
NOTE
When working with your students to create monarch habitat, please refer to the introduction for specific and
detailed information. The needs of the monarch butterfly are specific. It is critical to their preservation to create
and maintain a healthy and sustainable habitat using a diversity of native species that will meet the needs of
the monarch.

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C-6
ACTIVITY 2 – DRIVING QUESTIONS
Students will determine develop driving questions based on provided models and work together to
describe what will be measured.
1. Unveil the driving questions to the class.
How can we, as citizen scientists, inform the community about the importance of the monarch butterfly?
How can we, as citizen scientists, design a monarch habitat that can be used to conduct monarch
investigations and increase our local monarch populations?
How can we, as citizen scientists, encourage the community to build monarch habitat throughout the city?
2. Go outside for 5-10 minutes. Ask students to think about the Driving Questions presented in class and just
make observations about the natural world around them.
3. Gather outside in a central location, such as the outdoor learning area, a garden, etc. Based on Activity 1
responses and the student’s recent walk around the school grounds, are their changes students want to make
to the driving questions? If yes, make changes and post the driving questions for all students to see. Also
encourage students to make note of these driving questions in their science notebook.
4. Have students work in small groups to develop how each driving question will be measured. What will
success look like? Come together as a class to finalize the measurements and post for all students to see.
ACTIVITY 3 – HABITAT BASICS
Students will define habitat and differentiate between types of wildlife habitat.
1. What do wildlife need in order to survive? Have this discussion with students (This should be a review from
elementary school). Here are a few examples, but you are welcome to supply examples based on wildlife in
and around your location.
a. Cedar Waxwing: This sleek, brown, black-masked bird eats berries starting in late summer, and
insects during the warmer months. They need a clean water sources, such as puddles that return with
regularity, ponds, etc. Cedar Waxwings prefer the edge of a forest, and so find cover in think
undergrowth or amongst trees that grow along the edge. They often make their nests on the branches
of cedar or maple trees.
b. Fireflies: For food, fireflies eat soft-bodied insects, snails, slugs and mites (only in the larval stage;
many don’t eat anything in the adult stage). Water is from the food they eat, rain puddles, dew or
damp soil. Adult fireflies find cover in think grass, under leaves. They lay eggs in rotting wood or
damp debris on the ground, and larvae spend the winter just under the soil (this could be considered
a place to raise young).
2. Hand out the Habitat Hunt data sheet, p.C-13. You may either provide students with an animal species or
allow them to choose. For this exercise we are just talking about wildlife in general and not specific to any one
species or type of species. Provide your expectations for being outside including how
much time they have to complete the hunt and the boundaries in which to stay.
a. Optional: Divide students into groups of 2-4 and provide each group with a set
of 4 utility flags. Each group would receive a different color.
Engineering Option: Give students the opportunity to design a habitat for the animal species they conducted
the Habitat Hunt. Their design should include the four habitat elements and maintain the characteristics of the
ecosystem the species is found. Students should also refer to the V Model of Systems Engineering as they
go through the design process.
Student Questions: Do you need to research species habitat? Will you be able to explain your
specie’s habitat needs and why it could or could not be found in and around your location?

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C-7
ACTIVITY 4 - THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY AND ITS HABITAT NEEDS
1. Just like the species in Habitat Hunt, the monarch butterfly
requires food, water, cover and places to raise young. Go out into
the schoolyard (into the gardens if you have any) and ask
students to observe the insect populations, keeping in mind the
four elements of habitat. In their science notebooks have them
answer this question as best as they can and then Think-Pair-
Share with a nearby partner.
2. Back inside ask students to pair up. It’s time for some friendly
competition.
COMPETITION 1: Using their phones, tablets, laptop, etc. you want students to provide you with the four
specific habitat needs for monarchs. What would allow them to successfully thrive at the school? No general
answers, specifics.
If they need some search help give them these keywords:
MJV NWF USFWS Monarch Habitat
[MJV: Monarch Joint Venture, NWF: National Wildlife Federation,
USFWS: US Fish and Wildlife Service]
What you want students to supply:
Food: Milkweed and nectar plants (must have both) (native milkweed
and nectar plants = extra points)
Water: Moist ground, areas or rocks where puddling of small amounts of
water can collect
Cover: on trees or bushes
Places to Raise Young: Milkweed (native milkweed = extra points)
COMPETITION 2: Sketch and label the life cycle of a monarch butterfly.
ACTIVITY 5 – SOIL AND WATER HEALTH
1. Whether you and your students will be designing, building, and maintaining your first Monarch Recovery
Garden, have one on the school grounds already or are preparing to design and build somewhere in the
community it is important students understand the health of the soil and water play a vital role in the success
of a Monarch Recovery Garden. Test schoolyard soil at least three different areas. Test water from the
sources that will be used, i.e. outside facets and/or rain barrels, etc.
If you are a GLOBE school, conduct the following protocols and submit your data at
WWW.GLOBE.GOV:
Soil pH, Soil Temperature, Soil Infiltration and Soil Fertility
Water pH, Alkalinity
If you are not a GLOBE school, LaMotte soil and water testing kits are available for purchase through many of
the large K-12 science supply vendors.
For those who are not GLOBE schools will collect soil and water temperature at three sites and will use the
Taking the Earth’s Vitals data sheet, p. C-15.
Q1: Draw the life cycle of the monarch
butterfly.
Q2: What are the specific habitat needs of
the monarch butterfly?
Constributions to mrsfickenscher.wikispaces.com are licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License

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C-8
Directions:
1. Divide your students into four groups and ask each group to elect task managers, p. C-14. Grouping
option: Students work in 3 groups of 4, meteorologists, soil technicians or geologists and environmental
quality technicians. Each group will be responsible for one of three Vital Signs on the data sheet.
2. Distribute materials to the Accountability Manager (student in
charge of materials pick-up, safe and appropriate use and
return of materials).
3. Each specialty group will answer the following two questions
based on the data they have collected.
4. After each specialty group collects their data and answers the
questions above, they will come back together as a group of
twelve to discuss and analyze their findings and their answers
to the questions.
5. One of the Communications Managers will be selected by the group to present a summary of their findings
and explaining how their data can support work to conserve the monarch butterfly.
ACTIVITY 6 – VISIONING, ACTION PLANNING AND HABITAT TEAM ROLES
VISIONING STATEMENT
The ﬁrst task of the Habitat Team is to deﬁne and set clear and attainable project goals. Use can use an Eco-
Schools Action Planning worksheet found on page 18 to support your planning. The construction of a Monarch
Recovery Garden may seem daunting, but it won’t be overwhelming if it’s developed in phases. First, establish
long-term goals; next, identify readily accomplished short-term goals to help move towards the larger vision.
Fundraising, solicitation of materials, curriculum integration, etc. are all ongoing projects. With each phase of
habitat development, important lessons are learned.
The overall long-term goal can be written as a vision statement. What does the school envision for this garden
space? Take the time to develop this vision with as many different groups of people as possible, including
students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community volunteers. This process will build support,
enthusiasm, and ownership for the project. Keep in mind that the vision is not set in stone; it will probably need to
be updated as the project progresses.
Use the worksheet on pages C-16-18 to think about the vision and sketch out both short and long-term goals as
well as an overall vision statement. The Monarch Recovery Garden Visioning Worksheet , pp. C-16-18 can be
completed by older students and the Habitat Team. Younger students’ thoughts and desires regarding the garden
can be captured through brainstorming, discussion and drawings.
Q1: Over time, if we continue collecting data
what conclusion might you be able to
draw related to wildlife and site
conservation?
Q2: How can this type of data help efforts to
increase monarch populations?
Engineering Option: Soils performs vital functions. They can support plant life, regulate water and solute
flow, filter, buffer, decompose, and detoxify. Soils can store and cycle nutrients and provide support for
structures. Soils can be engineered to serve a specific purpose. Provide students with a scenario, such as to
engineer a soil that will support an outdoor learning center with harming the soil composition of the
surrounding soil that will be used for monarch recovery gardens. Students should also refer to the V Model
of Systems Engineering as they go through the design process.
Student Questions: How are soils different (look at their physical properties)? How does a soil’s properties
impact how they are used? What soils or combination of soils will help me solve this problem?

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THE HABITAT TEAM
No one should undertake a Monarch Recovery Garden alone. Generally, the more people involved and informed
about the project, the more sustainable the project will be over time. Of course, the greater the number of people
actively engaged, the greater the numbers who will learn and reap the education, community and conservation
benefits.
A dedicated team is necessary to tackle the planning, fundraising, publicizing, building, and planting involved in
the development of a Monarch Recovery Garden. This conservation team is the working committee that acts as
the driving force behind the development of the garden site. The habitat team is composed of members of the
Eco-Action Team and should include teachers, students, parents, maintenance personnel, administrators, and
community volunteers. The diverse skills and support each member of the team brings to the project are
invaluable to the habitats overall conception, construction, and maintenance. This team will have the important
task of determining how to include students in the creation and implementation of the project. Members of the
team will consider curriculum alignment with the goal of ﬁnding ways of using the Monarch Recovery Garden as
to assist in meeting the school’s curriculum objectives.
Most teams ﬁnd that regular meetings, clear delegation of responsibilities, and frequent communication both
between team members, the Eco-Action Team and the wider school community, lead to effective progress.
HABITAT TEAM ROLES
TEAM ROLE IDEAL QUALITIES RESPONSIBILITIES
Habitat
Team Leader
Effective organizer, able to delegate
responsibilities and communicate effectively
Oversee development of the habitat plan and
coordinate other team members.
Budget
Coordinator
Well organized; comfortable using online
budgeting programs or software
Maintain receipts: keeping records of
purchases, donations, etc. Research possible
grants and sources of funding and donations.
Curriculum
Coordinators
Leadership skills, knowledge of state based
knowledge and skills required by state. At
least on educator should be on this team,
ideally one from each grade
Assist faculty to make effective use of the
Monarch Recovery Garden site to meet
academic standards. Compile resources and
activities for staff use.
Historian
Creative. Research and explanation skills
Help with student research into historical uses
of the school ground. Document project
progress using the Eco-Schools Dashboard,
the school website and by using a free online
scrapbook or chronicling site.
Maintenance
Responsible; knowledgeable about the native
plants and watering restrictions and needs
Coordinate on-going maintenance of site.
Oversee delegation of tasks. Use online
scheduler in order to maintain a regular
schedule for the garden (Signup Genius).
Volunteer
Coordinator
Good communication skills
Promotes volunteer involvement. Works with
maintenance team to provide volunteers on a
consistent basis. Send thank you notes to all
who contribute.
Communications
and Marketing
Writing and social media skills
Coordinates publicity and updates to local
media and National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-
Schools USA. Contribute to the school
newsletter. Report to the PTA and school
staff. Provide continuous updates to the
community on the project progress.
Student Liaison Leadership skills and positive energy Ensure ongoing involvement of student body.

THE MONARCH MISSION
C-10
1. Read the Habitat Team Roles above. Using the planning sheet on pp. C-20-21 and work in groups or as a
class to start making suggestions. Think about the skills of your peers and adults you know at school and in
the community.
2. Make a master list of team members that can be kept and/or displayed for easy and quick access.
ACTION PLANNING
1. Gather results from the Habitat Hunt and Taking Earth’s Vitals. Organize and summarize the findings in a
way that will plan for the Monarch Recovery Garden.
2. Decide how you will measure success in achieving your objectives. For example, will you measure
monarch larvae, number of monarch observations, numbers tagged, a combination, etc.
3. Negotiate a time frame for each action item. Is the target action to be achieved in the short, medium or
long term?
4. Decide who is to be responsible for each action. Students should take as much responsibility as possible.
5. Include a section for monitoring any financial costs you may incur or save based on your activities.
6. Make your Eco-Action Plan accessible to the whole school community through your website or post it in a
visible location, such as the school office or library. For examples of Eco-Action Plans, check out the sample
plan included in each Eco-Schools Pathway. A blank Action Plan can be found on page C-22.

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THE MONARCH MISSION
C-12

THE MONARCH MISSION
C-13
HABITAT HUNT DATA SHEET
DIRECTIONS: You are a ____________________________________, and in order to survive you need
food, water, cover and places to raise your young. Take a look around you. Record the following
Create a graph in your science notebook to determine the number of food and water sources, and areas
of cover and places to raise young.
Once you have collected your data answer the following questions in your science notebook.
1. Will you stay and set up home here?
2. Why or why not?
3. What other habitat elements would you like to see here?
Food Source:
________________________________________________________
Water Source:
_______________________________________________________
Cover:
_______________________________________________________
Places to Raise Young:
_______________________________________________________

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C-14
SCIENCE-BASED COOPERATIVE GROUP TASK CARDS
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
 Reads all the directions aloud for the
group.
 Keeps the group on task.
 May clarify directions with other
principal investigators or the teachers.
 Comes up with a new question(s) based
on current data
LAB TECHNICIAN
 Use equipment and materials safely
and appropriately
 Takes accurate measurements
 Validates measurements
ACCOUNTABILITY MANAGER
 Picks up materials.
 Ensure safe use of materials.
 Ensure appropriate use of materials
 Returns equipment and materials
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
 Records measurements
 Keeps the questions and hypotheses
fresh in the minds of the group. What
are we trying to measure? Why the
purpose?
 Summarizes data and conclusions.
 Presents findings to the class on behalf
of the team

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C-15
TAKING EARTH’S VITALS DATA SHEET
Directions: Use the appropriate thermometer to check the air, water and soil temperatures. Be gentle
when pushing the thermometer into soils, sand or gravel.
SITE NAME: __________________________________________________________________________________
VITAL SIGN: WEATHER
GPS COORDINATES TIME
CLOUD
COVER
TEMPERATURE
PRECIPITATION IN
CENTIMETERS (cm)
N:
W:
Feet:
Meters:
F:
C:
Coordinates: provide North and West along with elevation in meters and feet.
Time: A.M. or P.M.
Cloud Cover: Full Sun, Partly Cloudy, Mostly Cloudy, Cloudy
Temperature: provide degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius
VITAL SIGN: SOIL CHARACTERISTICS
TYPE OF SOIL
(explain)
SOIL TEMPERATURE SOIL pH
5cm depth:
10cm depth:
Describe the soil using your senses, what does it feel like, smell like, look like?
Do not taste the soil.
VITAL SIGN: WATER READINGS
WATER SOURCE
WATER
TEMPERATURE
WATER pH NITRATES
F:
C:
Water Source: where does the water you are testing originate? glacial, rain barrel, tap (municipal), etc.

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Monarch Recovery Visioning Worksheet
Group members and their role in the project:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Please respond briefly.
1. Describe how your schoolyard currently looks. Take pictures and attach to this page if you prefer.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the schoolyard currently used? _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Describe your ideal schoolyard – what would it look like? Sound like? How would it be used? _____________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
In working towards creating a wildlife habitat area on the school grounds, consider these questions.
4. Where on the school grounds will the habitat be located and what evidence do you have to support this
location? ________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What should the size and shape of the garden site be? ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What will this habitat provide for the monarch butterfly? ___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

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C-17
7. What type of ecosystem are you restoring or recreating? __________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What will the source of water be in your habitat? _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
9. How will students be involved in the design and development of the habitat site? ________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
10. How will classes use the completed site? What special features will the site need to accommodate these uses?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Which community members, business and organizations might be of assistance, labor and financial, with this
project? _________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
12. Sketch how the site will look after it is constructed. After a year. In the summer. In the winter.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER PLANTING AFTER ONE YEAR

THE MONARCH MISSION
C-18
IN THE SUMMER IN THE WINTER
13. Use the above ideas and information to form a vision statement for the Monarch Recovery Garden. This
statement should include:
Wildlife for which this garden is designed
Location and reason for selecting that area
Size of the habitat project
Other details that will help the school and community understand and “see” the project better

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C-19
Our Monarch Recovery Garden Vision
School ___________________________________________________________ Date __________________
Our Monarch Recovery Garden Vision is: ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

THE MONARCH MISSION
C-20
HABITAT TEAM PLANNING SHEET
This form lists the members of our Monarch Recovery Garden team. Each participant recognizes their role as a
member of this team. Many others will be involved in the project, but those below take responsibility for the specific
project areas listed below.
NAME HABITAT TEAM EMAIL
1.
2.
3.
4.
Habitat
Team Leaders
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Budget
Coordinators
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Curriculum
Coordinators
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Historians
1.
2.
3.
4.

THE MONARCH MISSION
C-21
1.
2.
3.
4.
Maintenance
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Volunteer
Coordinator
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Communications
and Marketing
1.
2.
3.
4
1.
2.
3.
4.
Student Liaison
1.
2.
3.
4.
I acknowledge and support the creation of the Monarch Recovery Garden, which will help guide the project
along the way.
NOTES: ____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Principal/Director Signature ________________________________________________ Date ______________
Habitat Team Leader(s) ___________________________________________________ Date _______________

THE MONARCH MISSION
C-22
ECO-ACTION PLAN PLANNING WORKSHEET
What is the
issue?
What action will
we take?
Who will do it?
When will it be
done?
How will we
monitor
progress?
How will we know
if we succeeded?
What will it cost?

2016© National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
The Monarch Mission
Resources E-1
APPENDIX – RESOURCES
Who's Who in the Study of the Monarch Butterfly
Professor Dr. Lincoln Brower is an entomologist and research professor at Sweetbriar
College in Virginia. He has been “a student and admirer of the monarch butterfly for over 50
years." His current research is on the overwintering, migration and conservation biology of the
monarch butterfly. http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2015/02/16/q-a-dr-lincoln-brower-talks-ethics-
endangered- species-milkweed-and-monarchs
Chip Taylor, an insect ecologist, is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the
University of Kansas and the Founder and Director of Monarch Watch, an outreach program
focused on education, research and conservation relative to monarch butterflies. Watch this
short documentary, Saving the Migration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maM2gl30cJc
to learn more about his work and the plight of the Monarch.
Dr. Karen Oberhauser is Professor, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation
Biology at the University of Minnesota. Karen has been studying monarch butterflies since
1984. She works with teachers and pre-college students in Minnesota and throughout the
United States using monarchs to teach about biology, conservation and the process of science.
http://monarchlab.org/about/staff-and-students/karen-oberhauser
Catalina Aguado Trail was a citizen scientist from the state of Michoacán in México, and part
of the original team who discovered the monarch’s over-wintering grounds. Under the guidance
of Dr. Urquhart, Catalina and her husband Ken Brugger spent two years searching the
mountains in Central México for the monarch’s winter destination. Their discovery graced the
cover of the National Geographic magazine in August 1976.
http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2012/07/10/founder-of-the-monarch-butterfly-roosting-sites-in-
mexico-lives-a-quiet-life-in-austin-texas
Xerces Society. The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the
conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. For over 50 years, the Society has been at the
forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the
enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs. View or download their
comprehensive report on the Conservation and Ecology of the Monarch Butterfly in the United
States. http://www.xerces.org
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. USFWS has

The Monarch Mission
Resources E-2
committed to work with its partners, including National Wildlife Federation to restore and enhance
more than 200,000 acres of habit for monarch whole supporting over 750 schoolyard habitats
and pollinator gardens. https://www.fws.gov/savethemonarch
National Wildlife Federation’s Butterfly Heroes campaign is part of NWF’s Garden for
Wildlife program. Butterfly Heroes seeks to bring awareness to the declining population and
connect gardeners, kids and families alike to help the monarch and other pollinators. To take
the pledge and create new habitat for monarch butterflies submit your photo pledge and become
a butterfly hero. www.nwf.org/Butterfly-Heroes.aspx
Million Pollinators Garden Challenge: A campaign to register a million public and
private gardens and landscapes to support pollinators. www.millionpollinatorgardens.org
Monarch Joint Venture. The Monarch Joint Venture (MJV) is a partnership of federal and
state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academic programs that are working
together to support and coordinate efforts to protect the monarch migration across the lower 48
United States. The MJV is committed to a science-based approach to monarch conservation
work, guided by the North American Monarch Conservation Plan (2008).
http:/monarchjointventure.org/about-us
Resources for Developing your Monarch Garden
National Wildlife Federation How-To Guide for Schoolyard Habitats
Site selection is key to any successful gardening project. For a great class activity to help you
choose the right site while engaging your students in meaningful science and math applications
refer to the Site Inventory Activity in Part IV of the National Wildlife Federation How-To Guide
for Schoolyard Habitats. http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Create/Schoolyards.aspx
Monarch Joint Venture Schoolyard Butterfly Gardens
For tips on designing and installing your garden refer to the Monarch Joint Venture Schoolyard
Butterfly Gardens Fact sheet. You can download this fact sheet and many more wonderful
resources from Monarch Joint Venture. http://monarchjointventure.org
Monarch Lab at the University of Minnesota
For information on planting a monarch garden, creating and using a schoolyard garden, and
garden grants visit the Gardening for Monarch page.
http://monarchlab.org/education-and-gardening/gardening-for-monarchs

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Curriculum Resources
Monarchs and More (Grades K-2, 3-6 and Middle School)
Free lessons from the Monarch Lab at the University of Minnesota. The comprehensive
curriculum guide includes lessons on monarch behavior, life cycle, a focus on features,
adaptations, and migration. Full curriculum is also available for purchase at their Monarch
Store. http://monarchlab.org/education-and-gardening/curricula
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Protección de la Fauna Mexicana A.C. (Profauna A.C.),
a Mexican non-governmental organization, developed The Monarch Butterfly Manual, Royal
Mail: A Manual for the Environmental Educator. This manual was developed for grades Pre-
K through 12 and offers activities that promote conservation of the Monarch Butterfly.
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/documents/royal_mail/monarch_
pu b.pdf
Journey North
Categorized by season, and then by topics such as Citizen Science, Background,
Conservation, migration, life cycle, video clips and food, Journey North’s educational
resources allows your study of the Monarch Butterfly to be relevant to the season you are in.
(http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/indexSpring.html)
 Migration Rate Activities:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/MigrationRateMathIntro.html
Journey North's Symbolic Migration
A terrific way to engage your students and help create cross-cultural connections is through
Journey North’s Symbolic Migration. Each year over 60,000 students in the United States and
Canada create symbolic paper butterflies and send to them to Mexico for the winter. The children
who live in Mexico beside the monarch’s winter sanctuaries protect the butterflies and send them
north in the spring. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sm/index.html
Rearing Monarchs in the Classroom
Rearing monarchs in the classroom can be a captivating and fun educational experience that
can encourage conservation actions, but in order to avoid the spread of disease and harming
the monarchs, it needs to be done responsibly. Monarch Joint Venture has a great fact
sheet on rearing Monarchs responsibly.
http://monarchjointventure.org/images/uploads/documents/Monarch_Rearing_Instructions.pdf
Monarch Watch
Practical tips for rearing Monarchs in the classroom. http://monarchwatch.org/rear

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Citizen Science Programs
Citizen science involves everyday people - just like you and your students - who volunteer to
help scientists with their research. Using Citizen Science in your study of the monarch butterfly
is a meaningful way to involve students in data collection. Students realize that their
observations are contributing to real research that is being used to help scientists better
understand the behavior, biology and migration of the monarch butterfly.
Journey North: Help scientists learn more about monarchs. Track the monarch migration each
fall and spring. Record your observations on real time migration maps.
 Download the Journey North app for Android or iOS from Annenberg Learner.
 Live monarch updates throughout migration:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/News.html
Monarch Larva Monitoring Project: The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, MLMP was
developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota to collect long-term data on larval
monarch populations and milkweed habitat. This citizen science program is run by the monarch
Lab at the University of Minnesota.
 Online Training: http://monarchlab.org/mlmp/training/online-training
 Activities: http://monarchlab.org/mlmp/monitoring/activities
Monarch Watch – Migration and Tagging: Monarch Watch engages in research on monarch
migration biology and monarch population dynamics to better understand how to conserve the
monarch migration.
Funding your Garden
Funding your monarch garden can be a great way to connect to your larger school community
and spread the word about the work you are doing on your campus to help the monarch
butterfly while providing innovative learning opportunities for your students. Below are just a
few organizations that provide funding for school gardens.
Monarch Watch – grants for milkweed plugs.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1I9lFB
ZQYS9OCgjUkc8PtuncEUPWsXaHpNuVmeCtVI/closedform
Native Plant Societies - http://www.ahs.org/gardening-resources/societies-clubs-
organizations/native-plant-societies
Kids Gardening.org - Youth Gardening Grants http://grants.kidsgardening.org

The Monarch Mission
Resources E-5
Keep America Beautiful - Check with your local Keep America Beautiful to see what grants
they have to offer. https://www.kab.org/resources/beautify-communities
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - LBJWC has partnered with Native American Seed
to provide seed grants to schools in Texas. http://www.wildflower.org/wildflowers
Real School Gardens - Tips for proposal writing and comprehensive list of school funders.
http://www.realschoolgardens.org
Whole Kids Foundation - School Garden Program -
https://www.wholekidsfoundation.org/index.php/schools/school-garden-grant-program)
Annies - Grants for Gardens – http://www.annies.com/giving-back/school-gardens/grants-for-
gardens

A Field Guide to Monarch Caterpillars  
(Danaus plexippus) 
Karen Oberhauser and Kristen Kuda
Illustrations by Kristen Kuda
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© Karen Oberhauser 1997
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior
written approval of the author (Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior;
University of Minnesota; 1987 Upper Buford Circle; St. Paul MN 55108).
Produced with the support of the National Science Foundation. Opinions
expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.
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F-3
INTRODUCTION
This guide will aid in recognizing eggs and distinguishing larval (caterpillar) instars of monarch
butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in the field. We assume that readers have some familiarity with monarch
larvae already, and will recognize their bold yellow, white and black stripes on or near their host plants.
Several clues will help you find monarch eggs and larvae. Look for them on plants in the genus
Asclepias (milkweeds), or on the closely-related Cynanchum laeve (Sand Vine) found in the central U.S.
Females usually lay eggs on the underside of young milkweed plants, and this is often a productive
location to search. A characteristic sign of a new larva is a minute hole in the middle of a leaf, while
older larvae tend to eat on the margins of leaves. Learning to recognize “monarch-eaten” leaves will
increase your success at finding larvae. They can also be located by the presence of their frass, or fecal
matter. If you see adult monarchs (butterflies) in an area with milkweed, there is a good chance you’ll
find eggs or larvae as well.
Before going into the field to look at monarchs, we recommend reading the anatomy, molting, and
distinguishing instars sections of this field guide. After these sections, there are detailed descriptions and
drawings of eggs and each of the five instars.
Happy monarch hunting!

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ANATOMY
The diagram below shows a generic butterfly larva, with three parts to its bodythe head, thorax and
abdomen. The thorax and abdomen each have several segments, which are numbered in the diagram.
Many of these segments contain small holes called spiracles. The spiracles are connected to a network of
airtubes called tracheae, which carry oxygen throughout the larva’s body. Monarch larvae have two sets
of tentacles or filaments (front and back); these are not antennae, and are not found on all butterfly larvae.
They function as sense organs. The thoracic segments each have a pair of jointed true legs, and there are
five pairs of false legs, or prolegs, on the abdomen.
Figure 1. Larva anatomy

F-5
The head has a pair of short antennae, mouthparts, and six pairs of very simple eyes, called ocelli. The
spinneret produces silk that small larvae use when they drop off a leaf and hang suspended in the air.
Larvae in all instars use the silk to anchor themselves during molting, and fifth instar larvae make a “silk
button” to which the pupa is attached. The maxillary palps are sensory, and also help direct food into the
jaws. These features can be seen with the aid of a hand lens, but are difficult to see with the naked eye.
Head capsule
 
Figure 2. Butterfly Larva head

F-6
MOLTING
Monarchs have five larval instars, or stages between shedding their cuticle (outer layer of skin). The
cuticle is made of long protein chains and chitin. It is rigid and hard, and serves to support and protect
monarchs and other arthropods. It also restricts water loss. However, the cuticle limits growth and must
thus be replaced periodically. The process of replacing the old cuticle is called molting. Molting is
controlled by a hormone called ecdysone produced in glands in the thorax. It actually involves a whole
sequence of events, beginning with the separation of the old cuticle from the epidermal (skin) cells that
underlie it, a process called apolysis, and ending with the shedding of the old cuticle, a process called
ecdysis. The old cuticle is partially broken down by enzymes, and some of its constituents recycled.
When it is first secreted, the new cuticle is protected from these enzymes by a layer of wax. The new
cuticle is soft and flexible, thus permitting expansion before it undergoes sclerotization, or hardening.
Table 1. Sequence of events in molting
1. apolysis (separation of old cuticle)
2. new cuticle production
3. wax secretion (protects new cuticle)
4. activation of molting enzymes
5. ecdysis (shedding of old cuticle)
6. expansion of the new cuticle
7. sclerotization (hardening of new cuticle)

F-7
Monarch larvae remain very still during all the steps of molting, the older instars often move off the
milkweed at this time. The first thing that you will notice, besides their motionlessness, is the separation
of the part of the cuticle that covers their head from the rest of the cuticle. This head capsule is the first
part of the old cuticle to be shed, and the larva then crawls out of the rest of the skin. The shed skin is
called the exuvia. After molting, monarch larvae (and the larvae of many other insects) usually eat the
exuvia, thus recycling useful nutrients that it still contains.
 
 
Old head capsule 
Figure 3. Third instar larva about to shed its head capsule.

F-8
DISTINGUISHING INSTARS
While most of the cuticle is quite hard, larvae still grow quite a bit within each instar. This is possible
because of the flexibility of the new cuticle, and because parts of the cuticle contain a rubber-like protein
which permits it to stretch. Therefore, distinguishing instars by size is not very accurate. Look at the
drawings of a first instar larva, all drawn to the same scale, to see how much it changed in size within an
instar!
Figure 4. Three drawings of the same first instar larva over a period of 2 days (x25).

F-9
The easiest way to distinguish larval instars is by head capsule and tentacle size, since these do not grow during an
instar. For example, the front tentacles on a fourth instar larva are about half the length of those on a fifth instar. Also,
the size of the tentacles relative to the head capsule and the rest of the body increases with later instars. We have
included estimates of the sizes of head capsules and tentacles for each instar in the table on the next page. However,
individual monarchs vary in size just like humans do, so the larvae you find may not be exactly the sizes given.
The drawings below compare head capsule sizes in the five instars. Of course, real larvae have much smaller
heads! The lines above each drawing give the actual measurement of the real heads. We measured several larvae with a
calipers accurate to 0.1 mm, then took the average size, to get these measurements. Note that the head capsules increase
in size by a factor of from 1.3 to 1.6 between each instar.
0.6 mm 0.8 mm 1.5mm 2.2 mm 3.5 mm
Figure 5. Head capsules, of the five larval instars (all drawn to the same scale, x12.5).

F-10
A note on measurement. We report the sizes of monarch eggs and larvae in millimeters (mm). There are
10 mm in a centimeter, so when something is 13 mm long, it is also 1.3 cm long. Sizes of body parts are
most useful in distinguishing third and higher instars, since it is difficult to distinguish 0.6 from 0.8 mm
(the sizes of head capsules on first and second instars) with the naked eye. It is best to use other
characteristics described in the guide for the younger instars. The lines on the table below show the
actual head widths and tentacle lengths for each instar. Whenever we show a drawing of a larva, we tell
you how many times it has been magnified. For example, the heads shown on the previous page are 12.5
times larger than actual heads; we noted this by putting x12.5 in the figure caption.
Table 2. Comparison of head and tentacle sizes from the five instars. Lines show the actual length of
these body parts, and numbers show how long the lines are (in mm). Starred spaces for the tentacles
mean that these are too short to measure accurately.
Instar
1 2 3 4 5
Head (0.6) (0.8) (1.5) (2.2) (3.5)
Front tentacle * (0.3) (1.7) (5.0) (11.0)
Back tentacle * * (0.9) (2.0) (4.0)

F-11
EGG
Height: 1.2 mm
Width: 0.9 mm
Appearance: Monarch eggs are usually
attached to the underside of young milkweed
leaves. They are laid singly, and it is
uncommon (though not unheard of) to find
more than one on a single plant. The eggs
look off-white or yellow, and are marked with
a series of longitudinal ridges. The hard outer
shell, or chorion, protects the developing
larva.
Figure 6. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a monarch egg

F-12
FIRST INSTAR
Body Length: 2 to 6 mm
Body Width: 0.5 to 1.5 mm
Front Tentacles: Small bumps
Back Tentacles: Barely visible
Head Capsule: 0.6 mm in diameter Figure 7. Body and head of first instar (x20)
Appearance: A newly-hatched monarch larva is pale green or grayish-white, shiny and almost
translucent. It has no stripes or other markings. The head looks black, with lighter spots around the
antennae and below the mouthparts, and may be wider than the body. There is a pair of dark triangular
patches between the head and front tentacles which contain setae, or hairs. The body is covered with
sparse setae. Older first instar larvae have dark stripes on a greenish background.
After hatching, the larva eats its eggshell (chorion). It then eats clusters of fine hairs on the
bottom of the milkweed leaf before starting in on the leaf itself. It feeds in a circular motion, often
leaving a characteristic, arc-shaped hole in the leaf. First (and second) instar larvae often respond to
disturbance by dropping off the leaf on a silk thread, and hang suspended in the air.

F-13
SECOND INSTAR
Body Length: 6 mm to 9 mm
Body Width: 1 to 2 mm
Front Tentacles: 0.3 mm
Back Tentacles: Small knobs
Head Capsule: 0.8 mm diameter Figure 8. Body and head of second instar (x12.5)
Appearance: Second instar larvae have a clear pattern of black (or dark brown), yellow and white bands,
and the body no longer looks transparent and shiny. An excellent characteristic to use in distinguishing
first and second instar larvae is a yellow triangle on the head and two sets of yellow bands around this
central triangle. The triangular spots behind the head do not have the long setae present in the spots on
the first instar larvae. The setae on the body are more abundant, and look shorter and more stubble-like
than those on first instar larvae.

F-14
THIRD INSTAR
Body Width: 2 to 3.5 mm
Front Tentacles: 1.7 mm
Back tentacles: 0.9 mm
Head Capsule: 1.5 mm in diameter Figure 9. Body and head of third instar (x6)
Appearance: The black and yellow bands on the abdomen of a third instar larva are darker and more
distinct than those of the second instar, but the bands on the thorax are still indistinct. The triangular
patches behind the head are gone, and have become thin lines that extend below the spiracle. The yellow
triangle on the head is larger, and the yellow stripes are more visible. The first set of thoracic legs are
smaller than the other two, and are closer to the head.
Third instar larvae usually feed using a distinct cutting motion on leaf edges. Unlike first and
second instar larvae, third (and later) instars respond to disturbance by dropping off the leaf and curling
into a tight ball. Monarch biologist Fred Urquhart called this behavior “playing possum.”

F-15
FOURTH INSTAR
Body Width: 2.5 to 5 mm
Front Tentacles: 5 mm
Back Tentacles: 2 mm
Head Capsule: 2.2 mm in diameter
Figure 10. Body and head of fourth instar (x5)
Appearance: There is a distinct banding pattern on the thorax which is not present in the third instar
larvae. The first pair of legs is even closer to the head, and there are white spots on the prolegs that were
less conspicuous in the third instar.

F-16
FIFTH INSTAR
Body Width: 5 to 8 mm
Front Tentacles: 11 mm
Back Tentacles: 4 mm
Head Capsule: 3.5 mm in diameter Figure 11. Body and head of fifth instar (x2.5)
Appearance: The body pattern and colors are even more vivid that they were in the fourth instar, and the
black bands look wider and almost velvety. The front legs look much smaller than the other two pairs,
and are even closer to the head. There are distinct white dots on the prolegs, and the body looks quite
plump, especially just prior to pupating.
Fifth instar monarch larvae often chew a shallow notch in the petiole of the leaf they are eating,
which causes the leaf to fall into a vertical position. They move much farther and faster than other
instars, and are often found far from milkweed plants as they seek a site for pupating.

Download the Journey North app for Android or iOS from Annenberg Learner
Journey North Data Entry
1. Enter the number of monarch butterfly observed. ____________
2. Comments. Here’s what information is needed.
a. Where are you? (Park, Schoolyard Habitat, Backyard, Walking Home)
b. What time is it?
c. What’s the weather like? (Cloudy, Full Sun, In the high 90’s)
3. Optional: If you have access, take a photo and use the photo editor to add the date and time.
4. What is the date for your observation? ______________________________________
5. What is the location of your sighting?
a. Country: ___________________________
b. State: ___________________________
c. City: ___________________________
d. Latitude: ___________________________ (round to the nearest hundredth)
e. Longitude: ___________________________ (round to the nearest hundredth)
To find your current latitude and longitude use your phone’s compass or go to
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/latitudelongitude-finder/ and insert your school’s full address,
including zip code.
6. What is your first name? ___________________________________________
7. What is your last name? ___________________________________________
8. If instructed, go to the Journey North app, login and enter and submit your data.
G-1

The Monarch Mission by the National Wildlife Federation & LEGO Community Fund US

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