Not long ago, the bright-orange monarch butterfly was a common sight in Wyoming. Now, not so much. So conservation groups are enlisting Wyomingites to help track down how many are still migrating through.
Nature Conservancy Scientist Amy Pocewicz said the species is in serious decline because the forests where they overwinter in Mexico have been disappearing. The monarch was petitioned for possible listing as an endangered species in 2014 and the federal government is now a year overdue in making that decision.
As for their food source in the U.S., Pocewicz said, “The milkweeds that they feed on have been in decline in large part just because of changes in agriculture practices and different types of development that might be happening.”
Pocewicz said her organization, in collaboration with the UW Biodiversity Institute and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, is hoping people who see monarch butterflies, caterpillars or any of the 12 different species of milkweeds that grow in Wyoming will post photos and locations on their citizen science website.
“Our basic goal is just to learn more about where the monarch travels in Wyoming," she said. "You know, how many are migrating through this area and how many are reproducing here.”
Pocewicz also wants people to watch out for the monarch caterpillar.
“The caterpillars would be on the milkweed plants,” she said. “They are fairly large, probably about three inches or more long. And they are black and white and yellow striped. So very distinctive looking caterpillar."
Photos available at wyobio.org show what the caterpillar looks like, as well as the adult butterfly, and how to tell the difference between it and the very similar-looking viceroy butterfly.
