Last day as the monarch intern for 2013

So today wraps up the season for monarchs in Cape May. As the 2013 field technician, I do have to say I'm very sad to leave behind this incredible opportunity. I enjoyed every moment of my job, even though it has been quite a low and disappointing year for many.

I always enjoyed censusing by car, whether we had a good number of monarchs or none. I loved going out and tagging monarchs, even on the days when there weren't many around to be tagged. I loved giving informal demos to locals around the point, or visitors in the CMBO.

I appreciated every conversation I had with someone, whether it was a local or a visitor who traveled for hours or days to be a part of what we do and learn more about our project. It was truly inspiring to see the look on someone's face when they got to release a monarch butterfly and send it on its way to Mexico. 

It was touching for me when visitors "adopted" their own monarch in memory of a passed loved one. It made my heart melt when I had groups of children who never even saw a butterfly before, stop and hold all of their attention on a tagging demonstration and smile with such intensity as they released a monarch off their fingertips, that it will leave an impression in my heart forever. 

Photo taken by Dave Magpiong

I had fun raising 40+ butterflies from eggs at the CMBO (and still going... now I have a huge tent set up in my dining room with 13 caterpillars of assorted sizes and 4 chrysalids that may emerge any day now!). 

I also loved coordinating monarch themed outfits to wear on a daily basis.. although most of the time it just happened to work out that way :)

Photo taken by Louise Zemaitis

I also want to thank some very important people who have been a significant part of the project. 

Louise Zemaitis and Mark Garland have supervised the project and helped me tremendously the past 2 months. They have been kind, helpful, and I consider them both close friends of mine after how much closer I have become to both of them. They have provided endless abundances of information about monarchs to help me learn and educate others during the duration of our project. I also have to thank Michael O'Brien and Paige Cunningham for their endless support and encouragement as well.

Dick Walton and Patsy Eickelberg spent 3 weeks in Cape May during the monarch season and I am thankful for every moment I got to spend with them. Dick, the directer of the MMP is an extrodinary naturalist and really offered me a lot of insight and guidance throughout the season. He spent time sharing some of his other passions with me and teaching me about dragonflies and jumping spiders. I learned a tremendous amount from him while he was here and hope to always keep in touch as he has been an excellent mentor to me and I'm sure he will continue to be throughout my naturalist's career that lies ahead. His wife Patsy is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She is so warm and pleasant and taught me a few tricks up her sleeve of catching handfuls of monarchs in one net sweep at a time. She is by far the best butterfly catcher I have seen.

Lynn Lee is a very special woman who I am fortunate to call my friend. I feel as though her and I bonded during the time she stayed in Cape May Point, traveling hours from her hometown in Derwood, Maryland to help with our monarch research. Lynn rears hundreds of monarchs and brings her entire "monarch nursery" set-up, and wholesome garden of home-grown milkweed with her when she comes. She taught me every trick in the book when it comes to rearing monarchs, varying from hanging chrysalids from dental floss, to arranging them how you want carefully with straight pins. Lynn has such a spiritual connection to monarch butterflies, and she is passionate about and invests her entire heart into everything that she does to make our world a better place.

Lynn Lee with her rearing cages

I also have become close with many of the local gardeners around Cape May point; Bill and Edie Schuhl, Pecky Witonski, and Patti Domm. Without their incredible gardens and all of the work they put into them, I wouldn't have had many monarchs to tag! Their yards provide safe havens and a lasting supply of resources to monarch butterflies and many other species as well.

I want to thank many of our other volunteers, including but not limited to LuAnn Daniels, Megan Walker and Kashi Davis for your constant help and support of the MMP! Kashi you have always been there for me in all that I do and I appreciate every bit you have done for me!

Thank you to every person who has traveled to Cape May from all over the world to be a part of our nature-appreciating community and take interest in the research that we do. Every smile we have gotten, every donation we have recieved and every bit of feedback is all appreciated tremendously. 

Just another day at work, having the best job in the world.
I will miss this!

I can't thank everyone enough for this outstanding season and I will carry the experiences I have gained, the knowledge I have learned, and the memories of every monarch I have tagged with me everywhere that I go.

Samm

Monarch Season Winding Down

The sun is setting on another monarch migration season
at Cape May Point.

2013 Intern Samm Wehman
at one of our tagging demos.

 Field Coordinator Louise Zemaitis
tags a monarch.

We are down to the last few days of the 2013 field season of the Monarch Monitoring Project, feeling a bit disappointed that we never experienced a huge influx of monarchs.  There was never an absolute gap in the migration, however, and since the beginning of the field season (Sept. 1) there have been some monarchs around to observe and enjoy every single day.  We still have two more days to census, but it looks like this will be the third lowest year since our studies began in 1991.

Project Director Dick Walton teaches about monarchs.

We will reflect on the numbers in a later post, but today I just want to think back on some of the season's highlights.  Again this year we met with hundreds of people who were eager to learn about monarch biology, watch the tagging, and get an up-close experience with these charismatic insects.

Mid-season tagging demo.  Lynn Lee shows
a tagged monarch to an excited family.

Almost every day of the fall brought at least a few monarchs to enjoy, and several times we saw groups of monarchs gathering in sheltered forest patches or among the seaside goldenrods on the dunes of Cape May Point.  Plenty of other butterflies also visited the Point this fall, entertaining our team and visiting butterfly aficionados.  We all love the peak years, when clouds of monarchs appear in the Cape May skies, but even the lower years are rather spectacular.

Monarchs at Cape May Point.

Question Mark.

Cloudless Sulphur.

Fiery Skipper.

Eastern Tailed Blue.

A Late Surge?

There was a noticeable increase in monarch numbers around Cape May Point yesterday, and a cold front will bring winds from the northwest beginning Wednesday afternoon.  Northwest winds are usually the best for bringing monarchs into Cape May.  So if the season has one more push of monarchs for us, it should occur over the next few days.  Any monarchs arriving in Cape May will find plenty of nectar from the seaside goldenrod, which is blooming prolifically along the dunes.  Stay tuned and we will update when we know more.

The goldenrod is ready and waiting.

Only 2 more tagging demos of the 2013 season!

Visitors at today's monarch tagging demo formed a special bond with some of the tagged monarchs. Don't miss out on YOUR very own chance to release a monarch butterfly! 

This Friday and Saturday (10/18 & 10/19) will be the last tagging demos of the season, both at 2 PM at the Cape May Point State Park. Hear a very informative talk about monarch butterflies, get all your questions answered and see the tagging in action. We hope to see you there!

Special thanks to our beautiful monarch models today!

Where do the monarchs go when it rains?

It's been raining quite a bit the past few days, and our census numbers seem to be sparse when it's raining. So where do all the monarchs disappear to when it rains? Today I witnessed the answer for myself. While doing the noon census count, halfway through the route, the rain stopped and the sun started to come out. The dune line of Cape May Point came to life as monarchs emerged from the pines and shrubs, and splashes of orange fluttered across the road. When the rain stops, even for short spurts, the monarchs (and other butterflies) emerge from sheltered areas they have been hiding in, and dash out to feed on nectar which is a crucial source of energy for them to store as they prepare for Mexico. Many of the monarchs in Cape May were not born here; they are only making a pit stop after coming from more northern locations. Past tagging recoveries have taught us that monarchs tend to travel along the coastline down towards Florida, where they will then follow the panhandle and western coast along the Gulf of Mexico, heading right towards their destination. When weather conditions are poor for traveling, the monarchs seek protection and find the closest shelter they can. Sturdy plants and trees; especially pines, provide good shelter and a sturdy grip for their double-hooked feet to grasp onto until weather conditions are favorable again. If you're in Cape May for the weekend, don't lose hope on seeing monarchs, just remember to keep your eyes out for them for short spurts once the showers stop and a little bit of sun breaks through. Have a good weekend :)

Samm

MMP on YouTube

At least two videos posted on YouTube feature the Cape May Monarch Monitoring Project.

Roxbro Films recently produced this snappy little video, just over a minute long, about our work here in Cape May: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyHTGLM7xX0&feature=c4-overview&list=UUK0-inXJmLtDeLZAp0eTA9w

Our project is included in this 12-minute Google Earth overview of monarch migration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqDwvuleRYc

Let us know what you think!

Thanks to Bill & Edie

A highlight of the Monarch Migration Project (MMP) season at Cape May Point is the annual MMP dinner. On the evening of October 7th staff, volunteers, and friends gathered to socialize and enjoy a potluck dinner. Our annual dinner was hosted this year by Bill and Edie Schuhl with the able assistance of Patsy Eickelberg. It is impossible to say too much about how critical volunteers have been to our program throughout the years. Bill and Edie are a perfect example and have perennially played a very special role for the MMP. Their gardens, yard and "magic trees" are a magnet for both butterflies and birds and regularly draw naturalists seeking Cape May specialties both common and rare. MMP personnel have tagged hundreds of monarchs in their front yard and often do interviews as well as special group demos at the Schuhl's. Bill and Edie's porch has served as the MMP "lab" on more than one occasion and their spacious and comfortable home is the perfect spot for our annual gathering. Of course Bill and Edie themselves are the real magic of this very special place on the Point. Their gracious hospitality, energy, and patience has been an integral part of MMP activities and we trust it will be so for many years to come. And so we tip our hats to Bill and Edie and offer them our sincere thanks. 

Posted by Dick Walton

Bill & Edie Schuhl

Heavy rain and wind

Cape May is currently experiencing lots of rain and wind due to a coastal storm, the type of storm we call a "Nor'easter".  We don't expect any monarchs to be migrating through the storm, and butterfly-viewing conditions don't get much worse than this.  Still, our team will be at Cape May Point State Park on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 pm for our tagging demos.  We might not have a monarch to tag each day, but we can still share the story of this remarkable insect and describe our research efforts.  And we're still hoping for a good migration of monarchs next week after the storm passes.

The wrong wind direction ... again.

Our promising morning turned into an okay, but not spectacular day for the migration of monarchs through Cape May.  The wind switched to blowing from the southwest.  Tomorrow's forecast wind direction: southwest.  We have had a lot of southwest winds this fall.  Those winds don't typically bring many monarchs to Cape May, as they would be fighting headwinds to get here, but sometimes the butterflies fool us, and sometimes the weather forecasters are wrong.  So we'll be out there again tomorrow, counting and tagging, and generally keeping track of migration.

While monarch numbers are lower than average, they are far from the lowest we have seen.  We encourage monarch enthusiasts to check the data page on our website regularly: http://www.monarchmonitoringproject.com/mmptwo.html.  We have been hearing a lot of negative comments about this year's migration, with many extreme comments such as, "There are no monarchs this year," or "This is the worst it's ever been."  We find ourselves on the defensive from these comments, and always point to the data, not to impressions.  This is why we have been counting monarchs systematically for 22 autumns, so we are able to judge the migration through Cape May based on numbers, not recollections.  And there are monarchs in Cape May this fall, there have been monarchs counted here every day of the census period, and several years have seen lower number than this year.  I like to remind folks that it's human nature to remember the big years, not the low ones -- the big flights are the ones that are memorable.

That's not to say that there aren't reasons to be concerned about the migratory population of monarchs that inhabit eastern North America, and we talk about conservation at every one of our tagging demos.  Come visit us if you can.  Our demos will continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through October 19 at Cape May Point State Park, 2 pm in the East Picnic Pavilion.

MMP Director Dick Walton talks about monarch biology
to the group at Wednesday's tagging demo.

MMP Field Coordinator Louise Zemaitis tags
a monarch at Wednesday's demo.

A Promising Morning

Members of the Monarch Monitoring Project have noticed a significant increase in the numbers of monarchs flying over the dunes at Cape May Point this morning.  Thirty-nine monarchs were counted on the 9:00 am census, which calculates to well over 100 per hour.  Seaside goldenrod is starting to bloom along the dunes, too, and this native plant is an excellent nectar source for adult monarchs.  If you're around Cape May Point today, I suggest a visit to any of the dune crossover trails.  Watch for monarchs on the goldenrod and up in the sky.  Flower gardens around the Point might also see a significant increase in monarchs today.  We don't know yet if this will be a small, short-lived surge in monarch numbers or if it's the beginning of a big push, but we'll be sure to report back before the end of the day with more information.

Monarch feeding on seaside goldenrod, Solidago sempervirens.

Slow and steady.

While your Monarch Monitoring Project team has stayed busy with presentations to many Cape May visitors, the monarch migration hasn't changed much, with a few monarchs passing through every day and small clusters found in the mornings and evenings at various unpredictable locations around Cape May Point, but usually in wooded lots with lots of blooming English ivy.  Rest assured that we will post quickly whenever we see a significant change in the numbers of monarchs anywhere in the Cape May area.

Over a hundred monarchs at Stites Ave. roost on Wednesday evening.

We counted over 100 monarchs at the roosting area along Stites Ave. this evening.  The numbers have been going up gradually this week, but every day has seen more monarchs in Cape May Point.  There are probably a few other roosts around the Point, but we haven't found them yet.  We'll be out there looking again tomorrow.  

Numbers continue to increase

The monarchs are coming!! With a whopping 63.05 monarchs an hour during our daily census today, this has been our highest number yet. The migration is not at its peak- it is only beginning. Remember to check out our website's data page for daily and weekly census updates. Here you can also compare our current data to the numbers we have had during past years around this time. Keep in mind that because this year's migration is delayed, our current numbers appear to be much lower than other years. Since the migrants seem to only be starting to make their way through Cape May now, we are hopeful that the numbers will catch up soon!

Monday update, Sept. 23, 2013

Monarchs are clearly moving into Cape May today, though still in just modest numbers, but our census numbers are higher than they have been all season.  We suspect some small roosts will develop around Cape May Point this evening, with the Stites Ave. site (see previous posts for details) a good first place to check.  Let's hope this is just the beginning of a big movement of monarchs onto the Cape!

Sunday update, Sept. 22, 2013

So far the number of monarchs that we're seeing around Cape May is only up a little bit today.  We'll be checking to see if any roosts are developing, and we'll report back when we know more.

A few more monarchs today make us eager for tomorrow.

It seemed like a few more monarchs were around Cape May Point on Saturday, and we discovered the first small roosts of the season.  A modest number of monarchs gathered both this morning and this evening in a vacant lot along Stites Ave. in Cape May Point.  This evening I estimated 25 to 30 monarchs here.  Rain tonight is signaling the arrival of a cold front, with moderate northwest winds predicted for Sunday.  Conditions look perfect for bringing more monarchs into Cape May over the next few days, so we are hopeful, but we never know for sure.  We'll be sure to post one or more updates tomorrow as we see just what unfolds.  If you come to Cape May on Sunday, be sure to come to Cape May State Park at 2 pm for the season's third monarch talk and tagging demonstration, held at the East Picnic Pavilion (next to the big hawk watch platform).  We usually run somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes, and there's no charge for this program.  Get there early if you want a seat, we had 90 people there on Saturday!  And if you're interested in monarchs AND other migrants, there's a good chance that Sunday's northwest winds will also bring other southbound creatures into our airspace.

The monarchs gathered today in a vacant lot across
from 310 Stites Ave., a lot filled with ivy-covered trees.

We're hoping for much larger roosts in the days to come,
but this is a start.

If you visit this site, remember you're in a residential neighborhood
 and keep your voices low.  Also please don't park right next to the roost.

We're guessing that Sunday's weather will bring a good raptor migration,
with Merlins (above) and other falcons likely to be plentiful.

Stilt Sandpipers were seen at the State Park today.

Sunday could also bring many migrating dragonflies
to Cape May, such as this Black Saddlebags.

First Demo of the Season was a Hit!

So our first tagging demo of the season was a big hit! With only 10 monarchs on our census count for the entire day, we had over 6 times that amount in (human) attendees to the program. Details of time & location given in previous blog post, but make sure to come check us out and see what we do if you haven't before! More than just a chance to meet our butterflies and watch them get tagged, but learn all about monarch biology, ecology, their migration, and about what our project entails from the experts themselves. This is also the place to get those awesome monarch car magnets if you don't have one already. Hope to see you soon!

Tagging Demos begin today - Friday, Sept. 20

The first Monarch Tagging Demonstration and Talk will take place Friday, Sept. 20, at 2:00 pm.  Meet members of the Cape May Monarch Monitoring Team at Cape May Point State Park, at the East Picnic Shelter, which is adjacent to the Hawk Watch Platform.  This program will repeated every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday through October 19, always at 2 pm.  Duration is usually between 30 and 45 minutes and there is no fee charged, though donations are accepted.  No reservations, just show up and meet the monarchs up close.  You could be one of the lucky ones chosen to release a newly tagged monarch back into the wild.

Monarchs in the local paper

I've got a feeling that we will be hearing from many members of the Press this year.  Here's a new article that will appear in this week's Gazette: http://www.shorenewstoday.com/snt/news/index.php/regional/cape-may-county/44074-whats-in-store-for-this-years-monarch-migration-.html.

Counting Monarchs One by One

No, it isn't quite the peak of the monarch season just yet, but yes their numbers are beginning to increase! People are worried that this year may be one of the lowest ever- however that may not necessarily be the case. This post expands a little further into our census counts described previously in the our post titled "Numbers."

Long Term Data

Over the past 21 years, numbers have ranged from an average of only 9 monarchs per hour along our census route, to almost 360! So far, the first 2 weeks have averaged about 6 monarchs an hour along our census route, but today (9/15/13) alone has already increased to 12 monarchs per hour. The cold front has definitely started bringing more in our way, and this is only the beginning of the season. We still don't know exactly when the "peak" of the season is here, but we will keep you posted! It seems to be a bit delayed, but keep your fingers crossed it'll be higher numbers than expected!



So how do we count our monarchs anyway?

Well, our count is basically an estimate of all the monarchs around the point, but counting them ALL would be physically impossible. Even guaranteeing we are able to see every single one that makes its way along our census route isn't always possible, so we make sure we have experienced researchers who are very focused and have excellent "monarch radar" to see as many as they can.

Our census route runs from Higbees Beach Wildlife Management Area, all the way down to Alexander Ave. in the Boro of Cape May Point. The route has been the same for the past 22 years, and tries to follow the coast of the Cape May Point as much as it can (since migrating monarchs flying over water get pushed in by the wind and appear along the dunes). The census route is approximately 5 miles long, and takes around 20 minutes to complete the survey by car, going at an average of 20MPH. The census is done 3 times daily from September 1-October 31 at 9AM, 12PM, and 3PM. Here is the link to a Cape May Bird & Butterfly Map, which includes the roads used for the census.

While driving along this route, a member of the project has a counter that they punch for each monarch they see within their direct or peripheral vision along the drive. You're probably wondering if other drivers along this route get frustrated with a vehicle going only 20 MPH, and often times they do.. so we always make sure to encourage other drivers to pass the vehicle, since pulling over and stopping or  increasing speed to keep up with traffic can alter our data.

We also record the exact time the census run began, the number of minutes total, weather conditions, wind direction and wind speed. All of these factors can affect the number of monarchs seen along the route.

Daily numbers

For daily census numbers of the 2013 season, and a table of the census averages over the past 20 years check out our data page. Daily census counts are usually updated in the evenings, once the day's counts are completed and the data numbers have been calculated.

Why Count Monarchs?

In order to study monarchs and their phenomenal migration, it's crucial to collect data to see how the population is doing. As seen in previous years' census counts, numbers can vary tremendously. It's crucial to study the numbers of monarchs traveling to Mexico so we can link monarch numbers with the factors that affect the migration such as climate change, land development and habitat loss, loss of host plants (milkweed), pesticide use, reproduction success, etc. Education is also extremely important to encourage the planting of milkweed and creation of butterfly gardens and habitats to help increase local populations.

Peak of the Season

The peak of the season seems to be delayed this year and we can't be quite certain of exactly when the largest abundance of migrating individuals will pass through Cape May. Keep checking our website, this blog, and the Facebook page for updates on when the monarchs are arriving and when the best time to visit is! It can be anytime between now, and the end of October. Once the time comes, we are hoping it will look something like this.

Monarch Nursery in the CMBO & Info on How to Make Your Own!

As most people know, there are a few life stages of a monarch butterfly: egg, larvae, chrysalis, and adult. But how often do people get to witness the metamorphosis and incredible transformation of a "baby" monarch into an adult?

Monarch adult

Today, while setting up some caterpillar tanks, which I am renaming the "monarch nursery" at the Cape May Bird Observatory, I had visitors appalled at small size of caterpillar eggs and in disbelief that I was actually able to locate them in a garden patch of milkweed. They are visible to the human eye, however the small yellow speck can be easily missed by the average person if they don't know what they are looking for. Even more incredible is the small size of a day old caterpillar- so small you almost need a magnifying glass to tell what it is.

A newly hatched monarch caterpillar

Well it's that time of year again... it's probably the last reproductive cycle of monarchs up here in the north east. As soon as temperatures begin to drop (surprising that will happen with the crazy summer weather we've been having!) monarchs will halt their reproduction and newly emerged "Mexicans" will start to prepare for their long journey. It's almost backwards how this generation gets to enjoy existing for reproduction purposes.. yet it isn't them, but their kids that will be taking the honeymoon for them.

Monarch larvae (more commonly known as a caterpillar)

You too can raise caterpillars of your own. With the expected drops in monarch numbers this season, it's more important than ever that newly hatched caterpillars toughen up and survive their life changes to becoming a butterfly. The great quantities of caterpillars growing and eggs being laid is giving us some hope that monarch numbers in Cape May can partially be restored. If you have milkweed of your own, it's possible you will have eggs or caterpillars in your garden. Eggs are small and yellow, they are commonly laid on the underside of milkweed leaves. Caterpillars are black and tiny when they first emerge, and become yellow, white, and black striped as they shed their skin and mature into a new "instar". Milkweed should be fresh for caterpillars to eat it and remember that milkweed is a monarch's only "host" plant, meaning it is the only thing the caterpillars will eat. To be kept fresh, milkweed should be snipped and put in water.. but the bowl or cup of water must be covered because caterpillars are clumsy.. and they can't swim! (Louise's creative idea is to use a mason jar, cover it with plastic cling wrap and put the screw on ring back on. Poke holes just big enough for the stalk to fit, prop it up, and there you go, done! Same thing can be done with tupperware containers, plastic wrap and rubber bands to hold it). An empty fish tank, critter keeper, or any storage container will make a great caterpillar house, but remember that eventually those caterpillars will be able to climb so your container but have a lid (but holes so they can breathe!). Caterpillars do not need water; they get all the water and nutrients they need from the milkweed plant. Remember to feed your caterpillars fresh milkweed every day. For about 2 weeks they will eat, and grow, shedding their skin a total of 5 times as they do this. When they are ready to form a chrysalis they will start searching for a place to make one, (most likely the lid of the container they are in) and form a "J" while hanging upside down. Once they form a chrysalis it will take about one and a half to two weeks for them to become a butterfly. The warmer it is, the quicker it will develop. You know they are ready to emerge when the chrysalis turns black, and then transparent so you can see the butterfly inside. Once the butterfly emerges it will take about an hour for the wings to dry and be ready for flying. When it's ready, you can release your monarch outside to be a part of the magnificent migration this season! Raising butterflies is very simple, enjoyable and also addicting for people of all ages.. you don't need to be a kid to appreciate their magnificence and mystery in a truly amazing metamorphosis (although raising butterflies with kids is a very educational and fun-filled process). Just make sure to have a constant supply of milkweed to feed your caterpillars every day for 2 weeks! If they run out of food, they will not survive.

Monarch eggs on milkweed leaves

Raising your caterpillars straight from the eggs is the best way to ensure they are healthy and don't pose a risk of parasites (some insects actually use the monarch caterpillars to feed on and grow as part of their own life cycle.. I'll leave this topic for another future post). Parasitism in monarchs is a very upsetting and heart-breaking part of the natural process.. not all individuals can survive, but the only way to guarantee YOURS will is protect each monarch from birth... or in other words from an egg. However, if big caterpillars are all you can find, it's still fun to raise them, most of them should be healthy and this way the full process to getting a butterfly will be much quicker!

So there you have it- that's how you raise them, and it's exactly what we are doing right now in the Cape May Bird Observatory. We are just getting started though... with 3 young caterpillars, 6 newly emerged day old caterpillars, and about 20 eggs. Come see for yourself, our very own "monarch nursery" where we are raising baby monarchs in their own safe haven with plenty of food, protection, and love. Right now they are still very tiny but over the next few weeks they will be forming their way into adulthood, and will be tagged and released into the world to make the incredible journey all the way to Mexico. How cool would be it be to have a hand-raised monarch be one of the ones to make the whole journey? We sure can't wait to find out!

Come check out the tanks, and our new bulletin board in the Cape May Bird Observatory, Northwood Center at 701 East Lake Drive, Cape May Point NJ. The board is full of monarch information, literary research, data, and pictures and will be updated often as new information is gathered. If you have any questions at all about our set-up or how to raise monarchs on your own, feel free to message the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CMMonarchs.

Monarch nursery and display at the CMBO