Monarch Joint Venture

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Monarch Joint Venture

Partnering to conserve the monarch butterfly migration. The monarch migration is one of nature’s most spectacular events. Visit our FAQ website!

North American monarchs travel up to an astonishing 3,000 miles in an annual migration from their summer breeding habitat to overwintering grounds. (Looking for an answer to a monarch question? http://monarchjointventure.org/resources/faq)

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). The monarch migration was listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered phenomenon in 1983. In 2010, the World Wildlife Fund included monarchs on its list of the “Top 10 to Watch” in 2010: species that are thought to be in need of close monitoring and protection.

06/08/2026

Accurate, robust datasets are key to understanding conservation outcomes and maximizing benefits to target and non-target species.

Our next free webinar, which will be held at 1 p.m. on June 30, will present findings from a multi-state evaluation of USDA Conservation Reserve Program and USFWS conservation investments, highlighting how land use, conservation enrollment type, geography, and management practices influence monarch habitat and floral resources.

Click the link in the comments to sign up and join us on June 30!

06/06/2026

Milkweed is the sole larval food plant of the monarch, making it an essential resource for the continuation of the monarch life cycle! This means we wouldn’t have monarchs without milkweed, so the field technicians at MJV spend a lot of time thinking about, searching for, and looking at milkweed plants. ⁠
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However, milkweed is not the only plant that monarchs need to survive along their migratory paths. Adult monarchs feed on the nectar of MANY different flowering plants to fuel their long flights. Without these floral resources, monarchs wouldn’t be able to travel for hundreds to thousands of miles like they do every year. ⁠
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By surveying habitat for all flowering plants (not just milkweed!), we can learn what kinds of floral resources these beloved butterflies have access to along their migratory paths. This means that most of our days are filled with so much more than just milkweed!

06/04/2026

The week of May 17 was full of hands-on habitat planting events in Nebraska for the Monarch Joint Venture!

To start off the week, we collaborated with the city of Yutan to plant a pollinator garden within a community park (an effort made possible by funding from Nebraska Monarchs and the Sherwood Foundation) and planted 679 plants in a 20-acre habitat area with DC West Community Schools in Valley.

Next, we planted at the Bill & Betty Hamernik Memorial Pollinator Garden, a three-acre site in Columbus devastated by the 2019 floods. After a recent dormant seeding and other restoration work, 40 volunteers joined us to help install 529 plugs, including 146 milkweed plugs.

To wrap up an incredible week, we traveled to Wahoo to put nearly 400 plants in the ground on a 3.25-acre site in the city of Wahoo's community park. These plugs will supplement dormant seeding that took place in November to encourage faster establishment and greater species diversity.

Over the course of four days, 89 participants joined us, including Scouts, community college, elementary school, and high school staff and students, members of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever in Nebraska, and more. In total, we installed nearly 1,700 plants. Thank you to everyone who has helped us with these efforts.

Now, we hope for rain and continue plans for our next projects!

06/03/2026

Monarchs rely on milkweed to feed their larvae, and they're not the only ones for which milkweed is a host plant (soldiers and queens also use it, for example). But what other species of plants play this vital role for North American butterflies?⁠
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This Pearl Crescent's host species are primarily asters (Symphiotrichum spp.), like the ones seen here. Great-spangled and Regal Fritillaries use violets as host plants, Painted Ladies use thistles (Cirsium spp.) and mallows (Malva spp.), and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails utilize plants in the magnolia (Magnoliaceae) and rose (Rosaceae) families.⁠
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Eastern Commas and Question Marks rely on elms (Ulmus spp.) among other potential host plants, while Viceroys use willows (Salix spp.) or aspens (Populus spp.) as host plants.⁠
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If you're looking to help butterflies near you, consider adding some of these species to your garden or yard. There are countless other butterflies out there that we haven't listed, so do some research on the butterflies you'd like to see more of near you, and get to planting!⁠
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Photo: Erin Huggins/Flickr CC BY 2.0
License and link to the photo in the comments

06/01/2026

The monarch's northern migration is a multi-generational journey that covers thousands of kilometers across eastern North America.

The monarchs that spent the winter in Mexico begin the migration, heading into the United States to lay eggs. After developing from eggs to adults, the next generation keeps the migration going, heading further north to lay their own eggs.

As we move into June, we're into breeding season across North America! Recently, there have been reports of monarch eggs to Journey North, an MJV community science program, from as far north as Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia.

At the end of the summer, the final generation will head south for the forests of central Mexico, traveling the entire way in a single generation. Then, when the time comes, they'll begin the migration again in the spring!

05/28/2026

The California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) has played a vital role in supporting monarch butterfly conservation throughout California by connecting local communities, landowners, and conservation partners through collaborative habitat restoration and monitoring initiatives.

Through its partnership with the Monarch Joint Venture, CARCD has helped expand participation in the Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program (IMMP), which provides important data used to support monarch habitat restoration and long-term pollinator recovery projects across the state. These efforts not only benefit monarch butterflies but also support a wide range of pollinators and the ecosystems that depend on them. A diverse variety of pollinators and vital nectar plants can also be found in areas managed by participating CARCDs.

None of these conservation initiatives would be possible without the partnership and participation of CARCD staff, private landowners, and local volunteers who have dedicated their time and effort to pollinator conservation and implementing the IMMP. Their collective work continues to strengthen pollinator habitat conservation and promote healthier ecosystems throughout California.

Photos were taken in Colusa, Marin, and Napa Resource Conservation Districts by MJV field technicians Stacey Goeckeritz and Xitlali Espinoza.

05/26/2026

Monarchs are laying eggs across much of their eastern North American range, with sightings stretching from Nova Scotia to northern Minnesota and North Dakota.

Monarch eggs, measuring just 1.2 mm by 0.9 mm, are deposited on milkweed plants and attached directly to the plant with a small amount of adhesive secreted by the female monarch. These eggs are the size of a pinhead or pencil tip and are off-white or yellow, characterized by longitudinal ridges that run from the tip to the base.

Monarchs will typically remain in the egg stage for between three and five days, depending on temperature. Prior to emergence, the dark head of the developing caterpillar can be seen near the top of the egg.

Dwayne in Harrison, New York, submitted this photo of a monarch egg to MJV community science program Journey North on Friday, which really shows the ridges on the egg. Make sure to bring a magnifying glass if you want to see one in this detail when you're outside looking under milkweed leaves!

And whenever you see eggs this spring and summer, don't forget to report them to Journey North!

05/24/2026

How well do you know your milkweed species?⁠
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When milkweed begins to flower later in the season, it gets easier to identify, but do you know your milkweeds from just a sprout? These five photos show five different North American milkweed species. Can you identify all five?⁠
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Let us know which ones you know, and we'll post all the answers tomorrow morning.⁠
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Photos: Wendy Caldwell and Laura Lukens, Monarch Joint Venture

05/21/2026

The recording of our latest webinar is now ready to view!⁠
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Click the link in the comments to view the recording of Author Sara Dykman's webinar, titled "Stories that Move Monarchs: Journeys of Action, Hope, and Conservation."

Our next free webinar is on June 30!

05/20/2026

The Monarch Joint Venture is hiring an Education Coordinator!

This position delivers online and in-person education programs, including virtual learning opportunities, outreach events, workshops, and public engagement activities. The role is well-suited to an enthusiastic environmental educator who is comfortable balancing independent remote work with public-facing outreach and teaching responsibilities.

This position is primarily remote, with some in-person outreach responsibilities throughout Minnesota. Preference will be given to candidates located in or near the Twin Cities metro area or Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

Priority application deadline is May 31 (open until filled).

Learn more and apply at the link in the comments.

Address

2233 University Avenue W, Suite 426
Saint Paul, MN
55114

Website

https://monarchjointventure.org/

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