100 Monarchs Tracked

Every fall, monarch butterflies migrate from North America to Mexico, but the pathways they take and how their travel is affected by weather and other factors have largely remained a mystery. To fill these gaps, a team of conservation scientists and ecology experts at Iowa State is using BlūMorpho tags to monitor 100 monarchs.

The team released the butterflies from campus in September to join millions of other eastern North American monarchs on their journey south. The BlūMorpho tags are the lightest tracking devices available and use Bluetooth technology to provide near-real-time location data.

The study involves comparing flight data from 75 reared monarchs with 25 wild-caught monarchs. This comparison will help researchers understand how different conditions affect the monarchs' migration. The monarchs' migration journey takes roughly eight weeks, and the team will be able to track their progress throughout.

The study is part of a larger project with researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. By using advances in wildlife tracking technology, the team hopes to gain a better understanding of the monarchs' migration patterns and how they are affected by weather and other factors.

## Why it matters The monarch butterfly migration is an extraordinary phenomenon that has largely remained a mystery. By filling the gaps in current research, the team at Iowa State hopes to contribute to the conservation of monarch butterflies. The study's findings will provide valuable insights into the monarchs' migration patterns and how they can be protected.

The use of BlūMorpho tags is a significant advancement in wildlife tracking technology. The tags' ability to provide near-real-time location data will allow researchers to track the monarchs' entire journey and understand how weather affects them along the way. This information will be crucial in developing effective conservation strategies for monarch butterflies.