Project Monarch Health

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Project Monarch Health Monarch Health: A community science project where volunteers across North America monitor the health of wild monarchs.

We collaborate with participants to track the spread of the parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha over geographic space and through time. Monarch Health is a community science project to track the prevalence of the protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) in monarch butterflies. This parasite does not infect humans but can make butterflies sick: Monarchs infected with OE often do not fly as well or live as long as uninfected monarchs. Infected monarchs may look deformed after they emerge from their chrysalis, or they may appear completely normal. To test monarchs for OE infection, volunteer participants (1) Obtain wild adult monarchs by either catching or rearing them, and (2) Press a clear sticker against the monarchs' abdomen to collect any parasites (which are external at this stage). Monarchs are then released, entirely unharmed. At the Altizer lab at the University of Georgia, we examine each sample using a microscope to detect OE parasites. We share all results with participants, answer questions about monarch diseases, and send free sampling kits to volunteers.

🦋 It's almost time for UGA Insectival 2026! 🐝This Sunday, September 27, from 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., the State Botanical G...
09/25/2026

🦋 It's almost time for UGA Insectival 2026! 🐝
This Sunday, September 27, from 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., the State Botanical Garden of Georgia will be buzzing with insects, scientists, educators, and curious visitors for Insectival 2026! The UGA Entomology Department and Georgia Museum of Natural History with join many other partners to celebrate the incredible world of insects. Come meet entomologists and their buggy friends, explore hands-on exhibits and activities, enjoy performances and a puppet show, and don't miss our Project Monarch Health station.
📍 State Botanical Garden of Georgia
📅 Sunday, September 27
⏰ 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
🎟️ $5/person | $20/family
Bring your curiosity—and your love of bugs! 🐛🦋🐝

Is it really a monarch? Here are some tips to help you figure it out!
09/12/2026

Is it really a monarch? Here are some tips to help you figure it out!

It’s time to send in the first Project Monarch Health samples of the season! 🦋📬Help us track monarch health and the spre...
09/09/2026

It’s time to send in the first Project Monarch Health samples of the season! 🦋📬
Help us track monarch health and the spread of OE by sending your samples our way. 🧡

Mail samples to:
Project Monarch Health
Department of Entomology / University of Georgia
136 Cedar Street / Cedar Street Building C
Athens, GA 30602

08/26/2026

We've received our first fall roost reports from Iowa and Upper Michigan in recent days, as well as additional reports from Minnesota, where most of our roost observations have come from so far.

Monarch butterflies migrate alone during the day. They come down at night and gather in clusters, called roosts. Some roosts have only a handful of butterflies, while others will have hundreds or even thousands.

Roosts are a sure sign that some monarchs are migrating, but that doesn't mean all monarchs are on the move. Monarchs that emerge before about mid-August do not enter reproductive diapause as migrating monarchs do, and will continue to breed and lay eggs.

Whether you're seeing roosting monarchs or eggs and larvae, report your sightings to Journey North!

Photo: Racquel in Lake Lillian, Minnesota

04/25/2026

This space is absolutely bussin' no cap. 👌

We had a blast at Colham Ferry Elementary’s STEM night! If you are in the Athens area, please consider us for your next ...
04/24/2026

We had a blast at Colham Ferry Elementary’s STEM night! If you are in the Athens area, please consider us for your next STEM night or school event!

🌡️Higher temperatures may make monarch butterflies more vulnerable to parasites, according to new research from the Univ...
04/23/2026

🌡️Higher temperatures may make monarch butterflies more vulnerable to parasites, according to new research from the University of Georgia. The study found that monarchs exposed to elevated temperatures were 22% less tolerant of infection.

🤒“What does tolerance of an infection mean? If you have the flu, it’s the difference between you being in the hospital or just having a stuffy nose,” said Sonia Altizer, lead author of the study and entomology department head in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Warmer temperatures cause toxic milkweed to lose its protective effect on monarchs, thereby increasing infection rates.

Published in Ecological Entomology, the study was led by Isabella Ragonese as part of her doctoral dissertation in the UGA Odum School of Ecology and Christopher Brandon as part of his undergraduate honors thesis.

Additional co-authors include Joselyne Chavez, Jacobus de Roode and UGA ecology associate professor Richard Hall.

Happy Earth Day! 🌎Today is a reminder to care for it, everyday.
04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day! 🌎
Today is a reminder to care for it, everyday.

📣Calling all monarch butterfly enthusiasts— the GA DNR needs your help!📣Monarch sightings during the winter can determin...
12/05/2025

📣Calling all monarch butterfly enthusiasts— the GA DNR needs your help!📣

Monarch sightings during the winter can determine if the species can overwinter as non-breeding adults in the southern U.S. and how this might affect future population numbers.

Understanding migration and overwintering behavior is crucial to conserving monarchs, who are up for a spot on the Endangered Species list.

Thousands of monarch butterflies fly South each fall to overwinter in central Mexico— but not all monarchs.

If you spot a monarch in any stage (adult, egg, larval, and pupal) from November to March in the Southeast United States, please report it through Journey North or iNaturalist.🚨🦋

🔗Link to DNR press release:https://gadnr.org/winter-watch-project-seeks-monarch-sightings-southeast-1

Want to track a monarch? 🦋Well now you can thanks to ultra-light transmitters developed by Cellular Tracking Technologie...
11/21/2025

Want to track a monarch? 🦋

Well now you can thanks to ultra-light transmitters developed by Cellular Tracking Technologies!
This incredible new technology will help researchers better understand monarch migration and conservation. Monarch tracking isn’t just for researchers, either. You can download the Project Monarch Science app on your smartphone too! 📲📍

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/science/monarch-butterfly-migration-tracking-sensor.html
https://bit.ly/ProjectMonarchCollabPhotos
https://celltracktech.com/pages/project-monarch-collaboration-2025
https://monarchjointventure.org/blog/revolutionary-tracking-study-follows-monarchs

Address

410 Cedar Street Bldg C
Athens, GA
30602

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(706) 542-3485

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