Monarchs and Milkweed: An Essential Relationship Workshop

Many people are familiar with monarch butterflies but few know the intricate details of their complex life cycle, which is solely sustained by milkweed. Shared by all three North American countries, this migrating marvel can travel distances of 2000 miles, from Canada to Mexico, in just one season. Unfortunately, the migrating monarch population is now at an all-time low. Join Jessica Miller, naturalist from Mosquito Hill Nature Center in New London, Wisconsin, to learn about monarch biology, research being done and what you can do to help perpetuate this amazing butterfly. In this hands-on program, participants will participate in proper handling, feeding and sanitizing techniques to raise healthy monarchs, assist with testing adult monarchs for a deadly protozoan, and then head outdoors to document monarchs and milkweed for a Citizen Science project.

Jessica Miller has been a naturalist at Mosquito Hill Nature Center for over 20 years, engaging in monarch research for multiple organizations throughout her career. She is a member of the Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative, a state-wide organization focused on increasing native milkweed and nectar plants to offset the drastic decline of monarchs and other native pollinators. 

Registration required by 7/20.  Saturday, 9:30 AM – 1 PM.  $30/Non-Member and $25/Member.  Participants will meet in the Forest Room in Discovery Hall at the Discovery Center.