DuPage Monarch Project Hosts First County-wide Pollinator BioBlitz

 By Lonnie Morris

Photo by Cathy Street

“Milkweed for monarchs” has become the rallying cry for monarchs’ recovery, but having enough energy for completing the autumn migration to Mexico is also critical to their survival. Identifying where monarchs are refueling during migration is an important part of a strategy for their preservation, and a bioblitz is a good way to begin answering that question. 

DuPage Monarch Project participated in the bioblitz Parks for Pollinators to look for answers to that question along with many others. The September timing of this year’s blitz was perfect for capturing monarch flower visitations during peak migration in our area. 

National Geographic defines a bioblitz as “… an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.”  DuPage Monarch Project’s bioblitz included all of DuPage County and ran from September 12—20, focusing on pollinating insects, hummingbirds, and flowering plants. The free smartphone app iNaturalist, used for photographing and identifying species, provided a technology for conducting the bioblitz remotely.

Photo by Chris Doty

Turnout for the blitz was strong, with 159 participants. Over 880 photographs were taken, with 107 insect and 195 plant species identified. The most frequently observed insect was the common eastern bumblebee, with monarch butterflies a close second. Monarchs were observed on asters and goldenrod, confirming the importance of these species as nectar sources, but also in equal numbers on zinnias, thistles, and native sunflowers.

The diversity of insects identified ranged from skippers, moths, and butterflies to wasps, bees, flies, and beetles. Six ruby-throated hummingbirds, also migrating through DuPage at this time of year, were spotted.

Want to see what’s flowering and their insect visitors? All observations can be viewed on iNaturalist by clicking on projects in the dashboard then searching for Parks for Pollinators: DuPage Monarch Project.

DuPage Monarch Projects hopes you’ll join us for Pollinator BioBlitz 2021 as the search continues for the most beneficial monarch habitat.

Photo by Chris Doty

Parks for Pollinators Bioblitz is sponsored by the National Recreation and Parks Association and Scotts Miracle-Gro. Parks4Pollinators website

DuPage Monarch Project: Communities Protecting Pollinators is a partnership of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Sierra Club’s River Prairie Group, The Conservation Foundation, and Wild Ones Greater DuPage Chapter.  https://dupagemonarchs.com/