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By Lethbridge Herald on August 4, 2026.<\/p>\n
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A monarch butterfly feeds on nectar from a flower. Residents of Lethbridge and across Southern Alberta are encouraged to help track monarch butterflies and milkweed plants during the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz, running until Aug. 9. (CP PHOTO)<\/p>\n
Alejandra Pulido-Guzman<\/p>\n
LETHBRIDGE HERALD<\/p>\n
From now until Aug. 9, people in Lethbridge and surrounding area are invited to step outside and help track monarch butterflies and milkweed plants, as part of the 10th anniversary of the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz, a community science initiative spanning Canada, the US and Mexico.<\/p>\n
Species at Risk and Biodiversity Specialist with Canadian Wildlife Federation, James Pag\u00e9 explains that monarch butterflies migrate thousands of kilometres across the continent, and they can only lay their eggs on milkweed because that is the only plant their caterpillars can eat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means protecting the species takes all three countries working together \u2014 every milkweed patch and every butterfly sighting, wherever it\u2019s spotted, feeds into one shared, continent-wide picture,\u201d said Pag\u00e9.<\/p>\n
He explains that the monarch butterfly is an endangered species in Canada, despite being one of the butterflies that most people recognize when they see it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re looking to do is encourage everyday people to look out for and record the Monarch itself, as well as the milkweed plant that it relies on,\u201d says Pag\u00e9. \u201cTo help us understand the distribution, where the monarchs are found, where the milkweed is found, and understand their habitat, and population of monarchs and milkweeds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pag\u00e9 says that because scientists can\u2019t be everywhere in the country, but there are people pretty much everywhere where there are monarchs, they are engaging the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople can contribute to the conservation of monarchs and make a meaningful difference, because otherwise this is information, we would never be able to gather just through science,\u201d says Pag\u00e9.<\/p>\n
For the past decade, volunteers across North America have joined forces each summer for the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz, a grassroots effort to track where monarchs and milkweed are thriving, and where they need help.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year marks the Monarch Blitz\u2019s 10th anniversary, running from July 31 to Aug. 9, and regardless of the country, province or backyard someone starts in, the data collected feeds into one shared, continent-wide picture of where monarchs and milkweed are being found,\u201d says Pag\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Last year, more than 9,000 volunteers took part. This year, organizers are hoping to more than double participation, with a goal of 19,000 people getting involved across the continent.<\/p>\n
Organizers have already lined up easy-to-use community science programs for volunteers to log what they find, so there\u2019s no guesswork involved in getting started.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Set up an account with iNaturalist Canada (Canadian Wildlife Federation) or Mission Monarch (Insectarium de Montr\u00e9al. Signing up takes a few minutes.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Head outside and look for milkweed, even just spotting the plant counts as a valid observation.<\/p>\n
\u2022 See an egg, caterpillar, chrysalis or butterfly too? Report that as well.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Log what you saw, and what you didn\u2019t, right from your phone.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Takes just a few minutes, no experience needed.<\/p>\n
To mark this milestone year, observations from recent Monarch Blitz editions have been mapped into an interactive tool identifying \u201ccold observation spots\u201d \u2014 areas where milkweed has recently been observed but monarchs have not, or only in very low numbers.<\/p>\n
By exploring a cold spot, confirming the presence of milkweed, and reporting what they see, participants can help fill critical data gaps. Those without a cold spot nearby can still contribute by documenting observations anywhere they explore.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really valuable way to find areas where maybe you\u2019ll see a monarch, but also locations where milkweed has been observed, but we don\u2019t have mark observations of yet,\u201d says Pag\u00e9. \u201cThat\u2019d be a key location for people to go to and fill some of these knowledge gaps and data gaps, where monarchs could be, but nobody has recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n
The International Monarch Monitoring Blitz is a call to action for individuals, organizations and community scientists across North America to join efforts to conserve monarch butterflies and the habitat they depend upon.<\/p>\n
To learn more, visit monarchblitz.org.<\/p>\n
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