PHOENIX — Natalie Melkonoff, with the Desert Botanical Garden, has been keeping an eye on the majestic monarch butterflies that migrate through the Valley.
"Monarchs are really interesting for us to study because they do migrate," she said.
In the fall, the butterflies will fly to central Mexico if they're east of the Rocky Mountains. But if they're west of there, they'll fly to the California coastline, meaning some will pass through Arizona.
Some are choosing to stay and breed in the winter, however. There are theories as to why, according to Melkonoff.
"As our winter can sometimes be warm or temperate, we've noticed that sometimes monarchs can continue their breeding activity," she states. "We're not exactly sure if that is happening every winter or not."
With these questions in mind, the Desert Botanical Garden, along with the USA National Phenology Network, is working to answer them through a community science project called "Desert Refuge."
For the past year, they've asked the public to help document monarch butterflies in their community by planting milkweeds in their yard or looking for milkweeds in a nearby park. Milkweeds are the host plants for monarch butterflies along with their larvae and caterpillars.
There are 50 people participating in the project since its inception in 2022. Learn how you can participate here.
