The Enlarged and Updated Second Edition of Milkweed Monarchs and More: A Field Guide to the Invertebrate Community in the Milkweed Patch

Milkweed, Monarchs and More, The Enlarged and Updated Second Edition, A Field Gide to the Invertebrate Community in the Milkweed Patch, was created to be a field guide and provide basic background information for volunteers in the citizen science Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, as well as monarch enthusiasts and classrooms involved in monarch studies. It covers the diverse natural community thrives in the milkweed growing along our highways and woodland edges; in our open fields, fragmented prairies and vacant lots; and in our lovingly tended gardens. Several kinds of insects depend on milkweed as a food source. The best known of these are the monarch butterflies whose late summer generation graduates from milkweed nurseries all over North America to join in an impressive migration. Some fly as far as 4800 kilometers (3000 miles) from the northern United States and Canada to the mountains of Michoacan, Mexico. That incredible accomplishment by such a small, seemingly delicate creature has captured our imaginations and awakened many of us to the milkweed community. We invite you to explore the milkweed growing in your neighborhood for a fascinating glimpse into the complex interdependence of life on our planet. In the six years since the publication of the first edition, Milkweed, Monarchs and More has found its way into classrooms, homes, and nature centers. The larger type and pictures in Milkweed, Monarchs and More, The Enlarged and Updated Second Edition are in response to requests for a larger format-­­­­more classroom friendly for student reports and easier on older eyes. We've also updated many of the sections, and added more information on milkweed. We hope you enjoy it!

Ba Rea has researched, drawn, photographed and written about many different plants, animals and natural phenomena. She has been raising and releasing monarchs since 1970 and introducing school children and teachers to them for over 20 years. She teaches an annual course through the Pittsburgh Children's Museum on using monarchs in the classroom. In 2003, Ba worked with Dr. Karen Oberhauser, internationally known monarch research scientist and founder of Monarchs in the Classroom and the volunteer citizen science Monarch Larva Monitoring Program (MLMP) at the University of Minnesota, to produce the first edition of Milkweed, Monarchs and More for use by MLMP volunteers, monarch enthusiasts and classrooms studying monarch butterflies. Mike Quinn, then of Texas Parks and Wildlife, provided genus and species identification, connections to literature, photos and expert advice on various species, as well as editing advice. Many people from the monarch enthusiast community contributed photographs of milkweed and milkweed invertebrates. Ba Rea and Karen Oberhauser have worked together to produce the Enlarged and Updated Second Edition of Milkweed, Monarchs and More.

Ba Rea has researched, drawn, photographed and written about many different plants, animals and natural phenomena. She has been raising and releasing monarchs since 1970 and introducing school children and teachers to them for over 20 years. She teaches an annual course through the Pittsburgh Children's Museum on using monarchs in the classroom. In 2003, Ba worked with Dr. Karen Oberhauser, internationally known monarch research scientist and founder of Monarchs in the Classroom and the volunteer citizen science Monarch Larva Monitoring Program (MLMP) at the University of Minnesota, to produce the first edition of Milkweed, Monarchs and More for use by MLMP volunteers, monarch enthusiasts and classrooms studying monarch butterflies. Mike Quinn, then of Texas Parks and Wildlife, provided genus and species identification, connections to literature, photos and expert advice on various species, as well as editing advice. Many people from the monarch enthusiast community contributed photographs of milkweed and milkweed invertebrates. Ba Rea and Karen Oberhauser have worked together to produce the Enlarged and Updated Second Edition of Milkweed, Monarchs and More.