Monarch lovers, this one feels like a win.
Scientists have begun tracking the long, legendary journey of monarch butterflies using solar-powered tags so small they weigh about the same as a grain of cooked rice. For the first time, researchers can follow individual butterflies as they leave places like Dallas, San Antonio, and Topeka and make their way to their wintering grounds in central Mexico.
These new trackers ping off nearby Bluetooth devices, creating a dotted trail of each butterfly’s route. Gaps in the path simply show where there are fewer devices, not where the butterflies stop. The result is a detailed map of one of nature’s most stunning migrations.
This breakthrough could help protect not only monarchs, which continue to decline, but hundreds of other insects that scientists struggle to study in the wild.
Even better, anyone in Benbrook or beyond can watch the journeys themselves. The Monarch Watch mobile app lets you follow individual tagged butterflies in real time and take part in community science efforts.
Download the app at https://monarchwatch.org/app/ and join the effort to protect one of North America’s most iconic travelers.
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