...Maybe You Should Care Less About Monarch Butterflies
I follow the epic journey of these conservation icons from Canada to Mexico to get to the bottom of their environmental disconnect. Why all the affection for a species that isn't even endangered?
This is a sample of my attempts to independently produce works of video journalism. I was responsible for all research, reporting, filming, editing and animating.
Huge thanks to Darlene Burgess and Estela Romero for their help and insights for the production of this project!
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References:
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Agrawal, Anurag A. (2017). Monarchs and milkweed: A migrating butterfly, a poisonous plant, and their remarkable story of Coevolution. PRINCETON UNIV Press.
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Carmichael, E., Sayer Chloë, & Mack, J. (2006). The skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico. University of Texas Press.
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Chowdhury, S., Fuller, R. A., Dingle, H., Chapman, J. W., & Zalucki, M. P. (2021). Migration in butterflies: A global overview. Biological Reviews, 96(4), 1462–1483. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12714
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Crossley, M. S., Meehan, T. D., Moran, M. D., Glassberg, J., Snyder, W. E., & Davis, A. K. (2022). Opposing global change drivers counterbalance trends in breeding North American monarch butterflies. Global Change Biology, 28(15), 4726–4735. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16282
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Davis, D. (n.d.). How Far North Do Monarchs Migrate? Monarch Breeding Range in North America. Journey North: Monarch butterfly. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://journeynorth.org/tm/monarch/RangeCanada.html
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Government of Ontario, Updating the Schedule of Noxious Weeds in R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 1096 - General, made under the Weed Control Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. W.5 (removal of milkweed and addition of dog-strangling vine) (2014). Toronto, ON; Weed Control Act.
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Guerra, P. A., Gegear, R. J., & Reppert, S. M. (2014). A magnetic compass aids monarch butterfly migration. Nature Communications, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5164
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Gustafsson, K. M., Agrawal, A. A., Lewenstein, B. V., & Wolf, S. A. (2015). The monarch butterfly through time and space: The Social Construction of an icon. BioScience, 65(6), 612–622. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biv045
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Merlin, C., Gegear, R. J., & Reppert, S. M. (2009). Antennal circadian clocks coordinate sun compass orientation in migratory monarch butterflies. Science, 325(5948), 1700–1704. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1176221
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Nail, K. R., Drizd, L., & Voorhies, K. J. (2019). Butterflies across the globe: A synthesis of the current status and characteristics of monarch (Danaus Plexippus) populations worldwide. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00362
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North American Butterfly Association. (n.d.). Butterfly Questions and Answers. NABA. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.naba.org/qanda.html
Oberhauser, K. S., & Solensky, M. J. (2004). In The monarch butterfly: Biology & conservation (pp. 79–84). essay, Cornell University Press.
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Parks Canada Agency, G. of C. (2023, March 22). Monarch butterflies at Point Pelee National Park. Point Pelee National Park. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/on/pelee/nature/faune-wildlife/monarque-monarch
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Rendón-Salinas, E., Fernández-Islas, A., Mendoza-Pérez, M. A., Cruz-Piña, M., Mondragón-Contreras, G., & Martínez-Pacheco4, A. (2022). Area Of Forest Occupied By The Colonies Of Monarch Butterflies In Mexico During The 2021-2022 Overwintering Period. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved from https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/7907txsoa8_Monarch_Butterfly_Survey_2021_2022_May24_2022_.pdf?_ga=2.223700818.878955264.1681900157-135480169.1681287815.
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Schappert, P. (1996). (rep.). Distribution, Status and Conservation of the Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (L.), in Canada. Montreal, QC: Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
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Walker, A., Thogmartin, W.E., Oberhauser, K.S., Pelton, E.M. & Pleasants, J.M. 2022. Danaus plexippus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T159971A806727. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T159971A806727.en.
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Xerces Society Western Monarch Count. 2022. Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count and New Year’s Count Data, 1997-2021. Available at www.westernmonarchcount.org.