Iowa State University Extension

Did you know that the monarch butterfly numbers are declining? The 4-H Monarchs on the Move Challenge engages youth with a model that simulates caterpillars’ needs and biological and environmental challenges that influence survival rates. Youth will work collaboratively to obtain “food” while avoiding predation or harmful environmental conditions. Youth will learn how landscapes are managed to increase biodiversity to benefit monarch butterflies, pollinators, and other wildlife. They will strategize about how to ad monarch habitats to land as they explore various scenarios to increase biodiversity in agricultural and urban landscapes. Youth will learn that everyone can contribute to increasing monarch butterfly habitat, and as a result, increase biodiversity in nearly any location by planting milkweed and flowers.… (mehr)