"He created a gum tag that stuck
to itself through a tiny hole punched
in the monarch's wing. This didn't
hurt the butterflies and worked a
bit better.
Fred tagged for ten years, but never
got many back, and had no idea
where the monarchs spent the
winter."
In July, while my family was here visiting from British Columbia, we were able to raise and release two monarch butterflies. Special thanks to our dear friend Judi who supplied the caterpillars, the jars, the netting, and the milkweed to ensure we had all we needed to give it a try. What a truly amazing experience it was! But, while we were watching with awe and hope, the news that monarchs are now on the 'endangered' species list made us very sad. They are so lovely, and incredibly resilient when you know their story of migration and their life cycles.
Fred Urquhart grew up in Toronto with an intense love for insects. When he read a feature on butterflies and their migration, he wanted to know more about his favorite, the monarch. He asked a question of the writer concerning their destination when they disappeared in the fall. No one knew the answer to his question. Fred needed an answer!
He learned all he could about them, then began tracking them. He marked them and asked others for their help in taking note of their path. His marriage to Norah Patterson led to a partnership that was marked by a mutual interest in finding out about their beloved monarchs. They developed a tag that didn't bother the butterflies and finally, people began responding with information that proved helpful in their quest.
"Farmers, librarians, truckers, and doctors joined the Urquharts' "Insect Migration Association." Fred and Norah called their members "Research Associates" and sent updates on monarch science. Regular people acted as scientists - gathering tagging data, performing
experiments, and sending their findings to the Urquharts."
It was kids and teachers from Canada, the United States and Mexico who helped the most. Year after year, Fred and Norah plotted lines on their map. They searched, and followed the butterflies endlessly. Catalina Aguado and Ken Brugger, who lived in Mexico and were keen on adventure, joined their butterfly family and after two years of searching made the most amazing discovery.
"On January 2, 1975, 10,000 feet up
in the cool forest on Cerro Pelon, they found ...
Monarchs, millions of them. Blanketing the
bark of oyamel firs. Packed wing to wing
on branches like orange leaves."
Nearly fifty years after asking his question, Fred finally had his answer.
The detailed text and dazzling artwork ('created using acrylic gouache, watercolor, ink, coffee splashes, and pastel pencils, before using Photoshop to tie it all up') make for a compelling story of proof that citizen scientists have a meaningful role to play in advancing scientific discovery.
End matter is plentiful and includes notes from author and illustrator, archival photos, quotes attributed to Fred, the life cycle with photos and carefully written descriptions, and other pertinent data including a list of selected sources.
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