You've read about monarch butterflies, and you've seen them in your neighborhood or at the local nature center. But can you tell which monarch butterflies are males and which are females?
Some naturalists and volunteer scientists take part in a citizen science project that helps researchers track the movement of monarchs. In this project, volunteers put tags on some butterflies that has an ID number. The volunteers then put that number and information about where the butterfly was tagged into a database shared with scientists across North America. One piece of information volunteers need to record is whether the butterfly is male or female. But how can you tell? In this module, you'll compare photos of both male and female butterflies to help you see a simple way to tell them apart! Once you observe the samples, it's time to have you look at some "Unknown" photos to test your skills! Once you learn to tell the difference, you will ready to help identify male and female monarch butterflies that you see in your own community! Sample Photos
What differences did you notice? To find out what the experts look for to tell if a monarch is male or female, click the "DIscuss the Differences" button. To take a quiz to see if you can tell the differences, click on "Quiz!"
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For the Teacher Grade Level: 3-5 Class Periods: 1-2 NGSS Standards Performance Expectations Practices Disciplinary Core Ideas Croscutting Concepts |
