Citizen Scientists Can Help Monarchs Survive at the Lake Merritt Trials Garden

by Jane Margold

Have you ever marveled at the sight of an iridescent-green hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower? Or watched in awe as a female monarch butterfly allowed a male to mate with her after a brief courtship ritual? Whatever your reaction to the small surprises that nature has in store for us, your attentiveness to the birds and butterflies is an excellent first step to becoming a “citizen scientist.” The next step could be a visit to the Lake Merritt Trial Gardens (LMTG), a project of the Master Gardeners of Alameda County. The LMTG offers three pollinator gardens: a monarch butterfly habitat, a native bee habitat, and a new pollinator habitat. Master Gardeners who volunteer at the LMTG can help you develop your skill at observing and documenting the wildlife that visits the habitats we’ve created.

We would love to see your photos of the LMTG where you are practicing your citizen scientist skills - you can tag us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @AlamedaMG. If you’d like to be part of a larger crowd-sourced group of research, contribute just one or two photos to an international database using the app iNaturalist. Or, if you have a longer-term interest in conservation, you may want to participate in local and national research projects which benefit from the research conducted by universities like the University of California that welcome “citizen scientists.” Several of these focus on the endangered monarch butterfly, including Oakland, CA-based Pollinator Posse, and St. Paul, MN-based Monarch Joint Venture.

Visit the Lake Merritt Trials Garden

The Gardens at Lake Merritt are open daily. Master Gardeners are at their Trials Garden site Wednesday and Friday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to welcome you and answer questions. Look for our “Ask a Master Gardener sign” in the center of the gardens.