Millions of monarch butterflies will travel through the state as they make their journey toward central Mexico. The butterflies are headed to warmer weather as the days get longer, temperatures change and winter approaches. They usually arrive in Mexico at the beginning of November, a natural event that coincides with the country’s Day of the Dead celebrations. Kansas plays a vital role in helping the butterflies on their journey, as states like Oklahoma and Texas experience nectar droughts.
“When we start getting these really extensive areas of drought it’s when it’s much more challenging for the migration,” said Kristen Baum, director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. “Nectar is very important this time of year.” The species will stop to rest and fuel up on nectar before continuing their trip south. People may begin to spot more activity and sometimes monarch roosts — a group of them resting in trees or flower fields in the evening.
Sightings can be submitted to the Journey North project, which helps track the migration and other seasonal changes across North America. Other local organizations like the Great Plains Nature Center and Botanica are also helping researchers track the butterflies by hosting tagging events. “We’re getting lots of good information about where monarchs are in space and time, which will help us kind of think about what on-the-ground conservation looks like, and where does that need to be,” Baum said.
Tagging requires catching a butterfly, applying a hole-punch size sticker on their wing, and releasing them. Each sticker has a unique tracking number that will identify the butterfly throughout its life and will never be used again. Baum says an old tag was recently recovered from leaf-litter that included a dead butterfly dating back to 1997. The tag originated from Wamego High School. The Project Monarch Collaboration has taken the process one step further. The collaboration created radio tags for the butterflies, allowing people to see where they are in real time through an app.
Baum says tagging isn’t the only way to support the species. People can place nectar plants outside their homes during this season or plant milkweed for the spring when they make their way back north. “Monarchs are good ambassadors for pollinators, insects in general and other wildlife,” Baum said. “Good monarch habitat is also good habitat for lots of … other wildlife as well.” Botanica will host its inaugural Monarch Festival on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Great Plains Nature Center will also host a tagging event September 28th at 6:30 p.m.
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:17-18
Endurance proves that your faith is real. Trials may test you, but they also refine you. When you remain faithful through hardship, you demonstrate love for God and trust…
Special force police in Algeria raided a worship service at a humanitarian shelter on Sept. 4, arresting all 12 Christians present on suspicion of holding an unauthorized, non-Muslim religious…
A lot of times God does His greatest work where we see the least progress, quietly growing faith beneath the surface while we simply remain faithful. He said, “God’s…
Tomorrow is the birthplace of many fears, yet it is also the place where God’s faithfulness is already waiting. Anxiety pulls tomorrow’s trouble into today. Jesus reminds us that…
Three boaters were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office after their catamaran capsized on Lake Michigan. The Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan command…
Even the strongest believers grow tired. Faith does not remove exhaustion, it gives us strength to keep going when our strength is gone. God does some of His deepest…
A recent video from Castle Rock shows a Colorado black bear escaping from a waste management truck. Last Wednesday, Castle Rock resident Evan Elmore says the bear had climbed…
When the path looks crooked and the way ahead unclear, remember the Lord goes before you. He will make the rough places smooth and keep your feet from slipping.…
A sea turtle has nested on a West Coast beach for what wildlife experts say is the first time in recorded history. Video captured last Wednesday in Seal Beach…
When your strength runs out and fear begins to rise, remember this truth: God does His greatest work in our weakest moments. Don’t you be afraid, for I am…
A pelican in Florida came knocking for help, quite literally, using its beak. NOAA Fisheries Service The unusual encounter happened at the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Panama…
Scientists have identified a new wild cat species in Bolivia’s cloud forests—and the strangest part is that it was hiding in plain sight. Called the tilcayo, this tiny spotted…
A police officer was shot and wounded near a synagogue in Ontario, Canada, on Sunday evening during an exchange of gunfire with an armed man as congregants gathered to…
A UTV rider in Colorado was hospitalized after losing control near a steep embankment and falling about 250 feet. Around 11:29 p.m., Grand County Search and Rescue says twelve…
The Pentagon on Friday released its sixth batch of files on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP or UFOs, including dozens of documents detailing a military program that commissioned studies…
An inmate and 10 Cook County Jail correctional officers were hospitalized Sunday afternoon after a mattress fire. The Cook County Sheriff’s office said around 3 p.m. Sunday, deputies were…
God understands our weakness better than we understand it ourselves. “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:14 God does not expect endless output…
The world is searching for answers as fear, confusion, wars, disasters, and moral darkness continue to increase. But long before today’s headlines, Jesus warned humanity that these things would…
She spent her first 12 years in the wild, wandering through Arizona, but after being adopted by Kelsey Parisi last year, Wanda the donkey acclimated to life on the…
President Trump said Friday he has struck a deal to give the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” following a push by the…
You may have driven over the Yolo Causeway between West Sacramento and Davis countless times, but there is more than just traffic on the bridge. The NorCal Bat Association…
A Maryland State Police intern found himself on an incredible, unexpected assignment this week. The department posted two photos on social media Friday, showing Centreville Barrack intern Jackson Roach…
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. This verse emphasizes that people who carefully watch what they say will protect themselves from serious trouble.…
Talk less, listen more, because wisdom speaks after it understands, not before. If you want stronger relationships and real influence, master this: control your tongue, calm your anger, and…
A U.S. F-16 fighter jet pilot safely ejected before the aircraft crashed in northern Michigan on Thursday afternoon, officials said. The incident occurred in Grand Traverse County when the…
Real leadership isn’t about power, it’s about serving like Jesus, even when it costs your pride. If you want to live out authentic Christian faith, start by lowering yourself…
Jesus teaches us to trust God’s plan, even when it’s painful. Surrendering our will allows God to work in ways we cannot understand. Bible Verse:“Father, if you are willing,…
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. In the verse David is praying in the morning while people who…
Flooding could impact more than 88 million people across the middle of the country this week, forecasts show, as severe weather threatens multiple U.S. states in the Midwest and northern Plains. About two dozen flash floods have been reported Monday across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. Flood watches remained in effect until Tuesday morning for large swaths of the Midwest, including much of Missouri and Illinois, with some extending farther south through Tennessee and into northern Alabama and Georgia.
The watches, which are issued when weather conditions mean flooding is possible but not necessarily guaranteed, affect about 20 million people. The severe weather threat to major cities in Kansas, like Topeka and Salina, is expected to last through Thursday, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Storms across the central Plains could also potentially produce “very large hail, severe wind gusts, and a few tornadoes,” while heavy rain posed risks of flash flooding across sections of the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters have predicted rainfall of up to 8 inches in some areas. Forecasters also warned that excessive rain over parts of Tennessee and Alabama would continue to carry the potential for “considerable and life-threatening flooding” through Monday evening, after as much as 9 inches of rain drenched the region on Sunday.
Rushing water triggered a flash flood emergency near Huntsville, Alabama, where video footage captured vehicles partially submerged on a street. The flooding left some drivers stranded. This week’s storms come on the heels of others that already brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the country over the weekend, leading to at least one death in New York City. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Parts of the South were affected, too. In Texas’ Milam County, about an hour outside of Austin, torrential downpours caused vehicles to slide off of local roads on Saturday and prompted multiple water rescues.
In Slidell, Louisiana, up to 6 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours, which also caused flash flooding. As the weekend storms pounded northeastern states like Pennsylvania and New York, Pittsburgh resident Tim Broadwater told “CBS Mornings” that ferocious wind gusts shook his home so violently that it was knocked off of the cement blocks that previously held it upright. “I was scared to death,” Broadwater said. “I thought I was going to end up in the creek.” In New York City, officials said an 85-year-old man was struck and killed by a falling tree in Queens. In Brooklyn, where wind gusts reached 64 mph, video showed furniture tumbling across the deck of a rooftop pool. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department said the storms downed more than 250 trees across the city.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were called to investigate a mountain lion that had decided to climb a tree in Westminster on Tuesday and hang out for…
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating two bear attacks over the weekend that left a woman and a teen injured. The first incident happened at the Rio…
Bear-related calls are on the rise around the Lake Tahoe region, with South Lake Tahoe police reporting 174 calls so far this year, compared with 97 during…
A Mount Shasta climber was airlifted to a hospital after sliding about 500 feet down the mountain, injuring himself and then crawling through the night to reach…
A growing number of residents in two Northern California counties have been allowed to return home as firefighters increased containment on the Lucas Fire burning near the…
Special force police in Algeria raided a worship service at a humanitarian shelter on Sept. 4, arresting all 12 Christians present on suspicion of holding an unauthorized,…
An Arizona mother is recovering after she was attacked by a coyote that initially went after her 4-year-old daughter, reports AZFamily. Brittany Cardinal of Surprise, Arizona, was…
A married, 21-year-old Christian woman was shot dead inside her home in Rawalpindi last week by a Muslim neighbor whose advances she had rejected, reflecting an attitude…
A 13-year-old Maryland boy is reported to be recovering from multiple surgeries and nerve damage after being attacked by a rabid beaver. The teen, Dominick Cebula, was…
A 17-year-old Christian man named Ikhlaq Masih was severely beaten by a mob in Nasrat Colony, a town in Ajnianwala, Sheikhupura, Pakistan, where many Christians reside. Masih works…
A nine-year-old boy was killed and a three-year-old girl was injured in two separate leopard attacks in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, forest officials said on Tuesday. The…
You may feel like your past disqualifies you, but God specializes in rewriting broken stories. No failure is stronger than His mercy, and no sin is beyond…
Wisconsin congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany said he suffered minor injuries after a plane he was in made an emergency landing Saturday night on Lake…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are under fire from Republicans after the two socialists were captured on video apparently sharing a…
A cargo ship docked for repairs in a Chinese port caught fire, killing 25 people, Chinese state media reported Thursday. The ship was being repaired in the…
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Friday the man who investigators say stalked a woman for months before executing her in a Panera Bread parking lot in…
The WBZ-TV Weather Team is issuing a NEXT Weather Alert for a potentially tricky weather situation for Sunday, especially across Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts, where a…
The cyclospora food poisoning outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce is over, U.S. health officials said Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is no…
Tokyo police arrested two American women for allegedly smuggling $1 million worth of cannabis into the country, with one suspect claiming she was motivated by a free…
A 15-year-old boy survived on top of an overturned skiff in Alaska’s frigid Bering Sea for roughly two days, losing his older brother and then his cousin…
The pain of discipline may sting today, but we are reminded that endurance turns today’s struggle into tomorrow’s strength, producing a harvest of righteousness and peace for…
Across the country on Friday, ceremonies will honor the thousands who lost their lives 25 years ago in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and among the survivors, a…
You must be logged in to post a comment.