Monarch larva and milkweed patch monitoring (MLMP protocol) — site / national.

Monarch population trends are only visible across many sites and many weeks — no single yard tells the story. The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project turns a fixed milkweed patch into a weekly, instar-classified count that feeds a continent-wide dataset, while keeping every observation hands-off: the eggs and larvae stay exactly where they're found.

Where

On-site with a milkweed patch / national (monarch breeding range) · Open the map

Pay

$120 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash — recorded, and readable any time at vealth.net/labor/credit/(your wallet). You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

A dated weekly monitoring series on a fixed milkweed patch: site description, milkweed density, and egg/larva counts classified by instar (1-5), with every organism left in place

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

entry

Open until

2026-12-28

Posted by

0x034F…6c89

The creator wallet. Its signature is what approves proof and settles the wage.

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it.

Bring

• A fixed, identifiable milkweed patch or set of milkweed plants at the monitoring site
• The MLMP site-description and milkweed-density datasheets (mlmp.org)
• The MLMP egg/larva identification guide (instars 1-5) for field reference
• A hand lens for spotting first-instar eggs and tiny larvae on leaf undersides

Steps

1. 1. Complete the yearly MLMP site description once per season (location, milkweed species present, habitat context).
2. 2. Record milkweed density: survey all milkweed at the site (small patches) or a defined random sample of stems (larger patches), per the datasheet.
3. 3. On the same fixed patch/plants, check leaves — especially undersides — and stems for monarch eggs and larvae; use the hand lens for eggs and first instars.
4. 4. Classify every larva found by instar (1st through 5th) using the MLMP identification guide's size and feature keys, never by guessed age.
5. 5. Record counts by life stage (egg, instar 1-5) with the date, and note any predation, parasitism, or disease signs observed WITHOUT collecting or rearing the animal.
6. 6. Leave all eggs and larvae exactly where found once counted; do not relocate, collect, or rear them as part of this packet.
7. 7. Repeat the same patch/plants on a weekly cadence through the local monarch breeding season and log the running series.
8. 8. Record the season's data in the MLMP dataset format so it is comparable across sites and years.

What counts as done

• Yearly MLMP site description and milkweed-density survey completed and recorded
• Egg and larval counts recorded by instar class (1st-5th) using the MLMP identification keys, not estimated
• The same fixed patch/plants monitored on a weekly cadence through the local breeding season, with a dated running log
• Confirmation recorded that no egg, larva, or adult monarch was collected, relocated, or reared

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.