Seventh and tenth graders at Sacred Heart School in Morrilton are wild about monarch butterflies, all because their science teacher put the insect’s lives into their hands.
Justin Wright involved his seventh-grade life science and tenth grade biology classes in a research study on the migration of the monarch butterfly.
“Most people are really familiar with the famous monarchs and their bright colors,” he said. “With the monarchs and their migratory patterns, because they are so charismatic, it makes for a great learning tool.”
In graduate school, Wright studied the interaction of monarchs with milkweed plants.
He began teaching after he graduated with a master’s degree in biology with an emphasis in entomology in May from the University of Central Arkansas.
The school monarch project is part of a larger, nationwide study that began in Kansas. The study monitors where the monarchs travel.
“In the study itself, they interact with the animal at all stages of the life cycle. It makes it much more real to them than even the best story could. It is extremely helpful in keeping them focused and involved in science.”
In the fall, monarch butterflies leave the Northern United States and Canada and travel through Arkansas on their way to Mexico. Wright and his students tag the wings of the monarchs with small, adhesive tags and release them.
The tags enable the students to see where the monarchs travel if found when arriving in Mexico. They use an interactive website for the tracking.
Students also raised monarch butterflies from eggs they laid on milkweed plants. From those eggs, the students raised them throughout the process from caterpillars to butterflies.
In the spring, Wright and his classes will create a waystation for monarchs and other butterflies. The waystation is a butterfly garden that contains both nectar plants for butterflies and plants for them to lay eggs on which caterpillars can also feed.
To qualify as a monarch waystation, the garden must be a minimum of 25 feet square.
Currently, students are growing the plants for the waystation from seeds Wright collected. When spring comes, they will work on the layout and planting for the garden.
The hands-on project teaches children about science and conservation including plant and insect interaction, ecology, biology and conservation.
Through their research, Wright said, his students see how the world is shrinking for wildlife as they lose places to feed and grow.
“From Canada to Mexico, there are habitats essential to the monarch’s survival. Our political borders don’t pertain to wildlife,” he said. “From the conservation perspective, they find there is a reduction in habitat because what were once agricultural fields are no longer.”
His students are “unashamedly inquisitive,” which is a trait he uses to teach them the many aspects of science. It’s also a trait he wants to cultivate into a lifelong love of nature and scientific curiosity.
“Some of these lessons are infamously difficult for teachers to get across to students, like plant physiology. I have them work with the plants from beginning to end. Once you make it real for them, the students respond positively.”
One of the reasons for Wright’s own interest in science is due to his exposure to nature in the Cedarville area. His grandfather was a “self-proclaimed” naturalist.
His influence set Wright on the path to instill love of the natural world in his students at Sacred Heart School.
“Keeping their interest in science is vitally important. You don’’t want them to follow the statistics where they generally lose interest in the sciences,” he said. “As we face the dilemma of how to be stewards of the planet and how to live in harmony with our home, if I can instill respect — if not love — it can make them much more responsible adults.”
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