It’s a foggy early-September morning at Minneopa State Park. The dew on the grass glints in the sunlight as the area naturalist, Scott Kudelka, and I slowly approach a monarch butterfly that has landed on a Prairie Blazing Star. Quick as a wink Scott reaches forward with his net, swipes it sideways across the plant, then quickly reaches over with his other hand and closes the top of the net. He holds up the net and we peer through the mesh. To my delight, there is a monarch fluttering around inside!
This morning, we are catching monarch butterflies and placing tracking tags from Monarch Watch on their wings. We’re doing it now so we can tag them right before they start their migration south for the winter. You see, monarch butterflies from Minnesota migrate to Mexico in the winter to avoid the frigid temperatures here. Tagging the butterflies aids in their conservation by allowing researchers to understand the monarchs’ migration pathways, their survival rates during migration, the influence of weather on their migration, and some of the factors leading to their population decline over the years.
Scott reaches into the net and gently picks up the monarch butterfly, being careful to avoid injuring it. Once the butterfly is out of the net, he carefully opens the wings and we look for two black spots on their lower lobes. Two spots indicate a male monarch, whereas a lack of spots means it’s a female.
We peel a small round sticker off a sheet of other tags, then place it on the butterfly’s lower wing, pressing firmly. Each tag has a unique identification number on it. That way, each butterfly can be identified later. When placed properly on the butterfly’s wing the sticker does not harm the monarch or interfere with its’ flight.
Scott records the tag’s unique number, tag date, gender of the butterfly, and geographic location where the monarch was tagged. He’ll send that data to Monarch Watch to provide a more complete picture for their research efforts.
With the tag securely in place, it’s time to release the butterfly. Scott opens his hand, and the butterfly hurriedly flutters off. The whole process of catching, tagging, and releasing the monarch takes only a few minutes.
When the butterfly is found again, it will add to the database of information that Monarch Watch uses to study monarch butterflies. Most of Monarch Watch’s tagged butterflies are recovered in central Mexico. Local people as well as guides near El Rosario and Sierra Chincua find tagged butterflies, report them to Monarch Watch, and are compensated about $5 USD per tagged monarch butterfly they recover. People in the U.S. may also find tagged butterflies and they may report them via the online Monarch Watch Tag Reporting form.
she caught and will tag.
Photo credit: Cyndee Bosworth
Next, it’s my turn! I swipe at a few plants using the sweeping motion Scott showed me, but without success as the butterflies dodge my net each time. While I’m trying to catch monarchs, looking what I can only imagine was pretty goofy frolicking around among the grass and flowers, a few state park visitors stop by, understandably curious about what’s going on.
Finally, after a few tries, I catch a monarch butterfly! I bring it over for the visitors to see and I explain that we’re tagging monarchs. They introduce themselves as Paul and Cyndee and they ask if they can hang around to watch the tagging process. I say “of course,” and excitedly talk about the project, the catching techniques, and the tagging efforts of the morning. Then, they watch Julie, Minneopa State Park’s Office and Administrative Specialist, and I tag the monarch I’ve caught.
Soon, Paul eagerly volunteers to help us catch more monarchs. He picks up the net and hurries off in pursuit of the fast-flying butterflies. For the next half hour, we all work as a team, ultimately tagging four monarchs together.
This morning, science and nature brought people together to contribute to an important environmental mission, monarch butterfly research and conservation. We also got to have a fun experience, make new friends, and work towards protecting our environment as citizen scientists.
Taking care of our environment is up to all of us, and experiences like this can spark a love for nature, and a desire to learn how each of us can do our part to protect our natural world.
Photo credit: Julie Duehring
You Can Tag Monarch Butterflies Too
You have an opportunity to participate too! Scott is doing a public monarch butterfly tagging program on Saturday, September 28th from 10:00 am- 12:00 pm at the Living Earth Center in Mankato, Minnesota. People of all ages are asked to come help catch monarch butterflies. Scott will help place tags on the butterflies’ wings, then the monarchs will be released. I would highly recommend this activity, especially for families! It’s so fun to get outside, experience something new, get your kids interested in nature, and help the environment!
