It is that time of year again, when the monarch butterflies are heading south for the winter.
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge will be celebrating this migration with a special event called Monarch Madness from 9 to 11 a.m. Sept. 12. During this event, participants will help Refuge staff catch, tag and release monarch butterflies. This event is free and open to the public of all ages. Nets can be barrowed or you can bring along your own. No prior experience is necessary but, space is limited, so register soon. To register, please contact the Refuge at 515-994-3400 or Brianna_Patrick@fws.gov.
Monarch Madness is a fun and wonderful way to learn more about monarch butterflies and to help scientific research. Some monarchs migrate from Canada all the way to Mexico to live out the winter before returning north for the summer months. Researchers still have many unanswered questions about how monarchs complete this amazing feat. Tagging monarchs helps scientists answer these questions, track monarch migration, and learn more about their migration and habitat needs.
Schedule of events:
• 9 a.m. Check In for Pre-registered Volunteers
• 9:15 a.m. Introduction and Monarch Talk
• 9:30 a.m. Break into groups to tag butterflies
• 11 a.m. Find out how many butterflies were tagged.