Monarch Madness at NSNWR

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 incredible migration from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday with a special event called Monarch Madness. 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.

You may borrow one of our nets or bring your own! No prior experience is necessary, but space is limited, so register soon by contacting the Refuge at 515-994-3400 or Doreen_vanryswyk@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.