Embedded Files
JOIN IN THE MIGRATION STUDY AND TAG MONARCHS
JOIN IN THE MIGRATION STUDY AND TAG MONARCHS
Interested Utahns are encouraged to participate in the annual migration study where we tag monarchs in the wild from August through September. Southwest Monarch Study is the official tagging organization for the state of Utah. The group has been organizing tagging efforts since 2015.
This year, we have experts willing to take volunteers out to pre-determined areas to help in the tagging process. Volunteers will be trained on how to catch monarchs without injuring them and shown exactly where to place the tag for the least interference with flight. It is a fun day and quite the experience to hold a monarch in your own hands! Dates and locations for tagging workshops will be announced on the Current News and Events page when scheduled.
Tagging begins in early August and runs through end of September - as long as we have monarchs passing through Utah.
Visit Southwest Monarch Study for great information on the monarch tagging program and much more information on monarchs, especially west of the Rocky Mountains!
Tagging Monarch Butterflies in the Wild
Tagging Monarch Butterflies in the Wild
As part of a study of monarch migratory paths and behaviors, Utahns have been able to tag monarchs since 2015 under the watch of Southwest Monarch Study (swmonarchs.org). We are identifying breeding habitats in Utah where the possibility to tag multiple monarchs exist. Individuals can also tag any monarch they find in their yards or in the wild and record the data. Tagging is done from mid-August to end of September. The process will go as follows:
Recruit volunteers who are willing to bring butterfly nets and travel to sites to spend a few hours chasing and tagging monarchs, recording the data, and releasing them. Some of these sites involve long drives and may require 6 to 8 hours of your time.
Ensure each tagger is trained on how and where to place the tag. We will ensure there is a lead at each location who can help train participants to catch a butterfly with a net, successfully retrieve the monarch from the net, apply the tag, record the data and release. The Southwest Monarch Study website provides training. However, we may send sample paper monarchs and tags to each volunteer so they can practice applying the tag in the correct distal cell on the lower wing.
Each volunteer must request their own tags from Southwest Monarch Study. Tags are assigned specifically to each person and each person is accountable for reporting back the data. The volunteer will be notified if/when one of their tagged monarchs has been spotted in the field.
Report abuse