MONARCH Mania

By 10 a.m., children and adults are in the fields and trees surrounding the Visitors Center searching for Monarch butterflies. Nets and tags are provided, with tagging leaders helping with tagging technique and recording of information, such as the butterfly's sex, date and location captured. The Monarchs don't always cooperate, sometimes flying right over the Refuge if the winds are right, or arriving early or late. 2007 was a record year however. Participants tagged nearly 400 butterflies in under an hour. Over the past several years, three butterflies have been recovered from the roosting sites in Central Mexico, after having flown over 1,200 miles from the Refuge. Information gathered from returned butterflies helps entomologists (scientists who study insects) to learn more about the butterfly's migration. In an effort to help conserve Monarch butterflies, which are facing pressures from loss of habitat and pesticides, the Refuge has been planting milkweed seed - the caterpillars' food source - near the Visitors Center and mowing around stands of milkweed.