Migration Overview
Monarch Butterflies migrate from Canada to Mexico every year to overwinter. They fly on a journey that's as long as three-thousand miles with thousands of other monarchs for the winter. Many of those monarchs seek refuge in Mexico and some go to Southern California where it is warm all year long. In Mexico, many rest in a protected habitat called the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve and in the 11-12 areas from the States of Mexico and Michoacan. Their numbers are decreasing dramatically because of people cutting down their primary food source for space for building houses and farms and buildings, and also because people cut down their favorite overwintering trees, which include Eucalyptus trees in California and Oyamel Fir forests in Mexico, for land.
Monarch butterflies go through a process that requires four generations of butterflies to complete the migration. The first three last only a few weeks, mate and and lay eggs, as these butterflies are the parents of the last generation. These 3 generations gradually make their way back to Canada. Each generation flies a bit closer to Canada each time. Then, the fourth generation is laid closer to Mexico. This is the generation is special, as it is the generation that migrates the famous fall migration from Canada to Mexico. This generation can last up to 8 months! Their offspring are the first generation and the cycle starts again..
Monarch butterflies go through a process that requires four generations of butterflies to complete the migration. The first three last only a few weeks, mate and and lay eggs, as these butterflies are the parents of the last generation. These 3 generations gradually make their way back to Canada. Each generation flies a bit closer to Canada each time. Then, the fourth generation is laid closer to Mexico. This is the generation is special, as it is the generation that migrates the famous fall migration from Canada to Mexico. This generation can last up to 8 months! Their offspring are the first generation and the cycle starts again..
About Tagging
It's very crucial for citizen scientists to tag wild Monarchs, along with the ones they reared. Here's some information about why it's so important and how you can go out on your own in the field and tag wild Monarchs and contribute to this nationwide project!
By tagging Monarch butterflies, you are helping scientists like Steve Cary, a scientist working with the Southwest Monarch Study (a local organization that studies Monarchs) and author of his book "Butterfly Landscapes of New Mexico", along with others he works with, to learn about which generation the Monarchs in New Mexico are, as there isn't much information about our area. Tagging also helps scientists down in Mexico learn about their population numbers and flight patterns. It helps us learn more about how we can help save these beautiful creatures, and learning about monarchs and spreading the word about them is one of the best ways to save them from extinction.
With our club, and the help of Steve Cary, we offer youth the experience of going out into the field and tagging Monarch butterflies every year! This includes catching them with a net, tagging the butterflies, and letting them go. It's our most successful project and participants absolutely love it! We do this every year, so if your child would like to participate and join us on this year's tagging, join our club!
By tagging Monarch butterflies, you are helping scientists like Steve Cary, a scientist working with the Southwest Monarch Study (a local organization that studies Monarchs) and author of his book "Butterfly Landscapes of New Mexico", along with others he works with, to learn about which generation the Monarchs in New Mexico are, as there isn't much information about our area. Tagging also helps scientists down in Mexico learn about their population numbers and flight patterns. It helps us learn more about how we can help save these beautiful creatures, and learning about monarchs and spreading the word about them is one of the best ways to save them from extinction.
With our club, and the help of Steve Cary, we offer youth the experience of going out into the field and tagging Monarch butterflies every year! This includes catching them with a net, tagging the butterflies, and letting them go. It's our most successful project and participants absolutely love it! We do this every year, so if your child would like to participate and join us on this year's tagging, join our club!
How to Tag Monarchs
Materials:
- Tags - Available by the Southwest Monarch Study or Monarch Watch. We like to support local organizations like the South West Monarch Study so please consider purchasing from them.
- A Monarch butterfly
- A net (if you're tagging out in the wild)
Before going and finding your Monarchs to tag, you will have to go find a "hot-spot" where there would be lots of monarchs. How to find this? Simply look for a large area of nectar flowers, or a milkweed patch. Any kind of milkweed will attract a Monarch, even the small Horsetail Milkweed, as well as lots of flowers!
Additionally, before taking your butterfly out of the net, or cage, depending on if you're tagging Monarchs out in the field, you will need to prepare your tags. First, using a toothpick, take the sticker off of the backing and press it onto the toothpick, making sure not to touch the sticker with your fingers. The oil on your fingers can make the adhesive not stick as well. Place this aside.
Additionally, before taking your butterfly out of the net, or cage, depending on if you're tagging Monarchs out in the field, you will need to prepare your tags. First, using a toothpick, take the sticker off of the backing and press it onto the toothpick, making sure not to touch the sticker with your fingers. The oil on your fingers can make the adhesive not stick as well. Place this aside.
Catching a Monarch out in the Field
Steps:
1. Spot a butterfly and slowly sneak up it, making sure to stay low to the ground so they don't see you. The next thing has to happen quickly: Use your net to catch the butterfly, swinging the net in a sort of way that when you launch the net on the butterfly, you catch it with the net on either the side or bottom, then sweep the net so that the butterfly gets to the bottom of the net. Then as you're sweeping it, quickly turn or flip the handle so that it the bottom of the net “bag” hangs over the edge of the net frame/ring opening and the butterfly is “trapped” at the bottom of the net.
This video explains how to use the net:
1. Spot a butterfly and slowly sneak up it, making sure to stay low to the ground so they don't see you. The next thing has to happen quickly: Use your net to catch the butterfly, swinging the net in a sort of way that when you launch the net on the butterfly, you catch it with the net on either the side or bottom, then sweep the net so that the butterfly gets to the bottom of the net. Then as you're sweeping it, quickly turn or flip the handle so that it the bottom of the net “bag” hangs over the edge of the net frame/ring opening and the butterfly is “trapped” at the bottom of the net.
This video explains how to use the net:
Video has no sound
The next video is a video by Mr. Lund Science who explains how to tag butterflies:
3. Carefully place your hand into the net and grab the net closed with your other hand around your arm (from the outside) to make sure the butterfly doesn’t fly out. Grab the butterfly with the hand inside the net and hold it. Hold it with its wings closed, close to where the four wings overlap and connect to the body. This is where the wings are most strong. Hold it gently, but with enough light pressure to keep it from flying away. Take the butterfly out of the net (We have a demonstration on how to hold the butterfly in the photo below).
4. If you get some scales on your fingers, don’t worry. Drastic loss of the butterflies scales will affect its aerodynamics, but butterflies have thousands of scales that overlap like shingles on a roof. As butterflies fly around, they naturally lose scales. They are so strong that even if they have rips of parts of their wings missing, they can still fly and navigate. So the small amount of scales on your fingers won't affect the butterfly.
Tagging the Butterfly
Remember, for better efficiency, please prepare your tags ahead of time so that your butterfly doesn't fly away. You can also get someone to help you prepare them for you.
1. Now, take your Monarch and hold it like so: gently pinch it with the thumb and middle finger of your least dominant hand. Pinch it with its wings closed, either close to where the four wings overlap and connect to the body, or on the upper wing, making sure that either way, all four wings are overlapping so you don't injure it. If you need to adjust some of the wings and gently push them into place, you can do so. This place is where the wings are most strong. Hold it gently, but with enough light pressure to keep it from flying away. The Monarch may also play dead while you're holding it.
2. Feel free to alternate between hands for better convenience. Taking a free hand, grab your toothpick with the tag on it and place the tag, while rolling the toothpick to get the tag off, onto a spot where the veins form a small oval called a discal cell. This is inside of what looks like a "mit" created with the veins. If you feel comfortable, you can put a free finger of the hand holding the butterfly under the cell from the bottom of the butterfly to create a support for the wings while you do this.
6. Feel free to adjust your fingers the way that's easier for you. Here's just our tips to make it easier: After you've put the tag onto the butterfly, you can press the sticker gently onto the wing with the thump that is holding the butterfly so that it sticks and doesn't sit on top so losely. Then, switching hands, lightly pinch your fingers on the sticker for about 30 seconds to strengthen the adhesive with the heat of your fingers, ever-so-lightly.
A participant puts their finger on the tag, making the adhesive stick.
7. Lay the butterfly on its side on the top of an extra hand. The butterfly will “play dead” so it will take it a minute to recuperate and fly off. Just leave it there until it picks itself up and flies away.
8. Finally, write down all your observations on the sheet of paper provided by the organization you purchased tags from. You can have someone write these things down for you while you're tagging the Monarch, or do it after, but you will have to remember if the butterfly had a dot/scent gland on the bottom wings, indicating it's a male, or it lacked this, indicating it was a female.
8. Finally, write down all your observations on the sheet of paper provided by the organization you purchased tags from. You can have someone write these things down for you while you're tagging the Monarch, or do it after, but you will have to remember if the butterfly had a dot/scent gland on the bottom wings, indicating it's a male, or it lacked this, indicating it was a female.
Another participant writes down the necessary information about the Monarch they tagged during our first tagging in 2017.
That's it!
Don't forget to post your Monarch sightings to iNaturalist!