Megan's Nature Nook
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As a student in college and an intern at a Wildlife Refuge I have had the opportunity to help with tagging Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Before participating in tagging I didn’t know much about what it was or what it entailed. Through those experience I was able to learn more about the importance of Monarchs, their population decline, and how tagging can help us learn more about them. This summer I have been helping to tag Monarchs at Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo where I work seasonally as a Naturalist. It is the first year we have done it and are excited to see how many of our tagged Monarchs make it to Mexico! Migration Did you know that Monarch Butterflies are Minnesota’s state insect? One of the reasons they earned this title is because of their great migration! Each year in the fall, signaled by photoperiod (shortening of daylength), Monarchs make the 2,500 mile journey south to Mexico where they overwinter. It can take up to two months to complete this journey! Population Monarch populations have been on the decline for a number of reasons. Habitat destruction, increased use of herbicides and pesticides, removal of milkweed, and vehicle collisions have contributed to the decline in summer breeding areas and during migration. Monarch tagging helps to monitor the population numbers and to measure the success of conservation efforts using data collected by citizens in a number of locations across North America. Monarch Tagging What is Monarch tagging? Monarch tagging is a non-invasive way of marking Monarchs to tell them apart. The tags are very small stickers that have a unique letter and number combination. The stickers are placed on the discal cell (which looks like a mitten) of the Monarch’s lower wing and do not affect their flight. The process of tagging Monarchs is very easy, sometimes the hardest part is catching the butterflies! Wandering through the prairie or near a flower garden with an insect net is the best way to find and catch Monarchs. Once they are netted you can safely hold them by holding near the body with your thumb and pointer finger to hold all wings together. This keeps them from flying off or injuring a wing. Before we put the tag on, we collect and record data: the tag code, date, sex, if it is wild or reared, and tagging location. This data is then submitted to an online database. Once the tag is firmly placed, the Monarch can be released and sent on their way with warm wishes of safe travels. Migration Each summer there are usually three to four generations of Monarchs and we want to tag the last generation, the ones heading to Mexico to overwinter. It is usually the fourth generation that we tag but could be the third or fifth. Weather and latitude can affect how many generations there are in a summer. The “last generation” doesn’t matter what number generation it is, but rather the time of year it is. The last generation will migrate down to Mexico and roost in the oyamel fir trees for many months. In the spring the Monarchs will leave Mexico to the southern parts of the United States where they will mate, lay eggs, hatch into caterpillars, then metamorphosize into butterflies. Those adults will then move northward as Milkweed begins to bloom and continue the lifecycle process. Here in Minnesota we usually see the third and fourth generations. Some butterflies may even travel farther north into Canada. Since we are only wanting to tag the last generation, it is important to know when the peak migration time is in your area, so you know when to begin tagging. *When talking about migration I am referring to the Monarch populations East of the Rocky Mountains. Populations West of the Rocky Mountains may either overwinter in California or Mexico. Tag Recovery Tagged Monarchs can be reported by anyone who sees them, whether they are alive or dead. Each tag has the website where to report sightings to. Our hopes are that the Monarchs make it all the way to Mexico! Monarch Watch, the organization where we ordered our tags from, hires locales to recover tags from the wintering grounds in Mexico. Any that are found are reported to an online database. In the winter you can check the tag codes of the Monarchs you tagged and see if they were recovered. How You Can Help Monarchs If you are interested in helping with Monarch research, you can become a Monarch tagger! You do not have to be part of a Zoo, Nature Center, or State Park to tag Monarchs, but can do it on your own as a Citizen Scientist. All you have to do is order your tagging kit in the spring or early summer so there is time for it to be shipped before tagging begins. We went through Monarch Watch but there are other organizations that participate in tagging. A kit with 25 tags cost $15.00, the money going towards tag recovery efforts. Other ways to help Monarchs include creating Monarch (and other butterfly) friendly habitat. Plant milkweed for caterpillars and other flowers for nectar, especially native plants and ones that bloom into late summer/fall. Offer an area for “puddling” where butterflies can get minerals and other nutrients from sand and mud. An easy way to do this is fill a shallow dish with sand and keep it moist so they can easily puddle there. Providing large rocks where butterflies can sun bathe and warm themselves is another easy way to attract butterflies to your garden. The migration journey is a pretty amazing feat for such a small and light creature. It is amazing to think that what they do is just a force of nature. Unlike other animals like birds that have others to show them the way, the Monarchs just know what to do. The migrating ones are the great-grandchildren of the original Mexico migrators who made the journey the year before. Nature never ceases to amaze me! Monarch Facts:
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