Hey! Guess what I did this weekend? Would you like a clue? It happened in this meadow …
© 2008 Loree Griffin Burns
Another clue? My assistant and I were armed …
© 2008 Catherine Griffin Burns
© 2008 Loree Griffin Burns
Have you guessed? We were tagging monarch butterflies!
© 2008 Catherine Griffin Burns
My daughter and I netted this lovely male monarch and affixed a small, round sticker to the “mitten cell” of his hind wing. The tag weighs next to nothing and is printed with a serial number. If our guy survives his upcoming migration, he and his tag may be recognized by tag-watchers at the monarch roosting sites in Mexico. The tagging program has been underway for sixteen years and is helping scientists understand monarch behavior and migration. You can learn more about the program at the MonarchWatch website.
As for me, I will be learning lots more at the three additional tagging adventures I have lined up this fall. Why so much tagging? Because I’m writing about monarchs and the citizen scientists who study them in a new book. Details soon!