Butterflies to be tagged, released during Migrating Monarchs program today

An educational Migrating Monarchs program is set for 6 p.m. today, Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Zillman's Hickory Hills just over 3 miles southeast of Fairfield on Glasgow Road.

Participants will be catching, tagging and releasing monarch butterflies as they begin their annual migration.

Monarch butterflies cannot survive cold Iowa winters, instead they travel up to 3,000 miles south to forests high in the mountains of Mexico. Monarchs will stop to nectar along the way, which helps to pollinate plants, but it also gives an opportunity to see them.

Participants will be assisting with monarch research by catching the butterflies, placing a small tag on their wing, recording their information and releasing them to continue on their long journey. These tags help researchers to learn about the migration of the monarch.

Nets and tags will be provided, but wear long pants and tennis shoes.

Preregistration is not required.

For more information, contact Brittney Tiller at Naturalist@JeffersonCountyConservation.com or call 472-4421.