Monarch butterfly program Tuesday near Fairfield

For the past several years, high numbers of migrating monarchs have been found at Zillman’s Hickory Hills, a few miles southeast of Fairfield. Join Jefferson County Conservation for a fun evening of catching, tagging and releasing monarch butterflies as they begin their annual migration. Attendees will meet at Zillman’s Hickory Hills at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14 for this free program.

Monarch butterflies cannot survive the cold Iowa winters, so 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 is to humankind’s advantage. Not only do they help to pollinate plants, but it also gives people the opportunity to see them.

Attendees of Tuesday’s program 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.

Zillman’s Hickory Hills is located at 2437 Glasgow Road. Pre-registration is not required. Nets and tags will be provided, but attendees are advised to wear long pants and closed toed shoes.