Millions of monarch butterflies will travel through the state as they make their journey toward central Mexico.
The butterflies are headed to warmer weather as the days get longer, temperatures change and winter approaches. They usually arrive in Mexico at the beginning of November, a natural event that coincides with the country’s Day of the Dead celebrations.
Kansas plays a vital role in helping the butterflies on their journey, as states like Oklahoma and Texas experience nectar droughts.
“When we start getting these really extensive areas of drought it's when it's much more challenging for the migration,” said Kristen Baum, director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. “Nectar is very important this time of year.”
The species will stop to rest and fuel up on nectar before continuing their trip south. People may begin to spot more activity and sometimes monarch roosts — a group of them resting in trees or flower fields in the evening.
Sightings can be submitted to the Journey North project, which helps track the migration and other seasonal changes across North America.
Other local organizations like the Great Plains Nature Center and Botanica are also helping researchers track the butterflies by hosting tagging events.
“We’re getting lots of good information about where monarchs are in space and time, which will help us kind of think about what on-the-ground conservation looks like, and where does that need to be,” Baum said.
Tagging requires catching a butterfly, applying a hole-punch size sticker on their wing, and releasing them. Each sticker has a unique tracking number that will identify the butterfly throughout its life and will never be used again.
Baum says an old tag was recently recovered from leaf-litter that included a dead butterfly dating back to 1997. The tag originated from Wamego High School.
The Project Monarch Collaboration has taken the process one step further. The collaboration created radio tags for the butterflies, allowing people to see where they are in real time through an app.
Baum says tagging isn't the only way to support the species. People can place nectar plants outside their homes during this season or plant milkweed for the spring when they make their way back north.
“Monarchs are good ambassadors for pollinators, insects in general and other wildlife,” Baum said. “Good monarch habitat is also good habitat for lots of ... other wildlife as well.”
Botanica will host its inaugural Monarch Festival on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Great Plains Nature Center will also host a tagging event September 28th at 6:30 p.m.
