Monarch Butterfly Tagging

Visit the North Side Library to learn about monarch butterflies and butterfly tagging with Des Moines Parks and Rec! Joel Van Roekel will share information about monarchs, then we'll view how butterflies are tagged and watch as they are released.

Monarch tagging is a conservation practice Des Moines Parks and Recreation is taking to help the monarch butterfly. The tagging programs are part of a larger citizen science project that has been going on since 1992 to better understand the dynamics of the monarch’s spectacular fall migration! Each year more than a quarter of a million tags are used by volunteers across North America who tag monarchs as they migrate through their area on their way to Mexico. All ages are welcome to participate in some hands-on monarch tagging!