Discover the life of a monarch butterfly at Monarch Mania and Monarch Magic and learn how to tag butterflies so scientists can track their migration from Kansas City to Mexico.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering free sessions for the public to learn about monarchs and also to tag butterflies to help scientists track their migrations.
Monarch butterflies that spent last winter in Mexico rode a powerful south wind into the Kansas City region in early April, arriving so early the milkweed needed to feed the next generation had barely spouted from the ground. Now as autumn arrives, those following generations are beginning a migration back south.
The Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center at 4750 Troost Ave. in Kansas City, MO will offer free Monarch Mania from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 15. MDC staff will talk about how citizens can help by planting monarch-friendly native plants. Attendees will have a chance to tag live monarchs with tiny paper circles affixed to a wing that have a tracking number. If the tag is found and reported, scientists can tell where the butterfly was tagged and how far it traveled. For information, call 816-759-7300 or visit MDC.
The Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs will offer Monarch Magic session from 1 – 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 15. Attendees will learn about monarch migrations and also have a chance to tag monarchs. For more information, call Burr Oak Woods at 861-228-3766 or visit Burr Oak Woods, located at 1401 NW Park Road, Blue Springs, MO.