Nearly three dozen people turned out Wednesday evening to Swan Lake State Park to become citizen-scientists and participate in a Monarch butterfly tagging program. Only 23 butterflies were captured by 35 people during the two-hour event. The low number of Monarchs tagged demonstrates their continued population decline in Iowa. Monarch butterflies migrate south each fall to overwinter in Mexico. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mexico saw only .67 hectares of forest populated by Monarch butterflies during the 2013-14 winter. Conservation efforts increased that number to 4.01 hectares last year, but populations are still far shy of their peak of 18.19 hectares in 1996-97. To help assist Monarchs on their journey, consider planting milkweed or natural flower gardens in your yard or unused landscape.
