[TN-Butterflies] Tagged Monarch Photographed

  • From: Julius Basham <juliusbasham@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: TN Butterflies <TN-Butterflies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:11:42 -0400

Evidently the University of Kansas instigated a Monarch Tagging program back in the early '90s called MonarchWatch.
http://www.monarchwatch.org/
Californians started doing something similar back in the '60s, so this has been around a long time.
The purpose seems to be very similar to bird-banding, to track migration routes and calculate life spans, etc.
Instead of a band around the leg, the Monarchs get a little round sticker, printed with all the tagging information, placed upon the ventral forewing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jGhUAYidlE
There have been over 11,000 tag recoveries through 2006, so there should be some decent data to mull over.
It is all available online at:  http://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/recoveries.htm

While out on Butterfly foray in Polk County last Saturday, I happened upon a tagged Monarch nectaring on Goldenrod at the highest point of Chilhowee Mt.



A quick search of the MonarchWatch website reveals that there have only been three recoveries in Tennessee since the program was initiated.  http://www.monarchwatch.org/scgi-bin/search_results2.pl  although it looks like we have several Taggers that have had their bugs recovered in Mexico.
http://www.monarchwatch.org/scgi-bin/search_results2.pl

I guess this is a good time of the year to check all Monarchs seen for Tags. (even check the grill of your car)

I E-mailed all the pertinent information off to monarch@xxxxxx, and this was their reply.



This photo was taken at Oswald Dome on Chilhowee Mt. on October 2, 2010 by Julius Basham.
The nearest town is Reliance, Tennessee. 37369
The elevation is @ 3000ft
Lat 35.192574
Long -84.557987
The Tag Number is NGL 508.





Hello,

Thank you very much for reporting one of our tags! The purpose of our program is to track monarch butterflies as they migrate south to Mexico. The tags help us estimate the size of the monarch population and also help scientists learn about the routes the monarchs take to Mexico. We have members that tag monarchs all over the country (east of the Rocky Mountains). Our taggers return their data sheets after they are done tagging and we enter the data in the computer. When a tag is spotted and reported to us, we use the tag code to retrieve the tagging information. Right now many people are still tagging, so we cannot tell you where the tag you found was used. However, as soon as that information is available, we will post it in our online database, located here: http://www.monarchwatch.com/tagmig/recoveries.htm. We currently have over 11,000 tag recoveries and all of these can be found in the database. You can also print your own reporter certificate from that site.

We have included some information about our programs. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Thank you again for reporting a tag!

Sincerely,
Monarch Watch
monarch@xxxxxx
http://www.MonarchWatch.org
--
Visit our online community forums at
http://www.MonarchWatch.org/forums




What's involved in the tagging program?

Tag selection - The purpose of the tagging is to associate the location of capture with the point of recovery for each butterfly. The data from these recaptures are used to determine the pathways taken by migrating monarchs, the influence of weather on the migration, the survival rate of the monarchs, etc. Each tagged butterfly must have a tag code (three letters and three numbers) for this system to work. To insure that they do, we create a series of tag numbers using numbers and the alphabet.  Each year receives its own unique series. After we decide on a series of tag numbers, we send them to to be printed with waterproof ink on polypropylene sheets that have special 3M ® adhesive on the back. The printed tags are placed on a backing from which they can be easily removed. They are organized in groups of 25 consecutive numbers. The tags arrive at Monarch Watch on sheets of 25 tags per sheet.

Tag distribution - Tag and purchased in kits. Each kit contains a premigration newsletter, datasheet, instructions and a multiple of 25 tags, depending on how many are ordered in that kit. You have the option of ordering kits with just 25 tags up to kits with 500 tags. If you need more than 500 tags, you will need to order multiple kits. We begin distributing the tags in August. Northern states and Canada receive their tags first so that they will not miss any migrating Monarchs. As we distribute the tags, we record the tag numbers issued to each tagger; the tag numbers issued to each participant are entered into a database on a computer.

Recording tagging data - With tags and datasheets in hand, participants tag as many monarchs as they are able and record the date, location and other information onto their datasheets. It is very important that participants record their name and address on each and every sheet. If you anticipate tagging more than 25 monarchs, we recommend filling in your name and address on the datasheets first and then making copies. When data is recorded, the complete tag number should be used. Without the letter code, tracking is usually impossible. For example, last year we sent out more than 200 tags with the number series 311 but only one of these was MAA 311. The datasheets included in the kits have directions and data examples. If a tag is recovered while tagging, it is important that the information for that tag is sent in separately. We receive thousands of datasheets each year but just one hundred or so domestic (U.S. and Canada) recoveries. To find out when the peak of the migration is in your area, please visit this link: http://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/peak.html

Returning the datasheets - Believe it or not, many people receive tags, tag monarchs, and record data but never return their datasheets. Every spring the Monarch Watch staff spends countless hours contacting people who have had recoveries but did not return their datasheets. The data for a recovery is lost unless we are able to verify when, where and by whom the butterfly was tagged.

As the datasheets are returned, we go through each tagging sheet and verify who received those tag numbers. If the tag numbers are incomplete, or if there is no name on the datasheet, we have to track the tags back to who received them and contact them in order to fill in this missing information (if it is even still available.) The sheets are filed in notebooks in alpha-numerical order and the information is entered into our tag database. This makes it easier to search for the tag records for recovered tags.

Recoveries!!! - Most of the recovered tagged Monarchs within the United States and Canada are found dead by people who know nothing about monarchs or Monarch Watch. In 2004, we changed the contact information on the tags to a phone number and email address to make it easier to report recovered tags. Old tags, which should not be used, contain an address. Most of the recoveries are reported with information on the location, date and circumstance of the recovery. If this information is not included, we must contact the person who found the tag. Once we have the tag number for a recovery, we enter the tag and the recovery information into a recovery database. Then, we use the tag record database to search for the tagging data and enter that information into the recovery database, too. We then calculate the distance travelled by that particular monarch. If the tagger has not returned their datasheets, they are contacted and asked for that information. Once the data is complete, it is can be viewed online through our web site, http://www.monarchwatch.org.

What do we do with the data? All of the recoveries are viewable online. We also analyze the recovery data to test hypotheses concerning Monarch orientation and navigation. These analyses will be summarized on the web site subsequent to the publication of the articles in scientific journals.

If you are interested in tagging monarchs or are curious about our other products, please visit this link:
http://shop.monarchwatch.org for information.

To learn more about our new Monarch Waystation program, designed to encourage people to create, conserve and protect milkweed habitat, visit http://www.monarchwatch.org/ws

Thank you for your interest in our program!

























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