Harris Center for Conservation Education will host monarch butterfly tagging Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hiroshi Land in Peterborough.
Every fall, monarch butterflies undertake a 3,000-mile migration from New England to central Mexico. This is a chance to see this far-ranging species up close and contribute to an understanding of their annual migration. During this morning of butterfly tagging with Harris Center ecologists Karen Seaver and Brett Amy Thelen, butterfly nets will be used to catch any monarchs the group finds, then affix each one with a tag that displays a unique code.
Data on the butterflies that get tagged (sex, location, tag number) will be submitted to the Monarch Watch community science project, in the hope that these individual monarchs might be reidentified on their overwintering grounds in Mexico or elsewhere along their migratory route.
Participants should bring butterfly nets if they have them, or use one of the Harris Center’s, and come prepared for sun, tall grass, ticks and other biting insects. No experience is necessary.
The Hiroshi Land in Peterborough is on the east side of Route 137, 2.1 miles north of its junction with Route 101. Rain date is Sept 18. The event is free, and registration is required at harriscenter.org/events. For information, contact Seaver at seaver@harriscenter.org.