Batavia, Ohio.  Around this time every year, Monarch butterflies leave Clermont County to migrate thousands of miles to spend winter in Central Mexico.  If you’re a butterfly buff, you can be a part of the Monarch’s amazing journey!  Join the Clermont County Park District for a Monarch Butterfly Tagging Event on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the Chilo Lock #34 Park; meet at the visitor center at 2 p.m.

“We will be catching Monarch butterflies in nets, and placing a small, harmless tag on their wing before releasing them to finish their migration,” said Clermont Parks’ Chief Naturalist Keith Robinson.  “We will record information about each butterfly before its release; if they are recaptured anywhere on their migration or found at their final destination in Mexico, we will be able to track their progress.”

After the tagging event, participants will be able to check the national Monarch Watch Web site at www.MonarchWatch.org to monitor the local migration.  “We will be able to find out if the Monarchs follow the same migration path each year,” said Robinson.

Park District staff recommends you wear long pants and tennis shoes or hiking boots for your protection from the tall grass and shrubs in the Crooked Run Nature Preserve.  Pictured above: Placing a tag on the wing of a Monarch butterfly at last year’s event.

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