Stay in Touch with MDC news, newsletters, events, and manage your subscription
Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Autumn is the season for monarch butterflies to make their southward migration, and a great time for Missourians to witness the beautiful insects. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is hosting multiple events in the Kansas City region this September to help the public engage with monarch butterflies up close.
Citizen Science: Monarch Tagging at Platte Ridge Park
Join a conservation educator for a morning of tagging monarchs on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Platte Ridge Park in Platte City. Participants will learn about local butterflies, their lifecycles, their role as pollinators, and the monarchs’ unique journey to Mexico. They will then use butterfly-safe nets to carefully capture monarchs. Monarchs will receive small paper tags with ID numbers to help scientists track monarch movements and population numbers.
Registration is required. This program is intended for participants ages 5 and older.
To register for the 9 – 10:30 a.m. session, visit https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/210537.
To register for the 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. session, visit https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/210539.
Monarch Mania at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center
MDC invites all ages to Monarch Mania from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City. Among many family-friendly activities, MDC staff will show visitors how to tag butterflies with small paper tags affixed to their wings. When they are found and reported, the information goes into a database used by scientists to monitor movements and population trends.
MDC will also provide milkweed plant giveaways so visitors can establish this vital plant for monarchs in their own gardens. Monarchs lay eggs on milkweed, and the larvae feed on the leaves. Staff will share information on other types of native plants that are useful for home gardens that benefit all pollinator species such as butterflies and bees.
This event does not require registration. Learn more about Monarch Mania by visiting https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/211330
