Monarch tagging event draws a variety of Boonville community members

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Families, gardeners and butterfly enthusiasts gathered Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Boonville Katy Depot for a Monarch Migration Tagging Workshop and Family Day, hosted by the Boonslick Master Gardeners. The event offered hands-on activities, educational presentations on monarch butterfly conservation and pollinator gardening, as well as door prizes for both adults and children. 

In true small-town community fashion, this event incorporated efforts from many organizations around Boonville. Boonville Mayor Mike Conway presented a proclamation encouraging residents to support monarch conservation and declaring the day “Monarch Migration Tagging Day in Boonville.” Laura Semken with the Missouri Conservation Corps presented information about monarch migration and how tagging efforts help researchers. Local U.S. Postal Service staff also provided souvenir envelopes commemorating the event.

Representatives from Missouri Gardeners and More, local Girl Scouts, and community members also contributed to the event, helping to make the tagging effort a success.

“Our Monarch Migration Tagging Workshop was a huge success for the first year,” said Boonslick Master Gardeners President Eddie Hudson. “We were excited the community brought their children out for a fun-filled morning. Watching all the kids with butterfly nets was awesome!”

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) hosts events statewide to involve citizens in the monarch butterfly tagging efforts that are so critical for scientific research. Find a tagging event near you at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/oxy.

MDC also encourages homeowners to create pollinator-friendly landscapes that help species like the monarch butterfly as they travel along their migration routes. Find ideas for pollinator-friendly landscapes that can be implemented on a small scale at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ofo.

Learn more about monarch butterflies at Monarch | Missouri Department of Conservation.