Tagged
Monarch Tells a Surprising Story
(More
True Stories About
Tagged Monarch Butterflies)
September,
2005
It’s always exciting to find a tagged butterfly and
wonder when and where it was tagged. Don Davis has been tagging monarch
butterflies in Ontario, Canada since 1968. He has tagged tens of thousands
of butterflies, but last week he encountered a monarch with perhaps the
most surprising story of them all.
Don was visiting one of his favorite tagging spots beside Lake Ontario on Saturday, September 3rd. While there, he discovered a monarch that already had a tag on it! Don figured the monarch was just a local butterfly. His friend, teacher Rod Murray, tags regularly at the same site.
The story took a twist when Don learned that his friend had not been tagging this fall. So where did this butterfly come from? Now Don had a mystery on his hands. He contacted Monarch Watch, the organization that coordinates monarch tagging, to see what he could find.
To his surprise, according to the number on the tag, the monarch was from Ohio!
- Why do you think Don was so surprised to find a monarch in Ontario that had been tagged in Ohio? Why was this event unusual during fall migration?
| About Don Davis |
Don Davis recovered a tagged monarch in Ontario, Canada.
Later he discovered that the monarch had been tagged in Ohio!
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