by Dr. Joe Shorthouse
MANITOULIN—The offspring of monarch butterflies that arrived on Manitoulin from the south this past May are now adults actively feeding on nectar of local flowers which will fuel them for the long flight to Mexico.
Some of the monarchs have been tagged which permits scientists to determine their flight path, length of time to fly various distances and the locality where the butterflies were released.
Anyone who sees a tagged monarch is asked to try and photograph the tag and its identification number with a cellphone and send the information to Monarch Watch by using their Monarch Watch Tag Recovery Form or download the Monarch Watch mobile app to record your observation.
Provide the people at Monarch Watch with the exact location where the butterfly was seen (and photographed), the date, and contact information for the person making the observation.
The monarch in this photograph was tagged by entomologist Joe Shorthouse near Sheguiandah on Manitoulin Island on August 22. The butterfly landed on a patch of swamp milkweed where Shorthouse was able to take this photograph, which clearly shows the tag information, with his cellphone.
