While the Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores (BGOSS) is getting ready for the return of the Monarchs, they received some exciting news. They learned that one of their tagged Monarchs was recovered in El Rosario, Mexico.

In a BGOSS media release, the Monarch was tagged at the Southampton Golf and Country Club on August 23, 2107 by Stew Nutt and was recovered in Mexico on March 18, 2018. This means that it travelled over 4,500 kilometers. This is a miracle when you think of the size of the butterfly and the fact that it has never been to Mexico before. A total of 208 days elapsed for this female butterfly from the day it was tagged until the day it was recovered.

This is the second Monarch tag recovery for BGOSS. The first recovery was in 2016. This is quite remarkable as only a limited number of the millions of overwintering Monarchs are tagged. “It is like finding a needle in a hay stack and BGOSS is ecstatic that our community tagging efforts are truly international,” said Melitta Smole, Executive Member of BGOSS.

Tagging Monarchs is one of the most rewarding programs run by BGOSS. “It provides us with an idea of the numbers of Monarchs in Saugeen Shores and it engages our community with a hands on opportunity to see these lovely butterflies up close,” said Smole.

Over the next few weeks keep your eyes open for the return of the Monarchs to Saugeen Shores. Last year the first recorded Monarch sighting was on May 20. Let BGOSS know when you discover the first Monarch in the area by sending them a message at: butterflygardensofss@gmail.com, or by visiting their web site: www.butterflygardensofss.ca.