2018 was an amazing year for Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores (BGOSS) as they tagged 893 Monarchs.
To top it off, ‘Monarch Watch’, from the University of Kansas, who co-ordinates
the tagging program, has just announced that 6 Monarchs from Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores were recovered in Mexico.
The recovered Monarchs were tagged in late August and early September in Southampton at the Saugeen Golf course, Captain Spence Path, Perkins Park and the Saugeen Rail Trail.
“This is quite an unexpected surprise and extradordinary,” says Kerry Jarvis, co-founder of BGOSS. “The odds of having one recovery is rare, but to have six in one year is quite exciting, especially when you consider that there are millions of Monarchs over wintering in Mexico.”
The recovered monarchs were found in two of the major reserves in Mexico: El Rosario, and Cerro Pelon. They would have traveled a distance of over 4,500 kilometers.
Since it began its Community Tagging Days in 2015, BGOSS has tagged over 1,400 Monarchs and has nine recoveries.
Now, Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores is eagerly waiting for the return of the great-grand children from the fall migrating Monarchs to grace our community with their presence.
