Efforts to track population yield 16 recoveries from Park District initiatives
The reports of tagged Monarch Butterflies recovered at the overwintering sites in Mexico are in, and what a year it has been for Geauga Park District: a record number of 16 Monarchs tagged here in Geauga County were recovered in the mountains of Mexico this past winter!
During the 2015 season, a whopping total 1,120 Monarchs were tagged by Geauga Park District. Of those, 871 were from eggs collected and reared by Naturalist Tami Gingrich with help from staff members Jen Weitzel and Stacey Rauch. The remaining 249 were wild migrating butterflies caught and tagged during public programs and by various park staff.
Of the 16 recovered in Mexico:
· 4 reared Monarchs were tagged and released at The Great Geauga County Fair by Chief Naturalist John Kolar (2), Naturalist Dan Best (1) and Naturalist Karie Wheaton (1)
· 1 reared Monarch was tagged and released by Stacey Rauch in Burton
· 8 reared and 2 wild Monarchs were tagged by Naturalist Tami Gingrich and released from Big Creek Park, Swine Creek Reservation, Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve and Frohring Meadows
· 1 Monarch was tagged and released from The West Woods by an unknown tagger
“Through the years, Geauga Park District has had quite a few Monarchs recovered in Mexico, but never this many in one season!” wrote naturalist Tami Gingrich and Linda Gilbert in review. “It’s amazing that each butterfly had to fly more than 1,800 miles to reach its destination.”
The Monarch Butterfly population has been on a dangerous downward trend since 1996. According to Chip Taylor of the University of Kansas’ MonarchWatch.org on February 26, nine overwintering Monarch colonies were located this winter season with a total area of 9.9 acres, up from 2.8 acres last winter. However, despite this encouraging news of an increase in the overwintering population, a freak winter storm on March 8 and 9 in Mexico wiped out up to 50 percent of the population.
“Luckily many butterflies had already departed on their northward journey to re-colonize the southern U.S.,” wrote Tami and Linda. “The size of the re-colonizing Monarch population in the south will most likely determine the degree to which they recover and overwinter next year. Here’s wishing them fair winds, weather and milkweed that they may be fruitful and multiply!”
Geauga Park District’s fourth and final public milkweed giveaway of the year will take place Sunday, June 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The West Woods Nature Center. Come to collect your free pot and experience the free, family-friendly Home Sweet Habitat: A Place for Wildlife to Survive and Thrive exhibit, open daily until 4:30 p.m.
Naturalist Tami would be happy to speak with any reporters who are interested in publicizing this exciting news for Geauga County and information about how area residents can do their part to bolster Monarch populations in Northeast Ohio! Please contact her directly at 440-279-0811 or tgingrich@geaugaparkdistrict.org for an interview or to arrange a time to talk on camera.
Geauga Park District is online at http://geaugaparkdistrict.org, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Image Courtesy of: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monarch_butterfly_-_Butterfly_Place_in_Westford,_Massachusetts_(2).jpg
