In Pursuit of Monarchs

For the past two weeks, my sixth grade Native Plants and Animals of Texas students have been researching monarch butterflies. Today was the day to get out the nets and and go hunting.

The pursuit begins...

Are you sure there are butterflies around here?

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Enthusiasm dwindles.

I saw something!

Emily nets the first one and becomes the envy of the class.

Click the photo, and you can get a good view of her catch.

The tags are actually round stickers that you affix to the underside of the hindwing.

Before releasing it, we have to record its gender on our tally sheet.

Emily will check the topside of the hindwing for two black spots.

Yep, two spots. She caught a male.

Emily applies the tag.

Now the hunt intensifies.

We have been participating in Monarch Watch for seven years now.

Five years ago we were designated as an official Monarch Waystation.

The data we collect helps scientists track migration patterns of the butterflies as they head to their overwintering sites in central Mexico.

This was field biology at its "funnest."

I almost feel guilty for getting paid.

Nature was doing most of the teaching.