Here’s how to go about tagging Monarch butterflies. There are a few steps explained in greater detail under “Tagging/Transects” which is under Projects.
1. Register to go tagging on www.monarch.org.nz. Don’t forget to add your name, address, phone number and put a tick in the “tagging” box. When you’ve registered it also means you can post and ask questions on our forum.
2. Ask your teacher to request practice tags, by an email to treasurer@monarch.org.nz. They come in sheets of 25 and with a paper butterfly so you can get some practice. (Don’t confuse these with the REAL tags.) And you can see a video of how to correctly pick up a butterfly here. The forum is a great place to go if you get ‘stuck’.
3. Request tags. They’re free – request them here. Make sure your name and address are showing on your profile, so that we can allocate the numbers against your profile. The tags take about a week to get to you in the mail – so give us enough notice.
4. Watch the video of how to tag a butterfly here.
5. Enter data into the website AS you release your tagged butterflies.
6. Report any subsequent sightings of tagged butterflies on this website. You can also enter sightings of other butterflies, moths and pests!
If you want to identify other NZ butterflies (or day-flying moths) look at this poster here.
Full notes here. NZASE National Primary Science Week poster here
Primary Science Week, Auckland Programme can be found here:
“Science Matters” Term 1 2012 can be found here:
