The monarch butterfly population in North America is in serious decline. Monarchs arrive in the Granite State each summer to breed in local milkweed patches, and large numbers of adult butterflies migrate through New Hampshire on their way back to Mexico where they will spend the winter. During the past two decades, there has been a documented drop in the overwintering monarch population in Mexico of 90%. Loss of breeding habitat in the US and Canada, climate change, and disease have all contributed to this decline.

Come to this free workshop to learn about the life cycle of the monarch, how tagging is helping to track their migration, and what plants they need to survive. The workshop will take place on Saturday, September 14 at Chapman’s Landing on College Road in Stratham, NH.

There will be three sessions to choose from offered at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m. These sessions will include field demonstrations of monarch tagging, which is the technique used to determine how many of the butterflies that pass through New Hampshire make their return to Mexico. Participants will also learn about milkweed seed collection and preparation and see living examples of monarch life stages from caterpillar to butterfly. Pollinator seed packets will be available to take home, and refreshments will be served.

Co-sponsors: UNH Cooperative Extension, the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV), and NextEra Energy