Rain, Wings and a Remarkable Journey: Monarch Tagging Marks 50 Years of Kentucky Nature Preserves

It seems almost impossible that the monarch butterflies now moving through Kentucky are on a 3,000-mile journey from as far north as southern Canada to a small mountainous region of central Mexico – even though these small insects have never been there before.

In September, the Kentucky Office of Nature Preserves hosted a public monarch tagging event, partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky State Parks and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to help understand the many mysteries surrounding these tiny travelers.