Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Central W.Florida a Monarch over wintering or just passing, 1 by beckygardener

beckygardener wrote:
Don - I am in zone 9b also. That's awesome that you have raised and released so many Monarchs as well! Maybe I'm getting some of yours! LOL

I think what determines an over-wintering spot is temperature. As long as the temps stay warm like they have been, I think the Monarchs will stay. I saw similiar behavior last year, just not on the grand scale as I have seen this year. (Far more Monarch butterflies and eggs/cats this year!) Last year the Monarchs disappeared in late January when the weather got much colder. Probably went south to Miami/Southern Florida. And then in March I started seeing them again. And you are right, I didn't see too many in the month of September. Not sure why.

I have never used the "official" tags either. I had marked the wings instead with a fine tip permanent marker after the wings are very dry (before I release them). Which is how I know many stayed or returned to my yard after being released. I don't do that anymore as my curiosity was satisified about whether or not they would return to my yard. Attached to this email is a photo of mating Monarchs which I kept in captivity because they eclosed when the weather got really cold and the milkweed died last winter. They mated in captivity in my cages. In this photo you can see the marking I used on the wings.

You have to purchase the official tags and I wasn't interested in spending the money for something like that. So I just devised my own tagging system.