Monarchs Overwintering in Virginia? Tagged Monarchs Tell Amazing Tale My wife, Joyce, and I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia (Lat 36.75, Long 75.99). This past year I raised approximately 455 monarchs, of which 235 were tagged and released for Monarch Watch. Monarch Tag GEX 514 (Click for larger images) On Sunday, September 25th, 2005 at my home (Monarch Waystation #35) I caught, tagged, and released a wild male monarch (probably hatched in my yard) with Monarch Watch tag serial No. GEX 514. One warm day in January (we have had a very mild winter) we saw a monarch necturing on Chrysanthemum pacificum in our yard, but we could not get close enough to identify it specifically as being male or female. On Thursday February 16th, another unseasonably warm day, my wife again saw a tagged male monarch nectaring on winter daphne next to our garage. She attempted to catch and photograph him, but he flew away and did not return. The next couple of days it grew very cold, down to 19 and 20 degrees during the night and early morning. Today, Thursday, March 2 at approximately 11:00 a.m., my wife again saw the male monarch nectaring on the winter daphne. She was able to catch him, record the tag as GEX 514, and take numerous pictures. I was so excited about the implications that I immediately drove home from work, observed the monarch, and had my wife take pictures of the butterfly with me holding today’s local newspaper in the background (for a date reference). The evidence seems to indicate that this male monarch probably overwintered in our pine trees for over five months at latitude 36.75 in Virginia Beach. IS THIS SPECIAL OR WHAT? I'll tell you this: It definitely is special for Joyce, Dave, and monarch GEX 514. Monarch Tag GEX 521 (Click for larger images) Then a second monarch came by this same afternoon; my wife saw both together displaying typical male monarch aggressive behavior. This second monarch is also a wild male and was caught, tagged, and released in my yard on September 26th, 2005 with Monarch Watch tag #GEX 521 — one day later than Monarch #GEX 514. We were totally shocked that a monarch might have actually overwintered in our area, and that it was one I caught and tagged in my yard back in September. BUT TWO MONARCHS . . . Now we are really wondering what is going on. Your monarch friends, Joyce & Dave Williams Journaling Task This story illustrates the value of "citizen science." (As the name implies, citizen science involves regular people in the process of scientific research and discovery.) List all of the things that you (and the Williams') learned about monarch butterfly biology from this single observation. Copyright 2006 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form