Citizen science monarch butterfly tagging programs contribute valuable migration data while engaging millions of people in direct connection with individual butterflies and their welfare needs.
Monarch tagging programs using small adhesive wing tags cause minimal welfare impact to individual butterflies while generating population data invaluable for conservation planning. The engagement of millions of citizen scientists with individual monarchs builds the kind of personal connection that translates into conservation behavior. People who have held and tagged a monarch are more likely to plant milkweed, advocate for pesticide reduction, and support conservation funding. Science and welfare promotion reinforce each other in well-designed citizen science programs.