Help Tag Monarchs at Crossroads

Last week, four monarch butterflies were sighted at Crossroads. Four is a small number for late August when local populations of these butterflies should be at their peak. On Sept. 1 at 1 pm, the Northeast Wisconsin Audubon Society will bring Ann Shebesta, the Butterfly Lady of Mishicot, back to Crossroads for an afternoon of Monarch Tagging.

The program will include an indoor introduction on the monarch life cycle. Then, Shebesta will distribute nets so participants can catch and tag monarchs. She will record and submit the data. If that data shows no butterflies were caught in an area that usually yields at least 100 specimens, that information will be useful. Participants may bring their home-reared monarchs for tagging if enough tags are left. If monarchs are not at Crossroads, the group will catch (and release) other butterfly species. The free program will be held rain or shine. Participants should meet at the Collins Learning Center.

On Aug. 30 at 2 pm, the Door County Invasive Species Team (DCIST) will present the August Phragmites Symposium. Join the members of DCIST to learn about this invasive grass. The symposium will include presentations by Stacy Schumacher (Wisconsin DNR) on the mapping of invasive species and the differences between native and non-native phragmites.

Mathew Peters, a graduate student from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, will give an overview of his research, “A Comparison of Ecological Services between Native and Invasive Phragmites australis in Door County Wisconsin.”

Crossroads, located at 2041 Michigan Street in Sturgeon Bay, is open 2 – 4:30 pm daily. For more information visit crossroadsatbigcreek.com.