A “net brigade” of volunteer butterfly hunters captured, tagged and released 52 monarch butterflies Saturday at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center. Fifty-two monarchs were captured and tagged earlier, for a total of 102, said Pam Martin, Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks & Tourism educator at the KWEC.
“The kids also caught other butterfly species, grasshoppers and dragonflies, having a great time outside,” Martin said.
This year’s KWEC  Butterfly Festival drew a crowd of 358 people – the largest ever for this event.
Participants made insect crafts and launched “flower seed bombs” into fields. The bombs contained native flower seeds, including milkweed, to promote butterfly friendly environments.
Butterfly milkweed plants, with growing instructions, were given to anyone who would like to encourage monarchs to visit their yards and gardens at home.
Each September, millions of monarch butterflies begin a three-month, 3,000-mile migration from Canada and the United States south to Mexico, using milkweed plants for their habitat and food.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, the estimated monarch population has decreased from one billion to 56.6 million since 1997.