Year 1: August 2023 - 2024

We have been tagging monarch butterflies in Hawaii for 1 year. Our first butterfly was tagged on August 16, 2023, on Oahu. Since then, we distributed approximately 2,000 tags and our volunteers reported tagging 471 butterflies. Of the butterflies tagged, 4 were recovered! 

In our first year, we limited distribution to Oahu and the Big Island: 91% were tagged on Oahu and 9% on the Big Island. Of the tagged butterflies found, 3 were from Oahu and 1 from the Big Island. We have just under a 1% return rate which is standard for other tagging programs across the U.S.

See our full dataset here.

Found Butterfly Details: 

Tag 00919: Found on February 22, 2024, this female was found alive on Oahu in the zip code 96712 (Haleiwa, Pupukea). We do not have data on when or where she was tagged. If this was your butterfly, please let us know!

Tag 00069: This male butterfly was tagged on December 29, 2023. He was found alive 17 days later, on January 7, 2024. He was tagged and found in Eva Beach, Oahu (96706).  

Tag 00617: This male butterfly was found dead the same day he was tagged: January 2, 2024. He was tagged and found in Eva Beach, Oahu (zip code 96706).

Tag 00794: Found on December 25, 2023, this lovely lady was enjoying life on the Big Island in the zip code 96749 (Keaau, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Kurtistown, Orchidlands Estates, Hawaiian Acres, Hā'ena). We do not have data on when or where this butterfly was tagged. If this was your butterfly, please let us know!

Need More Tags?

We recently received additional tags from Monarch Watch and are ready for distribution. Our numbering system remains the same. If you have unused tags, please continue to use them. If you have tags that you do not want, you can return them to us at the address listed below. Need more tags? Please complete the form on our website.  

Hawaii Monarch Research Project

P.O. Box 235317

Honolulu, HI 96823