August 26, 2024

Did you know that milkweed is the only plant that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on? Did you know that ingesting milkweed plants actually makes monarch caterpillars toxic to their predators? Or, did you know that it is estimated that the monarch butterfly population has decreased as much as 90% – as if every person living in the United States, except for those living in Ohio and Florida, disappeared? The relationship between monarch butterflies and milkweed plants is remarkable and becoming increasingly more important to learn about!

Join Ranger Katie at the Tatanka Shelter in Keyhole State Park on Sunday, September 1, at 7 p.m. to learn more about monarchs and milkweed! We will talk about the unique relationship between the two, explore the amazing monarch migration, and discuss how we can help the survival of both. There will also be live monarch caterpillars for some hands-on experience (if Ranger Katie can find some monarch caterpillars in the park this week)! These caterpillars will be reared, and adults will be tagged with Monarch Watch tags (https://monarchwatch.org/tagging/) and released to aid in the monarch butterfly research efforts.

Attendees to the program will be given packets of milkweed seeds to bring home and plant themselves! For directions, visit wyoparks.info/keyholemaps. Events and their descriptions can be viewed on the Keyhole State Park Facebook page: wyoparks.info/keyholeevents. Park fees apply to those attending the events. Interpretive Ranger Katie can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any specific questions.