2017: Monarchs & Migrants Weekend at Presqu'ile Provincial Park is on, Saturday September 2 and Sunday September 3!!
You were wondering how one can possibly tag butterflies without seriously impairing their capacity to fly? Here’s your chance to find out. Playing tag takes on a whole new meaning at Presqu’ile. The kind of animal tagging we’re talking about here is the gentle application of a very light sticker on the lower part of the butterfly’s wing.
The wind was so strong on the day of our visit, we hardly saw birds while strolling on the 1.6-km-round trail of Owen Point Trail (where bird branding takes place). Still, we enjoyed walking through very tall grasses and around the point overlooking the lake.Butterflies were few in the bushes. Yet, as we approached the tagging station near the lighthouse, we saw more monarchs than usual and there were enough around for everyone who wanted to tag their own butterfly, and for a chance to take great close-up photos of them as they rested on leaves. The insects felt surprisingly sturdy as we held them between thumb and finger. Not at all as fragile as we expected. Note that those butterflies, born at the end of the summer, are biologically and behaviourally different from those we see earlier in the season. Only those are equipped to migrate to sites near Mexico City, some 3,400 kms away. They will eventually return to Canada. Only the children of their grandchildren will undertake the same trip.
We had our picnic by the water, walked around the lighthouse and returned to visit the interpretive centre with interesting displays and stories. Then, it was time to drive to the Marsh Boardwalk, a 1-km trail running through the marsh. Ask for trail maps when you enter the park. More about Presqu'ile Provincial Park.
