Students in Melissa Moore’s Biology Classes at Plainville High School are acting as “Citizen Scientists” as part of the Monarch Watch Tagging Program. According to their website, monarchwatch.org, it is “a large-scale community science project that was initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch butterfly’s spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture.” Mrs. Moore’s classes have been participating in the initiative for several years, which begins with ordering the butterfly “tagging kits” including a set of monarch butterfly tags, a datasheet, tagging instructions, and additional monarch/migration information. Students study the Monarch life cycle and watch the transformation cycle of the Chrysalis to Butterfly. The butterflies are then “tagged” with lightweight stickers before they are released. The tags help scientists track the Monarch journey, with the goal of confirming their travel to Mexico where the data is collected and used in researching migration patterns and population health. This hands-on project provides an opportunity for our students to contribute to real world research while learning about lifecycles, conservation and more.