Public Asked to Help Track Butterflies

Biologists want the public’s help in watching for thousands of monarch butterflies bearing tiny tags that may reveal the mystery of where the colorful insects spend their summers.

Biologists tagged more than 20,000 monarchs from November to February, when they clustered in coastal Marin, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties.

The white, round tags are attached to the hindwings of the butterflies. Each is imprinted with an identification number and a toll-free number -- (877) 897-7740 -- that anyone spotting the tagged insect is asked to call with details of the sighting.