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September 2026 Update
September 2026 Update
The migration season is upon us. We were surprised to have checked off 27 of Utah's 29 counties with documented monarch sightings in such a sparse year, with only Iron and San Juan counties remaining.
After a very quiet monarch summer, we are seeing a few more monarchs as they start fueling up for the long migration ahead. This is the most important time to have pollinator flowers in bloom. Some of their fall favorites are rabbitbrush, goldenrods, fall asters, and sunflowers, so please keep those blooms going in your yards!
Most Utah monarchs head west to sites along the California coast, where volunteers monitor 200+ sites. But we do know that some Utah monarchs head south to the overwintering sites in Mexico.
If you are curious, you can visit some of the sites in California (as well as Mexico!) December through February. Here is a link to view the various sites:
https://westernmonarchcount.org/map-of-overwintering-sites/
New Migration Tracking Technology
New Migration Tracking Technology
For decades, scientists and citizen scientists have been tagging monarchs with a small sticker attached to their hind wing - one that if placed correctly - doesn't impact the flight of the monarchs. Beginning in 2023, and thanks to CTT Technologies in Cape May, NJ, monarchs can be tagged with impressively light weight solar-powered, blutooth trackers. These tags can be picked up by cell phones through the free Project Monarch app, when set to "scan".
As of August 8, 2026 we have 10 monarchs tagged and released - all based in the eastern part of the state, thanks to Natasha Gruber-Hadden, a Wildlife Biologist with the US Forest Service based in the Uinta Basin.
Thanks to this technology, we can actually watch the direction monarchs take getting to Mexico as well as the west coast. Last winter, Blu+ tagged monarchs were followed all the way to Mexico and back, after months in the Oyamel forests of central Mexico!
The Western Monarch Count was announced on January 29, 2026
The count of just over 12,200 monarchs at the hundreds of sites counted along the California coast is the third lowest number recorded historically. Our efforts matter.
Here is our TO-DO list below:
Item #1 Above on our TO-DO list
Restore Monarch Breeding and Migratory Habitat
We have some incredible and FREE resources to help you plant native pollinator plants and milkweed in your spaces. Explore the Utah Pollinator Habitat Program, which opens for applications on March 1, 2026. Their recommended list of pollinator plants is exceptional and shows bloom time for each species. This is helpful for providing pollinators nectar from spring through fall.
EXCELLENT RESOURCES
EXCELLENT RESOURCES
Monarch Watch
Home of the national "Monarch Waystation" Program
Monarch Joint Venture
Excellent resources and webinars
Southwest Monarch Study
Our Tagging Source!
Utah Pollinator Habitat Program
Utah Pollinator Habitat Program
Xerces Society
Our Mission
To engage and educate Utahns in conservation of the monarch butterfly. We do this by providing expertise and training, native milkweed seeds and/or seedlings, and leveraging partnerships with other organizations (public and private) to advance the cause of the monarch butterfly and the other pollinators who will benefit from this work.
Utah FOM Official 501c3 status August 31, 2021
Federal ID 87-2412373
Rachel Taylor, Utah Friends of Monarchs, Founder
Monarch Conservation Specialist, Monarch Watch
Page updated
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