Norfolk Botanical Garden tags Monarch butterflies as they head south for the winter

NORFOLK, Va. — These students from Ocean Lakes High School are trying to catch butterflies at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

They're taking part in a North American conservation program to track the monarch's migration to Mexico.

"Each monarch gets a tag that's about the size of a pencil eraser, and it has its own specific code," said Lauren Tafoya of the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

"We will record the date, time and place, turn that into Monarch Watch, which is the study group, and they will look for comparisons of those tags recovered either en route to Mexico or at the destination in Mexico," she added.

Monarchs head south in mid-September in Virginia because they can't survive in freezing temperatures.

"They're soft. It's almost like there's nothing between my hands. The wings are re