CEDAR FALLS -- Hartman Reserve Nature Center will participate in a nationwide Monarch Watch butterfly tagging project this fall, and helpers are needed.

Small stickers or tags are placed on monarchs as they migrate south to central Mexico. The naturalists at Hartman have purchased the tags and need help capturing butterflies in September. The nature center will host three public tagging events, in addition to offering a tagging program during fall school field trips.

Workshops are set for 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 14.

Cost is $5 per person or $10 per family. Registration and payment are required two days before each tagging event.

Families with roosting sites near their house are encouraged to capture monarchs and bring them to one of the tagging events as well. Place the monarchs in a large cardboard box with sticks for them to sit on. Do not capture them more than 24 hours before the event, and place the butterflies in a dark, cool spot away from activity and pets. To provide a temporary food source, either include fresh slices of watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe or freshly cut flowers in vases.

Families who find monarch caterpillars and want to donate them to the tagging program can bring their caterpillars to the Milkweed Nursery at the nature center.

For more information visit www.MonarchWatch.org or call Hartman Reserve Nature Center at (319) 277-2187. Registration forms can be found at www.hartmanreserve.org.