In an exciting start to monarch butterfly season, a tagged monarch named WR087-LULU arrived in Ellwood on October 26, having been tracked on its fall migration all the way from Idaho!  “Lulu” was fitted with a miniature solar-powered tracking tag near Grand View, Idaho on September 18, 2026, and was tracked along its 38-day, over 600-mile journey before making landfall at Sandpiper Golf Course.  

Lulu is one of hundreds of monarchs in the US being tracked this season as part of Project Monarch, which combines cutting-edge tag technology with an app that allows the public to gather and read the tracking data with their phones.  This fall, local community group Ellwood Friends and monarch scientists from Althouse & Meade plan to tag 10 monarchs at Ellwood using the same technology, so other butterflies will be joining Lulu soon!  Community members are encouraged to download the free Project Monarch app to follow tagged monarchs on their journey.

Looking for a way to lend a hand for the monarchs this season? Ellwood Friends and the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade are partnering with the City to plant native trees and restore monarch habitat at Ellwood, and we need your help!  Register for upcoming volunteer workdays on November 7th and 15th here.

Pictutred: Lulu the monarch butterfly