Monarch Tagging at Waterloo Park: Today 9–11 AM, Six More Dates

Monarch butterfly tagging at Waterloo Park runs 9 to 11 a.m. this morning, Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Lebermann Plaza, 1301 Trinity St., in downtown Austin, Texas. Waterloo Greenway Conservancy lists five Waterloo Park shifts and five at The Confluence, running through Nov. 12, and volunteers catch and tag a monarch themselves.

According to ATX Things' reading of the conservancy's event pages and its GivePulse sign-up listing (read the morning of Oct. 28), registration is open and closes one hour before each shift ends. Today that means 10 a.m.

What actually happens at a monarch tagging shift?

The conservancy describes it in three steps. A short talk on monarch migration and tagging technique. A walk out to the designated tagging area. Then you catch a monarch and tag it yourself.

The listing says the information from tagged butterflies "helps us better understand their migration patterns and overall population health." That is the conservancy's wording, and it is all the listing says about where the data goes. We have not been to a shift, so we can't tell you how long the catching part takes or how many butterflies a group usually tags.

When are the next shifts, and where?

All shifts run 9 to 11 a.m. The conservancy's series pages list these dates (the pages contain year typos on the last date in each series; the weekdays match 2026):

Source: Waterloo Greenway Conservancy event series pages, read Oct. 28, 2026. Two earlier Confluence dates (Oct. 20 and 22) and a Waterloo date (Oct. 26) have passed.

Who can sign up, and does it cost anything?

Ages 12 and up on their own. The conservancy says kids 11 and under can help if a parent or guardian is with them. You register through GivePulse; the Waterloo Park listing said "47 Spots Remaining" across its shifts when we read it this morning. Neither the conservancy page nor the GivePulse listing states a price. If a fee or a waiver turns up at sign-up, that is where you'll see it.

Where do you park?

For Waterloo Park shifts the conservancy points to paid parking in the Capitol Visitors garage, on 12th Street between Red River and Trinity, and on 13th and 14th Streets between San Jacinto and Trinity. For The Confluence shifts it lists paid lots and garages: the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center lot, the Convention Center garage at 5th and Red River, the lot at 2nd and Sabine, and paid street parking along 3rd and 5th. We did not check rates or drive times.

Will there be monarchs?

Honestly, that part is out of anyone's hands. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the central Texas flyway is a path about 300 miles wide from Wichita Falls to Eagle Pass. Monarchs enter it in the last days of September and, by early November, most have passed through into Mexico. A second flyway along the coast runs from roughly the third week of October to mid-November.

By that calendar, late October is the back half of the Central Texas pass, not the peak. We could not find a published count for Austin this fall, so the conservancy's listing is a promise of a shift, not of a number of butterflies. Weather matters too: the forecast we pulled Oct. 25 had a muggy Wednesday with about a 31% chance of rain, so check the sky and the conservancy's page before you go.

If you can't make a morning shift, TPWD's monarch page points to other ways to help, including the Texas Pollinator Bioblitz and community-science projects.

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Join us for an unforgettable experience as we tag monarch butterflies at Waterloo Park during their annual migration! — Waterloo Greenway Conservancy event listing

What locals should know

• Today's shift is 9 to 11 a.m. and the sign-up closes at 10.
• The Confluence and Waterloo Park are different meeting points. Check which one your date is.
• Parking is paid at both. Allow time to walk in.
• There are six more weekday mornings through Nov. 12 if today doesn't work.
• Related: Saturday morning on Lady Bird Lake and the City's Halloween carnivals, Oct. 29-31.

FAQ

What is monarch butterfly tagging at Waterloo Park? A volunteer shift run by Waterloo Greenway Conservancy. After a short talk on migration, volunteers catch a monarch in the designated area and tag it, with the data used to study migration patterns and population health.

Is monarch tagging in Austin free? No price appears on the conservancy's event page or on the GivePulse listing as of Oct. 28. Confirm at sign-up.

What age do you have to be? 12 and up. Children 11 and under can take part with a parent or guardian present.

How do I register? Through GivePulse, the conservancy's sign-up page. Registration closes one hour before each shift ends.

Are monarchs still migrating through Austin in late October? Texas Parks and Wildlife says most monarchs on the central flyway have passed into Mexico by early November, so the end of October is the tail of the pass. We found no published Austin count for this fall.

Sources: Waterloo Greenway Conservancy event series, Waterloo Park · The Confluence · GivePulse listing · Texas Parks and Wildlife, monarch butterflies. We publish twice a day on what's open and happening; follow @austintexasthings.