The butterflies, busy chowing down, could be seen Monday from a distance, flittering in and out of the Gregg's mistflower planted in the butterfly garden at Temple College.

Not far behind was TC freshman biology student Joshua Huckabee wielding a net. He intended no malice, and in fact was releasing the butterflies as soon as the insects were tagged and accounted for.

Temple College is participating for the first time in the annual Monarch Watch, a project that began in 1992.

After the butterfly is caught, its sex is determined. The male has a small dark spot on its wing that a female doesn't have. The next step involves placing a tiny, numbered, adhesive tag onto the butterfly's wing. The tag number is logged in on a list the college will keep. Then the butterfly is released and on its merry way - with Mexico its likely destination.