CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Some Monarch butterflies have left Chicago for a long journey.
Several hundred people gathered in Thatcher Woods in west suburban River Forest over the weekend for the Migrating Monarchs Celebration.
Monarch butterflies were tagged and released as they begin their migration of more than 2,000 miles to Mexico.
Sue Dombro, Director of the Trailside Museum in River Forest, told WBBM Newsradio "over the years their numbers have declined dramatically and so in order to see what's happening, we've put a small sticker tag on the wings of adult butterflies. These butterflies will fly all the way to Mexico."
Flebbe and other butterfly experts said everyone can help save the butterflies by planting milkweed and other native plants that the Monarchs can feed off on their journey.