Recent News
Alec Euken is an undergraduate research assistant with the ISU monarch butterfly research team. Euken, a native of Clear Lake, Iowa, is an avid photographer and a leader in the ISU Conservation Club. He has worked with the monarch team in the field and in the lab since 2016!
We are hearing from many people about groups of monarch butterflies roosting in locations statewide! The migration of the eastern monarch population spans 3,000 miles from Canada to Mexico.
As you spend time outdoors in the warmer months, you may have noticed fewer monarch butterflies over the years. Geographically, Iowa is in the center of the monarch’s summer breeding range. For monarchs to survive and thrive, it’s essential for Iowans to help establish milkweed habitats.
Upcoming Events
-
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm
-
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - 10:30am to 2:00pm
-
Thursday, September 27, 2018 - 4:00pm to 6:30pm
Monarch Conservation
Iowa's role is vital to the monarch butterfly’s recovery! The Iowa Monarch Conservation Strategy is now available to guide efforts. Read a summary of the strategy, and here are five actions you can take. Read the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium's Strategic Goals.
Monarch Sightings
Click on the map on the right to see the progress of monarchs migrating north from Mexico.
Learning About Iowa Monarchs
We want our recommendations for monarch habitat improvement to be scientifically sound. Research projects in summer 2017 include:
- efforts to evaluate nine species of milkweed on plots at Iowa State University research farms
- a project to discover optimal monarch breeding, forage and roosting habitat characteristics in Iowa's patchy landscape and
- a survey of milkweed species and monarch occurrence, plant density, and population to establish baseline data.