News

Get a behind-the-scenes look at this summer's monarch migration research! Using innovative BlūMorpho tags, scientists at ISU are testing how reared monarchs' migratory abilities compare to wild individuals. See how tags are attached to butterflies, and learn more about the questions that this new technology will answer. 

Graduate Researcher: Adam Meneses 

This is Adam's second summer collecting data on butterfly communities in both remnant and reconstructed prairies. This year, he's also added on a side project surveying regal fritillary populations and their association with native violets!

Graduate Researcher: Sonja Weber

Sonja Weber's research digs into how management practices, like fire and grazing, affect remnant and reconstructed prairies and their plant communities. A St. Louis native, Sonja grew up in a family that made science and the outdoors a shared, everyday activity, sparking the curiosity that eventually pulled her into graduate research at ISU.

Graduate Researcher: Rory Wisgerhof

Growing up in Minnesota, Rory developed a great appreciation for wildlife and insects, eventually leading her to pursue an Entomology Masters at ISU studying plant pollinator dynamics in CP43 prairie strips and saturated buffers across Iowa. 

Pollinator intern: Casey Kong

Landowners and homeowners are being asked to help document the monarch fall migration by identifying areas where monarchs rest in clusters, like trees and sheltered areas, as they funnel through Iowa during their trip to their overwintering sites in Mexico. By reporting monarch roosts throughout the state, Iowans can help provide information that can support conservation efforts for this incredible species. 

Pollinator intern: Priscila Palacios

Priscila Palacios is an undergrad at ISU studying Environmental Science with a minor in Spanish! This summer, she is conducting butterfly and floral belt surveys in Minnesota to research butterfly behavior in remnant and reconstructed prairies.

Prairie intern: Dharma Fribley

Dharma Fribley is a 3rd year Landscape Architecture and International Studies major at ISU with a focus on Global Environmental Sustainability. This summer, she is exploring the differences in vegetative communities between remnant and reconstructed prairies across both Iowa and Minnesota!

Pollinator intern: Sharon Wirth

Sharon Wirth is a Pollinator Technician originally from St. Louis, Missouri, who is studying Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Ecology at Iowa State University with a minor in Entomology. This summer, she is surveying pollinator populations in saturated buffers and prairie strips!

Prairie Microbial Research: Monarch Intern Emma Donahey

Emma Donahey, returning monarch intern for the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, shares an update on her prairie microbial research project. Currently, she is collecting floral microbes in both remnant and reconstructed prairies to assess whether community composition differs. This year, she is adding additional prairies across the state to broaden her research scope.

Monarch intern: Paxton Scott

Paxton Scott is a Research Assistant with the Iowa State University Monarch Butterfly Research Team. He is originally from Lawton, Iowa, and got his Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science with a minor in Entomology. His interests are lepidopteran taxonomy and ecology. He recently has spent time surveying butterflies in the Peruvian Amazon and plans to pursue his PhD in lepidopteran ecology. 

No Mow May has become a popular practice where people refrain from mowing their lawns throughout May in the hopes of providing pollinators with flowers. However, the effectiveness of No Mow May for pollinator conservation is often debated. Learn more about the pros and cons of No Mow May, as well as some alternative options that will better support pollinators in your yard this spring!

Prairie Strips have become a common conservation tool in agriculture, but the question still remains as to whether these areas can truly support pollinators. After a decade of study, researchers at ISU say yes! Dr. Amy Toth has found that prairie strips support both a greater abundance and diversity of pollinators than what would otherwise be found in agricultural fields.

The 2025-26 overwintering numbers for the eastern monarch population have recently been announced and show an increase in size for the second year in a row! This year, monarchs occupied 7.24 acres (2.93 hectares), a 64% increase from last year's 4.42 acres (1.79 hectares).

Support Monarchs this Forever True Day

Join us in supporting monarch conservation on ISU's Forever True Day on April 1st - 2nd. Donations will support our Native Plant Network, providing free native plants at outreach events to increase monarch habitat in Iowa, and our new monarch radio telemetry research using innovative Bluetooth technology. Participants will also have the opportunity to win one of two prizes: a native pollinator garden landscape design consultation and the chance to name one of our tagged butterflies this summer and watch as it makes its way to Mexico this fall! Please consider giving to help support monarch conservation!

First record of US overwintering monarchs and winter-breeding monarchs roosting in same location

During the 2024/25 winter, researchers documented the first known co-occurrence of winter-breeding monarchs roosting in the same area as overwintering monarchs in California. While this occurrence has been noted before in Australia, it was the first time it has been reported in North America. In the coming years, scientists will continue to monitor any future co-occurrences to determine if the nearby presence of breeding monarchs impacts the behavior of overwintering individuals.

We're Hiring! Summer 2026 Internships

We’re hiring! This summer, the IMCC is hiring for 2 internship positions to conduct research on monarch populations, with 4 additional positions available in the KOB lab at ISU studying remnant and restored prairie habitats, as well as pollinator communities in agricultural areas. Visit https://faculty.sites.iastate.edu/kralob/research for more details and application information.

The Western Monarch population numbers for the 25/26 overwinter season were recently announced by the Xerces Society. 12,260 monarchs were recorded in California overwintering sites. Though this is a slight increase from last year, it is the 3rd lowest count since surveys began in 1997. Conservationists call for increased overwintering restoration efforts and better management of existing overwintering sites. 

New research from ISU shows that prairie strips can increase soil health at much faster rates than previously expected. Through increased soil stability, more organic matter, and a higher water-holding capacity, prairie strips improve the health of soils in agricultural areas.