News
April 04, 2023
The last year was a difficult one for the eastern monarch butterfly, according to a report just released that indicates monarchs occupying forest canopy in their wintering grounds in Mexico decreased by 22%, down from approximately 7 acres in 2021 to a little under 5½ acres during the winter of...
December 23, 2022
This past fall, over 4,100 students from 165 classrooms in grades kindergarten through high school were able to rear and tag monarch butterflies in August at the start of the school year. Lynne Campbell, Extension Education Specialist with Iowa State University 4-H Youth Development,...
December 14, 2022
A newly published overview of Iowa State University research on the monarch butterfly synthesizes years of study that includes field observations, laboratory experiments and simulation modeling. The findings estimate that the state’s monarch conservation plan will increase the size of the...
November 09, 2022
Photo by Jacque Pohl
AMES, Iowa – New research on monarchs published by Iowa State University scientists in the peer-reviewed journal, BioScience, offers encouraging insights for revival of monarch populations.
The paper concludes that the population of breeding monarchs in Iowa and other...
July 22, 2022
May 25, 2022
AMES, Iowa - A report released yesterday by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) indicates that the eastern monarch butterfly population has slightly increased. The report, produced annually by the WWF in collaboration with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), the National...
December 15, 2021
Dr. Niranjana Krishnan, an assistant research professor in biological sciences at Missouri University of Science and Technology and project alumni of the consortium, says that certain insecticides are better than others for minimally impacting animal habitats.
August 17, 2021
The monarch butterfly population has been in decline in recent decades, but Nevada’s Lincolnway Energy is one of the organizations across the state of Iowa that are increasing the pollinators’ habitat.
July 28, 2021
A research publication by a recent Iowa State University graduate, Niranjana Krishnan, in toxicology has won recognition as the best article of 2020 in the journal “Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.”
June 27, 2021
by Lynne Campbell, Education Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development ...
June 26, 2021
HabiTally enables farmers, ranchers, landowners, and private citizens to support monarch recovery by entering data about monarch habitat conservation efforts on their farms or yards or even in locations where groups may create new habitats like churches or parks.
Monarch butterflies face many...
June 25, 2021
A recently published financial analysis examines the financial implications for landowners and managers considering converting lawns to pollinator habitats in rural landscapes.
The study published this month in the online peer-reviewed publication, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management,...
June 24, 2021
by Dr. Niranjana Krishnan, Assistant Research Professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology
The question posed in the title of this blog formed the basis of my Ph.D. work at Iowa State University. Why is it important to know if exposure to insecticides can impact the...
June 23, 2021
By Dr. Kelsey E. Fisher, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Entomology
Monarchs are a charismatic species for multiple reasons: 1) they have bright, obvious coloration as caterpillars and as butterflies that warn predators to stay away, 2) their impressive multi-generational...
June 22, 2021
By Alex Mullins, Biologist on an Ecological Risk Assessment team at Bayer Crop Science
The fascinating relationship between the monarch butterfly and its obligate host plant species, milkweed (Asclepias) has long drawn attention from scientists and the public alike. As the obligate host...
June 21, 2021
By Dr. John M. Pleasants, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology
overwintering monarch butterflies in Mexico
The location of the overwintering sites for monarch butterflies wasn’t known to the scientific...
May 17, 2021
New research on monarchs by Iowa State University scientists offers important insights to those trying to boost populations by planting habitat close to corn and soybean fields.
February 26, 2021
AMES, Iowa — The World Wildlife Fund, Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve released its 2020-2021 overwintering monarch population report on February 25, 2021. Adult monarch butterflies covered approximately five acres of forest canopy in...
December 15, 2020
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced on December 15th that adding the monarch butterfly to the list of threatened and endangered species is warranted, but precluded by work on higher-priority listing actions. With this decision, the monarch becomes a candidate for listing under the...
December 03, 2020
AMES, Iowa – On December 15th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will release the decision on whether or not the monarch butterfly becomes listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The USFWS received a petition in 2014 from several organizations requesting the monarch butterfly be protected...
September 03, 2020
A recently published analysis of data on tagged monarch butterflies migrating from the United States to Mexico emphasizes the importance of creating new habitat to ensure the future of the species’ iconic migratory pattern.
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