News
February 01, 2019
AMES, Iowa — This week, the World Wildlife Fund released its 2018-2019 overwintering monarch population report. Adult monarch butterflies covered approximately 15 acres of forest canopy in Mexico, a doubling of last year’s population, and a level not seen since 10 years ago.
January 17, 2019
Melanie Aust (left) is an undergraduate research assistant with the ISU monarch butterfly research team. Aust, a native of Glenwood, Iowa, is a senior in animal ecology and a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, Environmental Science Club, and Fisheries and Wildlife Biology Club. She has worked...
December 20, 2018
Wondering how herbicide affects milkweed? Does it die, do females still lay eggs on it, and do caterpillars thrive? Recent Iowa State graduate Sydney Lizotte-Hall and ISU Extension Agronomist Bob Hartzler conducted trials with herbicide fomesafen to find out.
Common milkweed was planted...
November 29, 2018
More than a dozen member organizations of the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium are representing Iowa at an event hosted by Monarch Joint Venture and the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in Nebraska City, NE. Monarch conservation groups from 20 states will share information and...
October 22, 2018
Female monarch on blazing star, Boone County. Photo by Jacqueline Pohl, Iowa State University.
The Iowa Monarch Conservation Strategy now includes best management practices to guide Iowans in helping to increase monarch butterfly habitat.
Establishing and maintaining monarch habitat on...
October 17, 2018
Jacob Handel (far left) is an undergraduate research assistant with the ISU monarch butterfly research team. Handel, a native of Sycamore, Illinois, is an active member of the ISU Environmental Science Club where he currently holds the role of risk management officer and is the...
October 10, 2018
The eastern population of monarch butterflies has declined significantly over the past 20 years. As the figure here illustrates, Iowa is in the heart of the summer breeding range for this iconic insect. Habitat restoration that includes planting native milkweed species is critical...
September 27, 2018
Madison County landowners Don Eyerly and J.D. Schruers hosted field day participants on Sept. 26 for a tour of pollinator habitat plantings near Winterset, Iowa. The event was presented by Madison County Extension, Iowa Pheasants Forever, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa...
September 17, 2018
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 where he currently holds the role of vice president and formerly served as the club's...
September 17, 2018
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. Generally, these migrating monarchs appear in Iowa during September, with the monarch abundance peaking...
September 05, 2018
by Erin Campbell
Director of Communications, Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives
As you spend time outdoors in the warmer months, you may have noticed fewer monarch butterflies over the years. Unfortunately, the monarch butterfly population has experienced an 80 percent decline in the...
August 24, 2018
Join us at the 2018 Farm Progress Show and bring your questions about monarch and pollinator habitat! In a recent Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, nearly half of Iowa farmers said that they are willing to plant monarch breeding habitat but are unsure how much land or money they would...
August 22, 2018
The fall semester began this week at Iowa State which means summer research internships are wrapping up! Our team was fortunate to collaborate with a very dedicated group of undergraduate researchers -- in the lab and in the field -- from May through August.
One of our student research...
August 09, 2018
AMES, Iowa ― Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host a monarch and pollinator field day on Aug. 21 at the Prairie Ridge Care Center in Orange City. The program will run from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and includes a field tour of the monarch and pollinator habitat planted at Prairie Ridge Care...
July 26, 2018
"Awesome research -- keep it going!"
"I learned a lot about monarchs today -- very informational!"
"Great event! Loved the demonstration!"
"Really well organized."
"Great program!"
Participants at the 2018 Iowa Monarch Summit and Field Day enjoyed a full day of ...
May 26, 2018
By Willy Klein
Farming near Osage in northeast Iowa, this year marks the 45th crop Wayne Fredericks has planted on the 750 acres he farms using no-till, strip till and cover crops. While he’s hopeful for great soybean and corn crops, he is especially proud of the 7 acres of pollinator habitat...
May 24, 2018
DES MOINES, IOWA—Funding and planning assistance are available to implement habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators on Iowa farms through USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Interested landowners should visit their local Natural Resources Conservation Service (...
May 11, 2018
The Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA) welcomes public comments through May 31 on a draft conservation plan that provides a blueprint for reversing the decline of the eastern monarch butterfly population.
May 03, 2018
March 29, 2018
By Bob Hartzler, ISU Extension weed scientist
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) recently released a report (A menace to monarchs) describing the threat to monarch butterflies posed by an increased use of dicamba. While I have been fairly critical of the Xtend system1 due ...
March 21, 2018
The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium was honored to receive the "Leadership in Collaboration Award" as part of the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Leader Awards presented on March 6.
The Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Leader Awards were created to recognize, honor and promote Iowa...
March 16, 2018
The eastern population of monarch butterflies is declining. We know they need milkweed to thrive… but what size should milkweed patches be? How far apart should patches be? How will planting of milkweed in roadsides and on CRP land affect monarch population growth? Trying to answer...
March 12, 2018
The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium has set a goal of acres devoted to monarch butterfly habitat in the state by 2038.
“The consortium has worked collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan to expand habitat on our agricultural land, urban areas, roadsides, and...
March 02, 2018
by Carol Brown
The loss of a little butterfly could have big implications for Iowa farmers. The eastern monarch butterfly population has decreased 80 percent during the past two decades. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will decide in 2019 if the iconic orange and black insect...
February 26, 2018
Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has two conservation program opportunities earmarked for landowners to implement monarch habitat practices: the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The next funding cutoff deadline...
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