Saving Monarchs: Science, Stewardship, and Sustainability

Organizer(s)

• MA

  Michael Adu-Brew

  Graduate Student
  University of Maryland
  College Park, Maryland
• JM

  Jillian Mae Stewart

  Faculty Assistant
  University of Maryland
  College Park, Maryland
• MZ

  Michael Zhao

  University of Maryland
  College Park, Maryland
• 

  Niranjana Krishnan (she/her/hers)

  Assistant Professor
  Entomology
  University of Maryland
  College Park, Maryland

Our member symposium explores monarch butterfly science, conservation, and stewardship. With a final Endangered Species Act listing decision expected in December 2025, experts nationwide will discuss threats, implications, and research needs to support monarch population recovery. Presentations and discussions may lead to a white paper and future collaborations.

Presentations:

• 9:00 AM - 9:05 AM Pacific

  Introductory remarks
  

  Presenting Author: Niranjana Krishnan (she/her/hers) – University of Maryland
• 9:05 AM - 9:20 AM Pacific

  Rearing does not harm the monarch population
  

  Presenting Author: John Pleasants – Iowa State University

  Co-Author: Orley Taylor – University of Kansas
• 9:20 AM - 9:35 AM Pacific

  Risk of insecticides to monarchs and painted lady butterflies
  

  Presenting Author: Vera Krischik – University of Minnesota
• 9:35 AM - 9:50 AM Pacific

  Integrating existing evidence and new toxicity data to assess pesticide risks for informing monarch conservation
  

  Presenting Author: Michael Adu-Brew – University of Maryland

  Co-Author: Niranjana Krishnan (she/her/hers) – University of Maryland
• 9:50 AM - 10:05 AM Pacific

  Assessing diamide effects on monarch butterflies in lab and greenhouse settings
  

  Presenting Author: Jillian Mae Stewart – University of Maryland

  Co-Author: Kelsey Elizabeth Fisher – Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

  Co-Author: Niranjana Krishnan (she/her/hers) – University of Maryland
• 10:05 AM - 10:25 AM Pacific

  Break
• 10:25 AM - 10:40 AM Pacific

  Impacts of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) leaf age on larval monarch (Danaus plexippus) growth, development, and feeding behavior and the implications for conservation management
  

  Presenting Author: Kelsey Elizabeth Fisher – Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

  Co-Author: Caleb B. Bryan – Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
• 10:40 AM - 10:55 AM Pacific

  Heat stress reduces the survival of monarch eggs and larvae in the field
  

  Presenting Author: Dylan MacArthur-Waltz – University of California

  Co-Author: Louie H. Yang (he/him/his) – University of California

  Co-Author: Leslie Ries – Georgetown University

  Co-Author: Karen Oberhauser – University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 10:55 AM - 11:10 AM Pacific

  Linking basic and applied research for the monarch butterfly: Translating science to action
  

  Presenting Author: Leslie Ries – Georgetown University

  Co-Author: Elise Larsen – Georgetown University

  Co-Author: Karen Oberhauser – University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 11:10 AM - 11:25 AM Pacific

  Monarch responses to environmental factors: Implications for education, conservation, and research
  

  Presenting Author: Kristen Baum – University of Kansas
• 11:25 AM - 11:55 AM Pacific

  Panel discussion
• 11:55 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific

  Closing remarks
  

  Presenting Author: Niranjana Krishnan (she/her/hers) – University of Maryland