Monarch Oviposition and Larval Survival on Nine Native Milkweed Species

Abstract

<p>The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium was established in March 2015. Adding milkweeds to agricultural landscapes is one of many Consortium goals. In order to further monarch butterfly conservation efforts, scientists need more information about milkweed phenology and persistence on the landscape, and how monarchs are using these plants because milkweeds are now absent from most agricultural fields. This study was conducted over multiple years to examine both oviposition preference and larval survival on nine milkweed species endemic to Iowa. These data will be used as a baseline for informing monarch habitat conservation and restoration efforts across the Midwest. These are results from third season observations. Two studies using the same nine milkweed species in laboratory experiments were recently published. In greenhouse experiments, early instar survival and growth on the nine milkweed species were evaluated.</p>