Monarch Guardians

A Monarch butterfly dines on the nectar from a colorful hillside planting of orange Tithonia (Mexican sunflowers) along Observatory Drive. Jeff Miller

UW–Madison’s Arboretum is participating in a nationwide effort dedicated to researching monarch butterflies, conserving their habitat, and educating the public about these charismatic insects. Arboretum director Karen Oberhauser ’81, a leading monarch researcher, cofounded the Monarch Joint Venture while at the University of Minnesota. The UW’s is the first arboretum to join the more than 70 institutions involved in the effort, and Oberhauser says the new partnership recognizes efforts already under way at the Arboretum. Projects include establishing habitats friendly to butterflies and other pollinators and identifying threats to monarch populations.

Published in the Summer 2018 issue