Monarch Watch Event
Updated: 8 July 2025

International Monarch Science Symposium

The last day to register is July 14, 2025.
Visit the Symposium Registration Site (event.monarchwatch.org) to register today, as space is limited.

Join us in Lawrence, Kansas, August 5-7, 2025 to learn more about monarchs, hear about the latest monarch research from scientists, and connect with folks from all over the world who are passionate about these spectacular butterflies. We have more than 45 scientists scheduled for presentations as well as several panels and poster sessions. Please check this page periodically for updates and thank you for your interest!

SYMPOSIUM SUMMARY

What: International Monarch Science Symposium

When: August 5-7, 2025

Where: Lawrence, Kansas (hosted by Monarch Watch at The University of Kansas)

Monarch Watch, University of Kansas, 2021 Constant Ave, Lawrence, KS 66047 monarchwatch.org

Conference activities will be located adjacent to Monarch Watch in the School of Pharmacy building at 2010 Becker Dr, Lawrence, KS 66047

Who: Scientists, researchers, students, and others interested in monarchs are welcome to attend.

Important Dates:

March 31, 2025 - research abstract submission deadline
May, 2025 - presenters will be notified of abstract acceptance and presentation format
June 12, 2025 - early registration begins
July 7, 2025 - last day for early registration
July 11, 2025 - last day to cancel for full refund
July 14, 2025 - last day to register

For Presenters:

Research Abstract Submission Form

Registration:

• Early registration (June 12-July 7): closed
• Regular registration (July 8-14): $175 ($50 for students)
Symposium Registration Site (event.monarchwatch.org)

*Travel scholarships are available for student presenters, early-career scientists, and international speakers. Please note your interest in the field on the research abstract submission form.

Terms & Conditions: We are committed to a safe, respectful, and positive symposium experience for all participants. Harassment, discrimination, or disruptive behavior-whether in-person, online, or on social media-will not be tolerated. By registering, you agree to respect others' opinions and personal space. Violators may be removed without a refund.

Photos, videos, and other recordings may be taken during the symposium, including pre/post and virtual events. By registering, you consent to being recorded and authorize Monarch Watch and its representatives to use the content for educational or promotional purposes (e.g., news, websites, social media).

Cancellations: Cancellations made by July 11, 2025 will receive a full refund. Cancellations after this date will be refunded minus a $50 administrative fee for non-recoverable costs. Please contact us at monarch@ku.edu to cancel your registration.

Contact: monarch@ku.edu

GENERAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Below is a general schedule of events. A complete schedule including presenters and presentations will be posted online as soon as it is available.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2025

9:00AM-4:00PM - optional field trips (see below for details)

4:30PM - registration check-in begins

5:00PM-7:00PM - evening reception

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2025

8:15AM - registration check-in continues

8:45AM-6:15PM - sessions run, with breaks and lunch (provided) in between

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2025

8:30AM-12:00PM - sessions run

12:00PM-2:00PM - optional lunch (free with symposium registration) and open discussion/networking time

TENTATIVE LIST OF PRESENTERS

Below is a tentative list of symposium presenters; details subject to change.

NAMEAFFILIATIONPRESENTATION TITLE
Anparasan, LibeshaWasserCluster Lunz Biological Research StationDrought Impacts on Energy Dynamics in Overwintering Monarch Butterflies: An Isotopic and Lipid Perspective
Avalos Tello, Cesar Carbon Projects in the Monarch butterfly Region, a community-based model
Belton, CalvinUniversity of KansasSignificantly greater survival and slower aging rate in captive-reared male monarchs relative to females.
Bolek, Matthew Oklahoma State UniversityDistribution and Transmission Mechanisms of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha in Monarch Butterflies, Danaus plexixppus: What Can Scanning Electron Microscopy Tell Us?
Boppré, MichaelForstzoologie und Entomologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, GermanyA knowledge gap in the chemoecology of monarch butterflies
Brown, LeoneJames Madison UniversityImpacts of Motus-compatible telemetry tags on monarch butterfly movement, behavior, and survival
Brown, Christopher Bayer Crop ScienceDevelopment of insect-protected genetically engineered crops using a safe by design approach and a thorough environmental risk assessment
Campbell, Lynne Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Beyond Research: Beyond Ready with 4-H Youth Development
Dalikova, MartinaUniversity of KansasAssembly and characterization of W chromosome in monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Davis, AmelieU.S. Air Force AcademyPollinator Planting in Private Yards: Intentions, Impediments, and Implications
Fisher, Kelsey (remote)Connecticut Agricultural Experiment StationMonarch butterfly breeding habitat restoration: How understanding habitat suitability, movement ecology, and behavior can inform best practices for conservation
Fox, JessicaConservation BiologistReality of Monarch Conservation by Energy and Agriculture
Freedman, MicahUniversity of TorontoUsing cardenolide fingerprinting to infer natal host plants and geographical origins of western monarch butterflies
Fyson, VincentCanadian Wildlife FederationMapping monarch seasonal breeding patterns in Eastern North America to inform mowing strategies for roadsides and other rights-of-ways
Geest, EmilyOklahoma City Zoo & Botanical GardenComparison of monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) habitat sampling protocols in the southern Great Plains.
Grundel, Ralph (remote)US Geological SurveyThe role of timing in successful completion of monarch southward migration
Guerra, Patrick (remote) Navigational mechanisms used by migratory monarchs are re-calibrated by cold conditions as found at the overwintering sites in Mexico
Hermann, SaraPenn StateEnemies Among Allies: Predation and Plant Choice Drive Monarch Conservation
Hovland, CharlotteUniversity of Georgia Odum School of EcologyHabitat sharing between resident and migrant conspecifics leads to increased infection prevalence and reduced recruitment in migrants.
James, David (remote)Washington State UniversityThe Western Monarch is Adapting to a Warming Climate through Modification of Winter Ecology
Kharouba, Heather (remote)University of OttawaMonarch habitat restoration in a changing climate
Kinkead, KarenIowa DNRIowa Monarch Butterfly Summer Transect Densities, 2006 - 2024
Krishnan, Niranjana (remote)University of Maryland, College ParkMonarch butterfly conservation: What do we know about pesticide toxicity and risk?
Kronforst, MarcusUniversity of ChicagoDefining Environmental and Genetic Contributions to Monarch Butterfly Migration Behavior
Lawson, NancyHumane Gardener"Monarch Rx" - a participatory project with challenges
Losey, JohnCornell UniversityMonarch MSPs: Novel technology to establish complete monarch habitat using standard planting equipment
Majewska, AniaUniversity of GeorgiaDetrimental or Protective? The Unexpected Effects of Crowding Monarch Larvae
Malcolm, StephenWestern Michigan University, Professor EmeritusThe influence of milkweed host plants on adult monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) color and chemical defense
Merlin, ChristineTexas A&M UniversityThe monarch butterfly as a model system for studies on biological rhythms, animal migration and magnetoreception
Misigoy, VivianHI MonarchMonarchs in Hawaii
Mitchell, Greg (remote)Environment and Climate Change CanadaExploring roadkill as a driver of fall migration mortality for the eastern migratory monarch butterfly
Moranz, RayXerces Society for Invertebrate ConservationCharacteristics of monarchs in northern and central Florida during winter
Morris, GailSouthwest Monarch Study CoordinatorDivergent Migration Destinations and Overwintering Strategies of Danaus Plexippus in the Southwest United States
Mucciolo, SophiaPennsylvania State UniversityMonarchs in backyard gardens: The influence of milkweed species on survival
Ostergaard, KelsieCitizen ScientistElementary Students and Monarch Conservation
Pleasants, JohnIowa State UniversityRearing does not harm the monarch population
Pyle, BobFounder, The Xerces Society 
Ramírez, M. IsabelUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoTrends in the occurrence and seasonal changes of drought in a critical overwintering area within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
Rendón, EduardoWWF MexicoLong-term monitoring as the key for the conservation of the Monarch butterfly in Mexico and North America
Sáenz-Romero, CuauhtémocUniversidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de HidalgoEcological restoration by assisted migration using nurse plants and establishing Abies religiosa overwintering sites beyond the natural upper range limit, as adaptation to climatic change
Sanaei, EhsanPostdoc research fellow, Depatment of Biology, Emory UniversityDrivers of Microbiome Rewiring in Monarchs: Developmental Shifts and the Impact of Milkweed Species
Snell-Rood, EmilieUniversity of MinnesotaMonarchs in marginal habitats: risk of contaminant exposure and potential mitigation strategies
Steffy, Gayle Tracking Movement and Habitat Use of Two Summer Generations of Monarch Butterflies Using Radio Transmitters
Taylor, ChipMonarch Watch, University of KansasThe curvilinear monarch
Thieme, JenniferMonarch Joint VentureEmploying Unpiloted Aircraft Systems and DeepLearning to Quantify Milkweed for Monarch Butterfly Monitoring
Toft, RiverBayside Elementary School 
Tsai, Hsiang-YuDepartment of Ecology & Evolution, The University of ChicagoEnvironmental and Evolutionary Drivers of Monarch Butterfly Migration Loss and Persistence
Valera, Adriana  Conservation of the Monarch butterfly Mexican flyway
Walters, JamesUniversity of KansasMultiple origins of neo-sex chromosomes in Danaini butterflies
Weiss, Stuart (remote)Creekside ScienceCrowdsourcing the Microclimate: Designer Habitat for Overwintering Monarch Butterflies in California

FIELD TRIP OPTIONS

We have a few field trips and tours available on Tuesday, August 5th, before the symposium. These trips can be selected on the symposium registration page and will be added to registration costs at checkout. Please be sure to note the timing of each field trip, as there is some overlap.

• Explore the rich plant diversity of Rockefeller Prairie, an exemplary tallgrass prairie remnant overlooking the Kansas River valley; learn about the research and informal science education happening at the KU Field Station and tour the R.L. McGregor Herbarium, the largest collection of plant specimens documenting the flora of the Great Plains. Your hosts will be botanist Dr. Craig Freeman, Curator in the KU Biodiversity Institute and Senior Scientist in the Kansas Biological Survey, and Wendy Holman, Education Program Coordinator at the KU Field Station. Closed-toed shoes, long pants, hat, and a water bottle are highly recommended. Sunscreen and insect repellant will be available. Tuesday, August 5, 9:00AM-2:00PM, includes lunch, 22 participants maximum, $47

• Experience the Baker University Wetlands and Discovery Center. This field trip will include exhibits, guided hikes, and exploration of this reclaimed Wakarusa River wetland. Closed-toed shoes, long pants, hat, and a water bottle are highly recommended. Sunscreen and insect repellant will be available. Tuesday, August 5, 9:00AM-12:00PM, 47 participants maximum, $18

• Visit the KU Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Institute where you can experience four floors of public exhibits, including the historic Panorama, live snakes and insects, vertebrate and invertebrate fossils, flora and fauna of the Great Plains, and more! Plus, enjoy special behind-the-scenes tours of research divisions and exhibit-development spaces. Tuesday, August 5, 1:00PM-4:00PM, 34 participants maximum, $25

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS

All events are taking place in Lawrence, Kansas on or around the University of Kansas campus. The nearest airport is Kansas City International (MCI) which is about a 50-mile drive from Lawrence. You will need to make arrangements for transportation during the duration of your stay, including getting to and around Lawrence.

TRAVEL

The Kansas City International Airport is located at 1 International Square, Kansas City, MO 64153 and FlyKCI.com provides all of the information you need to get into and out of this ariport, including terminal maps, driving directions, ground transportation options and other services.

There will be designated parking on the KU campus, and we encourage carpooling from hotels to save space in parking lots. Limited-mobility parking is also available.

You can also use Explore Lawrence, the convention and visitors bureau of Lawrence, Kansas to get more information on local attractions.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Attendees are responsible for booking and paying for their accommodations. For your convenience, the following Lawrence hotels are offering a limited number of rooms at a discounted group rate. Please be sure to adjust your reservation to align with your travel plans and contact the hotels if you have any questions.

1. Hampton Inn Lawrence (2.0 mi from Monarch Watch)
2300 W 6th St, Lawrence, KS 66049
Rate: $109 per night
Cut-off date: 7/22/25
Phone: 785-841-4994; use group name (KU Monarch Symposium) or group rate code (MON)
Reservation website: Hampton Inn Lawrence
Default dates: 8/4/25 to 8/7/25 - please adjust if necessary

2. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Lawrence (2.4 mi from Monarch Watch)
200 McDonald Dr, Lawrence, KS 66044
Rate: $109 per night
Cut-off date: 7/14/25 at 11:59PM
Phone: 785-841-7077
Reservation website: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Lawrence
Default dates: 8/4/25 to 8/7/25 - please adjust if necessary

3. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lawrence (2.0 mi from Monarch Watch)
3411 S Iowa St, Lawrence, KS 66046
Rate: $114 per night
Cut-off date: 7/14/25
Phone: 785-749-7555
Reservation website: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lawrence
Default dates: 8/5/25 to 8/7/25 - please adjust if necessary

SYMPOSIUM SPONSORS

Monarch Watch EPRI Bayer

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