insects

In their ongoing battle with monarch caterpillars...

 ...research shows that the milkweeds (Asclepias) have turned away from a bold defense (sticky, latex sap) toward fast, energy efficient tissue repair.

Although the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is not in danger of extinction, its unique multigenerational migration spanning the continent is considered an endangered biological phenomenon due to threats to the monarch's habitats throughout the flyway. Because monarchs depend upon a wide range of habitats in Canada, Mexico and the United States, conservation of the migratory phenomenon requires trilateral cooperation.

The buzz on Fermilab is changing. In 1993, the European honeybee made up just 7 percent of the local population of pollinators at Fermilab's large prairie. But by 2005, the honeybees were edging out the native species, making up 43 percent of the total - more than a six-fold increase.

The question remains, how will this reduced pollinator diversity affect the prairie's ability to sustain itself?