High Survivorship of First-Generation Monarch Butterfly Eggs to Third Instar Associated with a Diverse Arthropod Community
Stevenson M, Hudman KL, Scott A and others. Insects, June 2021.
Read the paper Free to read · doi:10.3390/insects12060567
What this paper is about
The first monarch generation of the year is produced in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, and almost nothing was known about how many of those eggs survive.
This study followed eggs through to third instar at a north Texas site and recorded the other arthropods on the same plants. Survival was high, alongside a diverse arthropod community.
Summarised here from the abstract below. Not the authors’ words.
Abstract
Based on surveys of winter roost sites, the eastern migratory population of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in North America appears to have declined in the last 20 years and this has prompted the implementation of numerous conservation strategies. However, there is little information on the survivorship of first-generation monarchs in the core area of occupancy in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana where overwinter population recovery begins. The purpose of this study was to determine the survivorship of first-generation eggs to third instars at a site in north Texas and to evaluate host plant arthropods for their effect on survivorship. Survivorship to third instar averaged 13.4% and varied from 11.7% to 15.6% over three years. The host plants harbored 77 arthropod taxa, including 27 predatory taxa. Despite their abundance, neither predator abundance nor predator richness predicted monarch survival. However, host plants upon which monarchs survived often harbored higher numbers of non-predatory arthropod taxa and more individuals of non-predatory taxa. These results suggest that ecological processes may have buffered the effects of predators and improved monarch survival in our study. The creation of diverse functional arthropod communities should be considered for effective monarch conservation, particularly in southern latitudes.
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Milkweed USA. (2026). High Survivorship of First-Generation Monarch Butterfly Eggs to Third Instar Associated with a Diverse Arthropod Community (listing). Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/research/high-survivorship-of-first-generation-monarch-butterfly-eggs-to-2021/
"High Survivorship of First-Generation Monarch Butterfly Eggs to Third Instar Associated with a Diverse Arthropod Community (listing)." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/research/high-survivorship-of-first-generation-monarch-butterfly-eggs-to-2021/. Accessed DATE.
Milkweed USA. "High Survivorship of First-Generation Monarch Butterfly Eggs to Third Instar Associated with a Diverse Arthropod Community (listing)." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/research/high-survivorship-of-first-generation-monarch-butterfly-eggs-to-2021/.
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title = {High Survivorship of First-Generation Monarch Butterfly Eggs to Third Instar Associated with a Diverse Arthropod Community (listing)},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
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