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Augustana professor studies ongoing battle between monarchs & milkweeds

Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed.
Ellen Woods/Courtesy of Cornell University
A monarch caterpillar who's ready for lunch on the milkweed plant.

This interview originally aired on In the Moment on SDPB Radio.

Monarch caterpillars exclusively munch on milkweeds. Because of this, the butterfly and plant have been locked in a centuries-long battle. When one gets an evolutionary edge, the other quickly adapts to overcome it.

Carrie Olson-Manning, Ph.D., will discuss that battle as part of the Discovery on Tap! event "Monarchs and Milkweeds" on Friday, April 21.

Ahead of her presentation, she joins In the Moment to discuss the evolutionary arms race and how your garden could help support pollinators this spring.

Dr. Olson-Manning is the founder and principal investigator of the Olson-Manning Lab at Augustana University.

Lori Walsh is the host and senior producer of In the Moment.
Ellen Koester is a producer of In the Moment, SDPB's daily news and culture broadcast.