Welcome to MAREN
MAREN is a network of researchers and educators who are searching for answers to big questions about milkweed, an important food source for monarch butterflies. We strive to include students in collecting data and making discoveries.
Events and Announcements
- We are happy to announce a series of free, virtual summer workshops about Including Indigenous Science. We offer a virtual workshop on June 18: Cultivating Teachers’ Indigenous Knowledge through Investigations of Milkweed Phenology and we invite applications from educators to participate in a working group to generate new lessons that include indigenous science in environmental science classes. Learn more about the workshops here. Apply Now!
- For participants in the Local Adaptation study, we are planning a data and writing retreat in Boulder, Colorado July 25-26. Contact Emily Mohl (mohl@stolaf.edu) for more information.
- Check out our latest publication in Restoration Ecology! Common milkweed seeds exhibit latitudinal clines more consistent with adaptation to growing season length than to temperature.
- We continue to invite participation in the Phenology Project! We’ve successfully engaged students in gathering and analyzing these data, and we hope to be on the front lines measuring the impacts of shifts in phenology on milkweed interactions with monarchs and other insects!
Recent Contributions to our Library
Visit Our Library
View and contribute to stories, videos, photos, lesson plans, publications, presentations, student works, and other creative contributions.
See Educational Resources
Our “Got Milkweed?” and “Phenology and Herbivory” curricula use student participation to inform our discoveries about milkweed.
Meet our Partners
Our network has over 30 partners, and we are always welcoming to new members!