PELLSTON, Mich. — Each fall, millions of monarch butterflies take flight on one of the most extraordinary journeys in the natural world.

Weighing less than a paperclip, these iconic orange-and-black insects travel thousands of miles from the United States and Canada to the mountains of central Mexico, where they gather to overwinter in the same specific sites used by generations before them.

Here’s the astonishing part: The monarchs making the trip have never been there before.

“Monarch migration is one of the most remarkable and recognizable feats on the planet, but we know very little about how they can do this,” said Dr. André Green, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan.

This summer, Green will bring that mystery to audiences across northern Michigan as part of the University of Michigan Biological Station’s 2026 Summer Lecture Series.

His free, public talk, titled “Making a Migratory Monarch,” will explore research from his lab that reveals how monarchs possess interesting cognitive functions that may set them apart and enable their iconic trip. He’ll also discuss what this means for monarch population changes and conservation strategies.

The first talk will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, at Charlevoix Public Library, located at 220 Clinton St. in Charlevoix, Michigan.

The second talk will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, at the U-M Biological Station, located at 9133 Biological Rd. in Pellston.

Both events are free and open to the public.

“We are proud to partner for the third year in a row with Charlevoix Public Library to shine a light on the awe-inspiring pursuit of scientific discovery in Michigan,” said Dr. Aimée Classen, director of the U-M Biological Station. “It’s important that we have these critical conversations together in the community about the resiliency of our natural world, including the mesmerizing monarch butterflies, in the face of global change.”

Green’s research team integrates development, genomics, behavior and physiology in both laboratory and natural settings. At the Biological Station, he also teaches “Eco-Evo-Devo: How Genome and Environment Affect Organismal Development,” a course in which undergraduate students use cutting-edge molecular genetics techniques — including CRISPR — to explore ecological evolutionary developmental biology while taking advantage of the remarkable biodiversity at UMBS.

Green earned a Ph.D. in biology from Harvard University and a bachelor of science degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In honor of his upcoming talks at the U-M Biological Station and Charlevoix Public Library, we’re proud to highlight Green’s fascinating work and career. Read our Q&A with Dr. André Green.

Q. Why monarch butterflies? What is it about them that sparked your long-term focus on them? I imagine you spend countless hours observing and working with them. What do you appreciate about monarchs, or how do they hold your ongoing curiosity?

Monarchs matched both my scientific and personal goals for my career (and life more broadly). Scientifically, the big question that drives me is how organisms evolve new, complicated ways to interact with the world. I’m wired as a “how” person, an engineering brain, if you will. So what this means for me is I am fascinated in thinking about how you go from As, Ts, Gs, and Cs to these remarkable traits. Monarch migration is one of the most remarkable and recognizable feats on the planet, but we know very little about how they can do this. Given my training in insect biology and genetics, I thought it could be the perfect place for me to make a contribution to science.

Regarding my personal goals for my career, I’m interested in democratizing science, or expanding who gets to participate. The people who participate get to determine what questions get pursued. And I think incorporating people with unique and different experiences will enrich the investigations we undertake. More broadly, I think we are all better off when more people participate and understand this particular approach to understanding how the world around us works.

Q. What’s something that might surprise people to know about your work?

Perhaps people might find this surprising, but my work is exceptionally social. I think I even surprised myself about how learning about monarch butterflies has been an exercise in meeting new people and talking with them about their stories. This has been a welcome challenge for me as a strong introvert. Yet getting to hear so many people’s stories and about their experiences has been one of the most rewarding parts of this work.

Q. What’s the most challenging part of your job?

One of the most challenging parts of my job is the unpredictability (particularly with respect to our research). Our work is strongly dependent upon factors that can vary quite a lot, such as weather. This has taught me to be incredibly flexible and nimble. And always have plans B, C and D in addition to plan A.

Q. What do you like most about your career?

I enjoy the mentorship aspect of my career the most. I think one of the most profound things that I can do in this career is to help others build skills that they can use to pursue answers to their own questions. There are many different ways one can do research, but this career, in particular, is people-centered, and I really enjoy this.

Q. What is your proudest accomplishment? The question is two-fold: Both on the professional level and on a non-scientific level.

Professionally: When my former student invited me to give a research seminar and introduced me for the talk. I remember doing that for my advisor (I was her first student to do this for her, and it was a very special moment for both of us).

Non-scientific: Not sure it is my proudest accomplishment, but a recent accomplishment that I’m proud of is finishing a 5K run. I just would never thought it possible maybe even 2 years ago.

Q. What did you want to be when you grew up, and what was your pathway to get to where you are?

I wanted to be a scientist since I was quite young (I’m very much so a part of the “Jurassic Park generation”). The flavor of science changed along the way, from meteorologist, to a “medicinal chemist” (i.e., a pharmacist, I liked the big words), to volcanologist. I started considering biology at the end of high school and beginning of college. I’ve always had an engineering mindset, meaning that I’m interested in explaining how things work. I find this line of inquiry most satisfying, when I can define a set of rules that explains something (much) bigger.

Q. Do you have a piece of career advice that you could share?

Fail early and often, but as much as possible, never make the same mistake twice.

Q. What does the University of Michigan Biological Station mean to you? What's your favorite thing about the remote campus in northern Michigan? 

The Station has been my best opportunity to really immerse myself in the natural world. Slow down and really pay attention to how the world is working around me. I appreciate those opportunities.

 

The University of Michigan Biological Station serves as a gathering place to learn from the natural world, advance research and education, and inspire action. We leverage over a century of research and transformative experiences to drive discoveries and solutions to benefit Michigan and beyond.

Our vast campus engages all of the senses. Its remote, natural setting nurtures deep thought and scientific discovery.

Founded in 1909, UMBS supports long-term research and education through immersive, field-based courses and features state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for data collection and analysis to help any field researcher be productive. It is where students and scientists from across the globe live and work as a community to learn from the place.

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