VA Native Plant Society: Drivers of Plant-Insect Interaction

whorled milkweed

whorled milkweed photo by Catherine Boston


VNPS Jefferson Chapter Meeting: Drivers of Plant-Insect Interaction

Wednesday, November 13th, 7:00-9:00 pm, Education Building at Ivy Creek Natural Area, 1780 Earlysville Road, Charlottesville.

 Melissa Hey is a PhD candidate in the University of Virginia’s Department of Environmental Science. She has been working with Dr. Kyle Haynes’ research team at Blandy Experimental Farm since 2015. Her research interests include invasion ecology and plant-insect interactions. Her undergraduate thesis focused on how intraspecific competition and herbivory affected growth and secondary chemical defenses in common milkweed. Common milkweed serves as a significant food source for the monarch butterfly, and her research sought to delve into drivers of plant-insect interactions. Free; all are welcome.