Nature Hour: Butterfly Persistence in the Face of Human Influence

About the Presentation

We live in a time of unprecedented human influence, where climate change and biodiversity loss are reshaping ecosystems worldwide. Pollinators are among the most affected, with their decline threatening both the stability of ecosystems and human food supply. Through the stories of the cabbage white butterfly, an invasive species that flourishes in cities, and the great spangled fritillary, a native species potentially threatened by habitat loss, this presentation will offer insights into the future of butterflies in a changing world. We will explore questions such as: Which species can survive, and even thrive, in this human-dominated world? What traits give them an advantage, and what happens to the species that lack those traits?

About Your Presenter

Katie McManus is a 5th year PhD candidate at Temple University in the Spigler lab where her dissertation research focuses on the response of butterflies to human land use. She has a BS in Biology from University of Scranton. Before her PhD, Katie researched the effects of climate change on plant physiology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the impacts of agriculture on milkweed health for monarch conservation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

About Nature Hour

Nature Hour is a lecture series presented by Lancaster Conservancy, taking place on Thursdays throughout the winter. The one-hour virtual lectures, which include a Q&A with the expert presenter, cover a wide range of conservation, environmental, and nature-related topics impacting our community, region, and world to an audience of all ages of learners.

To find out about other events in the series please follow this link: Nature Hour Collection 2025/2026

To see recordings of past Nature Hour lectures, please visit the Conservancy’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LancasterConservancy

Thank you to our incredible Annual Sponsors for their generous support!