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Abstract Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have suffered dramatic declines and, as of 2025, are being considered for listing as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Monarch declines have been explained, at least in part, by the loss of milkweeds (Asclepiasspp.), their larval host plant. Increasing milkweeds in urban gardens may aid in monarch conservation efforts but concerns have been raised regarding negative interactions between monarchs and aphids co-occurring on milkweeds in these gardens. We made 934 observations on approximately 150Asclepias syriaca(common milkweed) stems in garden beds in a highly urbanized landscape in Chicago, IL, USA over two summers. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models, we found that the number of monarch eggs and larvae was either not correlated or positively correlated with aphid abundance, indicating that aphid infestation did not deter oviposition by monarch butterflies on milkweed stems. Implications for Conservation: Planting milkweeds in urban gardens may aid in monarch population recovery, but aphid milkweed specialists often occur at high densities in urban gardens. We did not find that stems with high aphid abundance had fewer monarch eggs and larvae, suggesting that aphids may not reduce the value of native urban milkweeds for monarch oviposition as previously suggested. 

In this study, we explored (a) how Latina undergraduate students negotiated their multiple identities while participating in a research internship designed to create spaces that counter master narratives, and the forms of cultural wealth that were implicated in these identity negotiations, and (b) ways in which the various elements of the research internship impacted the student’s identity negotiations. The theoretical framing brought together conceptions of identity and identity construction, the marginalization of Latin*s in science and science education and the master narratives shaping identity intersectionalities, and the creation of counter narratives that make use of multiple forms of community cultural wealth. Using phenomenology, we analyzed four Latina interns’ work artifacts generated in various activities within each element of the research internship that aimed to provide Latin* students with opportunities to explore and build on their cultural assets while studying the monarch butterfly population in relation to milkweed restoration and utilization. We found that the research interns referred to different forms of cultural wealth as they grappled with their multiple identities and their intersectionalities, and the various science research internship elements offered different pathways for their grappling. The findings point to (a) structures at the macro- and micro-levels, and enduring master narratives and distal identities, that influence proximal identities and are implicated in identity conundrums; (b) the role of cultural wealth in creating productive spaces and places of science engagement and counter narratives; and (c) the explicitness needed in educational activities so that science students may engage with the intersectionalities of their multiple identities.