Urban flower gardens are growing in popularity, and have the potential to contribute significantly to pollinator habitat.  However, it is unknown whether these gardens provide a safe haven for declining populations or create low quality habitat that contributes little to conservation. Monarch butterflies are abundant in urban gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area. One concern is that monarch caterpillars in cities experience increased risk of predation by human-associated animals such as paper wasps and yellow jackets. REU students on this project will compare predation rates on monarch caterpillars in urban, suburban, and rural landscapes and will work to characterize predator communities at these sites. Students will perform regular assessments of caterpillar survival in the field. They will also collect and analyze video data to identify predators and predation events.