Jessica J. Hellmann, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Notre Dame, will be speaking about “Butterflies and climate change: can they survive” at this lecture. Insects are extremely useful for investigating the responses of biodiversity to climate change. Hellmann discusses her current studies of butterflies on the West Coast. Findings so far show that species respond differently to climate change based on their ecology, evolutionary history and characteristics. Hellmann asks the question, “Should we be optimistic or pessimistic about the future of species with which we share our planet?”