Advanced Monarch Biology and Conservation, Emphasis on Grassland Management
Dr. Ray Moranz, Xerces Society (May 12, 2022)
The magnificent Monarch Butterfly, the state insect of Texas, famous for its 3,000 miles migration path and its affinity for milkweed, is probably the most recognized and studied butterfly on the planet. But Dr. Moranz’s talk is unlike any Monarch talk you have heard. Going deeper into the Monarch world, he explores their biology and conservation, and couples these with grassland management. Dr. Moranz, an entomologist with the Xerces Society, is an expert in the world of pollinating insects, but his expertise extends into prairie management practices such as grazing, and how these impact Monarchs.
Dr. Ray Moranz is the Grazing Lands Pollinator Ecologist for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Ray also serves as a Partner Biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and assists the Central National Technology Support Center (CNTSC) in Fort Worth, TX with pollinator conservation throughout the central U.S. Ray began studying grassland plant and butterfly communities in 2004 and earned his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from Oklahoma State University in 2010.
