Tag: monarchs

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August 11 Chapter Meeting (in-person and virtual): “Advanced Monarch Biology and Conservation for Urban, Suburban and Rural Texans” with Ray Moranz, Ph.D.

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Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, August 11, 2022, when our featured topic will be Advanced Monarch Biology and Conservation for Urban, Suburban and Rural Texans with Ray Moranz, Ph.D.  Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM.

Please note, whether you attend on August 11 in person or via Zoom, this month’s speaker will be virtual, joining us from Oklahoma.

About our topic:  Dr. Moranz will summarize some of the latest science regarding milkweeds and monarch nectar plants to help you choose the native plant species to add to your garden, farm or ranch. He will also discuss land management practices and sources of financial assistance with regards to creating and managing habitat for monarchs and other pollinators.

About our speaker:  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 (NRCS) 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. Following his PhD, Ray was a post-doctoral researcher at Iowa State University, and an adjunct professor at Oklahoma State University. Prior to joining the Xerces Society, Ray worked as a rare plant conservationist for The Nature Conservancy in Florida, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in California. Ray lives with his wife, son and daughter on a small farm just outside of Stillwater, OK.

At every meeting, we give away a book — about native plants or the meeting topic — to one randomly chosen in-person meeting attendee and one Zoom attendee!

Monarch on White Mistflower, Ageratina havanenis. Photo by Greg Donica.

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NPSOT-Williamson County meetings are free and open to the public. We hope you attend!  Meetings may be in person, virtual, or both, so be sure to check details in the meeting announcement. Meetings are announced on our website, our calendar and Facebook.

  • When:  We meet the second Thursday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. A short business meeting begins at 7:00 PM followed by our guest presentation.  (For in-person meetings, doors open at 6:30 PM. Check out the seed swap board, get advice from expert members, or just visit.)
  • Where:  In person and via Zoom. When in person, we normally meet at the Georgetown Public Library, 2nd floor, Hewlett Room, 402 West 8th St, Georgetown, TX 78626. If we are at a different physical location for any given month, the exception is announced in our blog, on our calendar, and on Facebook.
  • Monthly Meeting Guest Speakers: See past and upcoming topics at this link.
  • Recordings: Find video recordings of previous meetings and field trips on our YouTube channel at this link.

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Monarch Waystation cleanup, northbound I-35 rest area, July 23

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News from the Tonkawa Chapter:

Please join the Tonkawa Chapter and other volunteers for an additional Monarch Waystation cleanup at northbound I-35 Bell County rest area Saturday, July 23. The rest area is just two miles south of Salado. We will start at 8:30 am and finish around 11:00 am or earlier because of the heat!

Please come prepared for the weather and bring any tools you have to weed the perennials with and maybe plant a few replacements, gloves, pruners, shovel, weeding tool, broom, water to drink, bucket to put trimmings in while we are working.

Thank you and hope to see you next Saturday!
Ilse Meier
Tonkawa Chapter
(Tonkawa Chapter contact information)

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Self-Guided Field Trip: See Monarch Butterflies in Taylor, TX

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— by Kathy Galloway

The Native Plant Society of Texas – Williamson County Chapter’s Field Trip Committee has found a terrific location for you to observe the migrating monarch butterflies before they all pass through Texas in early November. Murphy Park in Taylor has two garden areas with native plants and lots of butterflies.

Liberty Garden is located right inside the entrance of the park. It consists of a small, fenced formal garden that contains several native plant species. The butterflies seem especially interested in the Fall Aster and the Gregg’s Mistflower, but you can also find Turk’s Cap, Pavonia, Inland Sea Oats, and Yaupon Holly Trees, to name few. Don’t miss the two large planting beds flanking the entrance drive which also have lots of native plants.

Murphy Park Butterfly Garden is a small, certified Monarch Waystation located in a round planted area in the parking lot between the swimming pool and the lake. This garden is dedicated to Ms. Betty Jackson, a former member of our chapter, who was a life-long educator and supporter of ecology who inspired the garden. The garden is a little bit overgrown but the butterflies don’t mind and there are several different species of native plants here. See if you can spot the milkweed in this garden.

On the afternoon we visited, there were at least 20 butterflies, monarchs and queens, flitting around on the Gregg’s Mistflower. There was also a duck sitting on her eggs in her nest which she located within the butterfly garden, so be careful not to disturb her. We noticed the butterflies seem to like the Murphy Park Butterfly Garden location much more than the same plants in Liberty Garden.

This field trip involves minimal walking, but there are trails in the park if you wish to explore and enjoy the fresh fall air. Bring water, sunscreen, and insect spray and let us know if you have luck spotting the monarchs. Post your photos and videos on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #NPSOTMurphyPark and we can all share in the fun.

Directions from I-35:
• Head east for about 15 miles on Highway 79 in Round Rock
• Stay on 79 through Hutto and into Taylor
• Turn left onto Sloan St and travel .6 miles
• Turn right onto W Lake Drive for .9 miles
• Turn right into the park and the Liberty Garden will be right in front of you. The Butterfly Garden is in the parking lot to the left by the lake.

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