Tag | Xerces Society

Conservation History and Heroes

Robert Michael Pyle, who founded the Xerces Society in 1971. He has grey hair and beard, and is wearing a blue denim shirt over a blue t-shirt with a black-and-yellow swallowtail butterfly design -- and is holding his butterfly net.

People Who Shaped the Xerces Society: Robert Michael Pyle and Melody Mackey Allen

As part of marking our 50th anniversary, this blog celebrates two individuals whose work had—continues to have—a profound influence on the Xerces Society, helping shape it into the world-class organization it is today.

A man and a woman stand nest to each other in front of a grove of old trees.

Remembering Bill Shepard, a Great Friend of Butterflies

Bill Shepard dedicated his life to helping butterflies. He participated in many annual counts across California as well as the Western monarch Thanksgiving Count. An educator by profession, he also fostered future generations of butterfly enthusiasts.

A Xerces blue butterfly resting on the green stems of deerweed

Xerces Turns Fifty: A Half Century of Ground-Breaking Conservation

This is a landmark year for the Xerces Society: 2021 is our 50th anniversary! The Xerces Society was founded in 1971 by Robert Michael Pyle and has grown from a volunteer-run group to an internationally respected organization and a trusted source of science-based information and advice.

A person wearing fluorescent clothing and a headlamp swings a net alongside a roadway lit by streetlamps at night.

Announcing the 2020 DeWind Awardees

In the midst of so much uncertainty, Xerces is heartened to continue our annual grant program—the Joan Mosenthal DeWind Award for student research into Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) conservation. This year, we are thrilled to award three students research grants: Douglas Boyes, Jayme Lewthwaite, and Max Ferlauto.

A tall woman with short, white hair who is holding a Xerces pollinator habitat sign stands next to a woman with dark hair and a dark down coat, in the entrance to a garden.

Bee City USA Begins a New Chapter

We're celebrating the achievements of Bee City USA founder Phyllis Stiles as she moves on to a well-deserved retirement and passes the torch to Bee City USA Coordinator Molly Martin.

A monarch butterfly perches atop a stalk of purple flowers with thread-like petals sticking out in various directions.

DeWind Alumnae Publish Three New Research Papers about Monarch Butterflies

Together, these publications contribute to our growing understanding of how human actions can hurt—or help—monarchs.

A fuzzy, gray and black bee collects pollen from a purple flower.

Bee City USA Mobilizes Communities to Support Imperiled Pollinators—Here’s How to Join

Earth Week is an inspiring time, brimming with opportunities to make a difference—including getting your community certified as a Bee City USA.

Robbin Thorp, wearing an orange shirt and tan pants and a tan hat, carries a net as he walks through the hills of southern Oregon.

Honoring Robbin Thorp, a Legendary Figure in North American Bee Conservation

Robbin Thorp, Professor Emeritus at University of California–Davis, has made lasting contributions to the bee conservation community in ways that might never be measured, but will certainly be felt.

Both Dewind awardees are shown in this composite image.

Announcing the 2019 DeWind Awardees

The Xerces Society is happy to announce the 2019 DeWind awardees: Niranjana Krishnan, a PhD candidate at Iowa State University, and Molly Wiebush, a master’s student at Florida State University.

A firefighter sprays water from a bridge onto the burning Cuyahoga River in this historical photo, in black and white..

Reflections and Exhortations on the Anniversary of the Clean Water Act

Although the future of our nation’s water is currently murky, we still have time to make things right. We have the past successes of the environmental movement for inspiration, and the research and recommendations of hundreds of modern scientists to strive toward.