Butterfly researchers to meet at WFU

ButterflyMore than 100 butterfly and moth researchers from around the world will gather at Wake Forest University July 26-30 for the 51st annual meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society.

Conference events are also open to local butterfly and moth enthusiasts. Registration is required.

Events will begin with a photography field trip to Bethabara Park led by members of the Carolina Butterfly Society on Wednesday, July 26. The schedule will also feature a symposium on “Survey Inventory and Systematics: Integrating Research and Public Policy.” Led by Susan Weller of the University of Minnesota, it will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 28.

A second symposium on Saturday, July 29, will focus on caterpillar biology. Organized by Deane Bowers from the University of Colorado, it will begin at 9 a.m. Guest lecturer Fred Nijhout of Duke University’s zoology department will discuss the development of butterfly wing patterns in the afternoon session of Friday, July 28.

William Conner, professor of biology at Wake Forest, and his wife, Mindy, organized the meeting. Conner’s research focus is moths, including their sex pheromones and chemical defenses as well as their use of ultrasound. He has led field studies in North Carolina, Florida and the cloud forests of Ecuador.

The Lepidopterists’ Society, dedicated to the study and appreciation of butterflies and moths, was founded in 1947 and has approximately 1,600 members in 60 countries.

To register or for more information, contact William Conner at 336-758-5315 or visit the Lepidopterists’ Society Web site at www.furman.edu/~snyder/snyder/lep/.

Categories: Events, Research