The Last Butterflies

A Scientist's Quest to Save a Rare and Vanishing Creature

De: Nick Haddad

Narrado por: Eric Jason Martin

Most of us have heard of such popular butterflies as the Monarch or Painted Lady. But what about the Fender's Blue? Or the St. Francis' Satyr? Because of their extreme rarity, these butterflies are not well-known, yet they are remarkable species with important lessons to teach us. The Last Butterflies spotlights the rarest of these creatures - some numbering no more than what can be held in one hand.

Weaving a vivid and personal narrative with ideas from ecology and conservation, Haddad illustrates the race against time to reverse the decline of six butterfly species. Many scientists mistakenly assume we fully understand butterflies' natural histories. Yet, as with the Large Blue in England, we too often know too little and the conservation consequences are dire. Haddad argues that a hands-off approach is not effective and that in many instances, like for the Fender's Blue and Bay Checkerspot, active and aggressive management is necessary. With deliberate conservation, rare butterflies can coexist with people, inhabit urban fringes, and, in the case of the St. Francis' Satyr, even reside on bomb ranges and military land. Haddad shows how, through protection and restoration efforts, we might face conservation issues for all animals and plants.

©2019 Princeton University Press (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

fun

I enjoyed reading a book about butterflies and their moral qualms. I hope everyone can read it

Rare Butterflies

The author initially wished to highlight the rarest butterfly 🦋, but then realized it was impossible to quantify. Instead, he walked the reader through the lives of several species typifying rare species, but then contrasted it with the Monarch. Although Monarch populations dwarf any other butterfly, the loss of a hundred million individuals is naturally of great concern, too.

At the last, he relates what work remains to be done in not only with butterflies, but other insects and the value of that.

The narration was a bit monotone, reminding me of Jack Web from Dragnet.

Very educational!

Nick Haddad describes the journey to learn about and conserve these butterfly species in a way that is both interesting and moving. I appreciated how he describes his growth as a scientist and shares his personal experiences.