Thought I’d share this article from the Bar Harbor Times of Maine where Monarch butterfly expert Bill Calvert of Austin, Texas spends his summers.  The photos in the article alone are worth the click-through.
For those of us who’ve read Sue Halpern’s book chronicling the Monarch butterfly migration Four Wings and A Prayer, Calvert is a legend.  He is one of a handful of people on the planet who brought our attention to the Monarch roosting grounds in Michoacan, Mexico and has spent many weeks there.
In the book (required reading for all butterfly enthusiasts), Calvert is introduced as a “cowboy entomologist” who from childhood was obsessed with Monarch butterflies and devoted his life to unraveling their magic and mysteries.  Halpern accompanies Calvert on one of many of his road trips from Austin to Michoacan, tracking Monarch butterflies along the way.
It’s a worthwhile read, especially this time of year.  If you happen to be in Bar Harbor, Maine this weekend (lucky you) Dr. Calvert is hosting a screening of the  PBS film on Monarch butterflies called “The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies,” after which he will take questions. Maybe we can get him to do that for us sometime when he’s back in Texas.
Meanwhile, we agree with his view that it doesn’t take a science-oriented mind to admire Monarch butterflies. “They’ve made their way into the hearts of people,”  he tells the Bar Harbor reporter.  “They’re gorgeous creatures, and they grace people’s gardens and their lives.”