The Dangerous World of Butterflies by Peter Laufer
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| OK Butterfly Count |
When Laufer spoke at a book promotion in
Washington he joked that he wanted to take a break from serious journalism and
write about something light – maybe flowers and butterflies.
A Nicaraguan woman watching his talk on C-SPAN invited him to come to her butterfly reserve where she and her husband raise butterflies to sell to butterfly houses and collectors around the world. And his discoveries only begin there.
His experiences researching and writing “Mission Rejected” led to his publishing a natural history trilogy: “The Dangerous World of Butterflies”, “Forbidden Creatures” and “No Animals Were Harmed During the Writing of this Book”.
“The
Dangerous World of Butterflies” is 258-pages of stories about the people who
collect, raise, protect, sell and preserve butterflies throughout the world. Laufer
interviewed people imprisoned for poaching and selling butterflies on the black
market, those who protest the building of a wall between Mexico and the US
because of its impact on wildlife, and artists who use butterfly parts as the
medium for their art.
He found that experts do not know butterfly’s role in nature, that no new species have been discovered in America in 50-years, and that Monarchs that spend the winter in Mexico remain for 5 generations before returning.
Hisayoshi Kojima, the man who called himself "the world's most wanted butterfly smuggler" landed a federal jail sentence due to the diligent work of Fish and Wildlife Service agent Ed Newcomer, who picked up a 1999 cold case investigation of the smuggler.
Naturalist Vladimir Dinets says, "Professional poachers are tough people, excellent mountaineers, and they try to make friends with local warlords and drug smugglers." Laufer tells the story of stick-wielding forest guards in Darjeeling protecting national living treasures, confronting butterfly poachers armed with AK-47s.
He interviewed Edith Smith at Shady Oak Butterfly Farm (www.butterfliesetc.com) and trekked with Jana Johnson as she works to restore the almost extinct Palos Verdes Blue butterfly in CA.
Not everyone is thrilled about butterflies. One expert refers to butterflies as pretty cockroaches. The website and Facebook pages called I Hate Butterflies (www.ihatebutterflies.com) are for people who “fear, are disgusted by, and generally dislike butterflies (and moths).”
Laufer is a San Francisco native with experience at
public radio stations on the west coast and the book has some odd bits that
seem out of place. For example, Laufer presents his anti-president Bush
comments about the environment not being well enough protected.
Also, critics found some butterfly names misspelled
in the text and recommend that we read the “Endless Forms Most
Beautiful” by scientist Sean Carroll instead.
Another complaint is that Laufer seems to think
collectors should not stick pins in butterflies when thousands more are killed
on our highways every year than will ever show up in collections around the
world. Butterfly and moth collections throughout the centuries have provided
scientists with valuable information about species extinction, migration
patterns and changing habitats.
In fact, the University of Florida's
Thomas Emmel is quoted as saying, "No butterfly has been exterminated by
over-collecting, ever."
“The Dangerous World of Butterflies”, by Peter
Laufer, was published 2009, by Lyons Press, $16.95 and available used, online,
for a penny. There is an interview with Dr. Laufer on “The Daily Show” at
http://bit.ly/94NREZ.
This book is an entertaining read about butterflies
and the people who are passionate about them.
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