The Last Butterflies cover art

The Last Butterflies

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

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The Last Butterflies

By: Nick Haddad
Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
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About this listen

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
Animals Biological Sciences Biology Ecology Endangered Species Environment Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Conservation Thought-Provoking Ecosystem
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I found this book interesting and educational about all things surrounding Lepidopterology and species decline from assorted environmental features. I now have a deeper understanding about how some natural events help rather than hinder some life cycles.

Thoroughly intriguing

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