“Fluttering on the Brink” – Butterfly Project Lecture, Sept. 19, at The Mountain Mermaid

 

PHOTO BY BILL BUERGE Dr. Jana Johnson and her Butterfly Project at Moorpark College’s America’s Teaching Zoo has been in the forefront of the captive butterfly breeding of California’s most critically endangered species. She will present her project at a lecture on Sept. 19 at the Mountain Mermaid. RSVP required.

Sadly, we are losing our butterflies all over the globe. In response, there are heroic captive breeding measures being organized by individuals and organizations to save these irreplaceable jewel-like creatures.

Dr. Jana Johnson and her Butterfly Project at Moorpark College’s America’s Teaching Zoo has been in the forefront of the captive butterfly breeding of California’s most critically endangered species. Most notably has been her resurrection of the tiny Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly, and more recently Lang’s Metalmark in the Bay area.

Not only are butterflies beautiful to behold, they are important pollinators like the bees and the bats, intricately woven into life’s web. Their complex developmental stages make them especially vulnerable to environmental degradation. Much like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, they are the first to go.

Supported by the California Department of Fish and Game and others, Dr. Johnson has created cutting-edge techniques to rear butterflies that are eventually released into the wild.

It’s an important and fascinating story that Dr. Johnson will share at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 19, at the Mountain Mermaid, a certified Monarch Waystation with Monarch-Watch. RSVP is a must; bill@themermaid.com. For more information: themermaid.com.