Butterflies figured prominently throughout growing up. I remember having a butterfly net with me for most of the summers through junior high school. Even in high school, I was keeping live butterflies, mostly smaller species like blues, alive for weeks in small cages, feeding them sugar water. I remember taking a caged American Copper butterfly with us when we went apple picking in southern New Hampshire and marveling at still having the live butterfly in my possession when it snowed that afternoon. How could I have known then that my future career was being played out that day?
I don't know blogger Doug Taron of Chicago, but his experiences parallel mine in several ways. While I didn't collect butterflies, my parents did everything they could to get us outside, camping, skiing, traveling, and exploring. They took us to the first Earth Day in New York City, where I chipped my tooth (still chipped). We visited every state but Alaska. It made a difference for me, and I only wish I could do as well as they did in getting kids outside.
