The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists »

Peter Laufer PhD is the author of more than a dozen books, including Forbidden Creatures (Lyons Press, forthcoming) and Wetback Nation: The Case for Opening the Mexican-American Border.  He is the James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.  More about his work, which has received the George Polk, Edward R. Murrow, and other awards, at peterlaufer.com.

A true tale of beauty and obsession, smugglers and scientists, and nature’s most enigmatic creature.

The Washington Post - Andrew Ervin

[Laufer's] book is charming and his attention to detail, combined with a real gift for describing these fascinating characters…made me want to read everything else he has written. And I'm certain to look differently at the butterflies in my own backyard, knowing now how far they may have traveled to get there.

Introduction: A Relentless Quest for Tranquility ix

Chapter 1 Off to Nicaragua and an Introduction to Lepidoptera 1

Chapter 2 With the Purists Where Butterflies Fly Free 21

Chapter 3 My Successful Commercial Butterfly Release 40

Chapter 4 Diapause 64

Chapter 5 The Flight and Plight of the Monarch 77

Chapter 6 In Pursuit of the World's Most Wanted Butterfly Smuggler 103

Chapter 7 Death-defying, Globe-trotting Butterfly Hunting 128

Chapter 8 Butterflies versus National Security 155

Chapter 9 The Butterfly as Art 182

Chapter 10 Creation versus Evolution 204

Chapter 11 Butterfly Resurrection 228

Epilogue 253

Acknowledgments 256

Endnotes 259

Index 263

About the Author 272