Bicycling with Butterflies

March 15, 2021
Nature researcher and educator Dykman had been bicycle touring for over a decade when she hatched her most ambitious plan: to ride over 10,000 miles across North America, following the annual migration of the monarch butterfly. She packs up her bike and embarks upon the months-long journey. She begins, with the monarchs, in Mexico, and rides north through Texas, the Midwest, and Minnesota, then veers east at Lake Superior and treks all the way to New York City, before circling south and back through the Midwest, through Texas and back into Mexico. Dykman both camps and stays in the homes of generous strangers and friends, all while visiting schools and teaching young people the critical, humbling value of protecting wildlife. The book is just as much a poetic travelogue as it is informative about monarch butterflies. Dykman's research keenly supplements her experiences on the road. Dykman is enchanted by the monarchs' resilience and infuriated by humans' indifference to nature's warnings. The book may be one singular bicyclist's word, but represents a collective cry for climate action.

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