The book is a lament for our thoughtless destruction of nature and at the same time a celebration of the beauty that remains. Algonkian Regional Park amphibians Audubon At Home Bald Eagle Banshee Reeks Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve bats Bird Atlas birding birds bird walk Bles Park Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship butterflies Celebrate Birds! Although the focus of Bicycling with Butterflies is on nature, Sara Dykman relates occasional heart-warming incidents of kindness she is shown from total strangers. She follows the same path as the monarchs, gives school programs and talks to anyone who will listen about the importance of the Monarch, the importance of growing milkweed as their food, and supporting them any way that we can.

It gives many facts of the Monarch, and their soon to be extinction, and also educates you to what it is like taking a 255 day, 10,201 mile trip alone, on a bicycle. Being stuck on one side of the river with no options reiterated what I already knew: society tells cyclists we’re not important, that we don’t deserve space.Science, nature, and adventure come together in this riveting account of a solo bike trip along the migratory path of the monarch butterfly. The plight of the monarch butterflies continues to be a major concern and a topic in national media outlets. After decades of pursuing the pleasures of cycling, I’m convinced that riding with an intent, an objective of some sort, adds meaning and value. Monarchs must be at least 41 degrees F to crawl and 55 degrees F to fly (known as their flight threshold). With both humor and humility, Dykman offers a compelling story, confirming the urgency of saving the threatened monarch migration—and the other threatened systems of nature that affect the survival of us all.

Her travelogue is vulnerable; she lets us see when she was afraid, the decisions she had to make that made her uncomfortable, the trade-offs of staying in her tent vs. The whole ride - the people, finding a place to set up camp for the night, the occasional creepy encounter - was so neat to read about. Her latest adventure found her traveling more than 10,000 miles from Mexico to Canada and back to Mexico, following the migration of monarch butterflies.Stuffed into the bags that were clipped, tied, and fastened to my bike was a collection of gear, old and new, that I needed to make the trip. The importance of milkweed to the survival of the beautiful butterfly, the lifecycle and evening tagging (who knew you could tag a butterfly) were fascinating. Sara Dykman made history when she became the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration - a round-trip adventure that included three countries and more than 10,000 miles.