In the Shadow of the Xerces Blue
San Francisco tries to change the conditions that once made it famous for butterfly extinction
Tag: lepidopterist
Above the Tropopause: in Search of a High-Altitude Butterfly
Butterfly experts guard their secret spots like fishermen. When a friend takes Liam O'Brien to his "spot," the writer finds himself in a scene from Nabokov.
On Butterflies, Parasites, and Viruses
How does a Broadway actor become San Francisco's go-to lepidopterist? Liam O'Brien explains.
What Is This Moth That’s Almost as Big as a Hummingbird?
Moths often get sidelined as the country cousins of butterflies. But they have their own beauty and utility as some of the best pollinators around.
Place Shapes the Sonoran Blue, A Contender for Bay Area’s ‘Most Beautiful Butterfly’
The Sonoran Blue is, according to some experts, the most beautiful butterfly in the Bay Area. Alum Rock Park in San Jose is the best place to find them, and...
The Color of Flight
From migrating monarchs to giant yellow swallowtails to tiny pygmy blues, butterflies are endlessly enthralling. For folks like retired East Bay Regional Parks naturalist Jan Southworth and artist Liam O'Brien,...
