“The virus has connected me to nature in a profound and surreal way,” O’Brien writes. “The world of butterflies was handed to me by the fate of the disease. What a blessing. What a gift.”
A section on the Indra Swallowtail from ‘Butterflies of the Bay Area’ by Liam O’Brien. (Heyday)
O’Brien meticulously illustrates each species alongside details of their habitats, host plants and life phases, as well as the best locations to see them. He includes all the scientific information a layperson might need, including a breakdown of official terminologies, the stages of metamorphosis and butterfly migration patterns — but it never gets boring. One section, for example, is titled “On Common Names and Latin Names and the Big Bag of Crazy Those Are.” He uses the word “bazillions” at one point. He even compares butterflies’ preferences for hilltops to humans gravitating towards bars to find a date.
Importantly, there is magic in the ways O’Brien views and describes these insects. Of the Bilateral Gynandromorphisms — butterflies that express both male and female characteristics, possess both sexes’ genitalia and are incapable of mating — he states: “A true chimera roams the earth.”
O’Brien’s calls for more nature conservation are also impactful. “In the early years of this passion for me, one truth became clear,” he writes. “We San Franciscans are more famous for what no longer flies here than for what still does.”
O’Brien was born in Redwood City, raised in south San Jose and is a 30-year resident of San Francisco who has also lived in Benicia. When he offers you a guide to the best butterfly walks in the Bay (and the best times of year to explore them), it’s safe to say you can trust he knows what he’s talking about.