Bicycling with Butterflies

Date reviewed/posted: December 14, 2020
Publication date: April 13, 2021

When life for the entire universe and planet has turned on its end, you are continuing to #maskup to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us, AND the worst sciatica attack in your life means you MIGHT sleep 3 hours a night,  superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

Outdoor educator and field researcher Sara Dykman decided to do something no one had ever done before—pedal along with monarch butterflies over the entire length of their 10,201-mile migratory journey. She did it alone, on a hand-built bicycle, through three countries.
 
In Bicycling with Butterflies, Dykman recounts her incredible journey and the adventurous ups and downs of her ride—follow her along through a Midwestern thunderstorm, a field of zombie corn, and multiple trips across the border. Along the way, we meet a cast of characters that includes devoted citizen scientists, skeptical bar patrons, farmers, and fellow bicyclists. Dykman weaves a tale full of humility and grace, all while sharing the science that underlies the urgency of saving the monarchs and why we all should care.
 
Bicycling with Butterflies deftly combines memoir, travel, and popular science. It is a must-read debut if you are looking for an uplifting story filled with optimism, energy, and hope. 

My mom always says to me (she now lives near an area with a tonne of Canada Geese) HOW DO THEY REMEMBER WHERE TO FLY EVERY YEAR? Then I bring up monarch butterflies (and the swallows of San Capistrano) and we have a list argument. Oh, I wish that this book was out "now" so she could read it in hard copy, but she will just have to entertain herself and learn from my kindle copy!

#tangentaside I freaking loved this book - I grew up in farm country and there were always tonnes of monarch butterflies and in primary school, we always "hatched" on from pupae to butterfly as an early STEM/STEAM project so they are near and dear to my heart as you don't see a lot around a high rise in a large city.  What a trip Miss Dykman took AND ON A BICYCLE????? I laughed, I cried, I loved that I learned some science without it reading like a science primer. 

It is a fascinating journey and story and I will HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to friends, patrons and book clubs alike: it is a love letter to saving a creature we take for granted. READ IT!!!.  And, if you live near Point Pelee, Ontario, Canada, as I do .. go and check the migration out --- photos are on my Wix page!

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/snowflakes / literally-like-overusers etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 🦋🚲🦋🚲🦋🦋🚲🦋🚲 (I know I am supposed to only give five but this one was fun to play with!!)

One of my favorite books of the year!  Dykman does an excellent job of telling the unique account of her daring trip following the monarch butterfly migration through North America on bike.   

Part travelogue, part adventure, it is 100% a love letter to nature.  She somehow manages to convey the heartbreak and the hope that comes with being an advocate for wildlife in our precarious world.  

Her passion, intelligence and dedication leap off the page.  Her writing was so straightforward yet also very poetic.  I felt like I had accompanying her on the trip.  her words painted vivid pictures in my mind of blue skies, orange wings, multi-colored milkweed blooms. 

I especially appreciated that she she succeeded in the amazing feat of riding a bike from Mexico, to the U.S., to Canada, and then all the way back to Mexico again.  As an everyday bike rider, I am beyond impressed and it was great to hear her talk about the best and worst parts of biking.  I very much related to her musings on cycling.

Also- I enjoyed how she touched on what it was like to ride solo as a woman, and how she was discouraged by many people from doing so because it was 'dangerous' yet most of the people and situations that she encountered were friendly.  She didn't let fear-mongering get in her way.  She was smart about risks and made good choices along the way.

Lastly but definitely not least important, I'm SO glad Dykman linked the plight of the migrating monarchs to the pro-immigrant & refugee rights movements.  It was a vitally important issue to connect, so much so that I don't think I would have enjoyed the book as much if she hadn't included it.  

I would highly recommend this book to readers interested in the environment, bikes, adventure, popular science, non-fiction, travel and memoirs authored by women.

I liked this book. I really admired the authors commitment to monarch butterflies and her intent on following the migrations. I thought the science was solid yet not overdone.. There are little scientific tidbits scattered throughout the book. It is a fairly fast read. 
I would have liked more detail about the people she met along the way although I realize that was not the intent of the book. 
The author mentions that the monarchs had not yet been granted endangered species status. But late December 2020 the Fish and  Wildlife Service did determine monarchs are warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act. This puts them one step closer to achieving protection as a threatened species but that will not come until 2024. Hopefully that timetable will be speeded up with the new Biden Administration

Wow, this was such an interesting read!

Sara is an amazing woman who plans this trip to bicycle the path of the monarch butterfly's migration. In this book, she weaves together her travel experiences, and information about the monarchs. The way she describes the monarchs is magical and her appreciation for nature shines through on every page. I'm now determined to visit Mexico and see them for myself. 

Sara also weaves in important topics like refugee rights and climate change. These parts are emotional to read but weaved in perfectly and so appreciated.

I read this to review for Net Galley.

This is a true story about a woman named Sara who was the first person to ride her bike more than 10,000 miles solo.  She is a scientist who is very passionate about the monarch's.  In this story we follow her journey of her riding her bicycle alongside the monarchs.

Sara is a very remarkable women to ride as far as she did by herself.  We never knew where she would end up sleeping at the end of the day.  It could be in the woods or in a strangers home.  During her ride she even did presentations of her journey.  Whether it was speaking at a school or simply to a group of kids she would come across.  

I chose this because I like to ride bikes and was interested to hear Sara's story.  The reason I gave this a 3 is because I would have liked to have heard more about Sara's story riding her bike and more background on why she chose the route she did.  I enjoyed learning about the monarch's but sometimes it felt like maybe a bit too much.  I would find myself speed reading until I came across her talking about her ride.  So I felt I missed some things in the story because of that.  I still highly recommend if you like a good non fiction read.

My family and I tend and grow a native garden, and every year we carefully tend to the monarchs as well. We find the eggs and youngest caterpillars and raise them until we can release a new and perfect butterfly back into the world. This was a beautiful and captivating story of an adventure that we would love! Every year we watch the monarchs lift up and leave, and wonder if keeping them safe into adulthood made a difference. On top of the travel itself, Sara Dykman makes the journey on her bicycle across thousands of miles. I do feel like the writing was at times a little difficult, but the story and imagery made up for that, in my opinion. Additionally, the connection to immigrants and refugees feels timely and impactful. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

Dykman's story is very inspiring, and while reading this book I found myself researching which species of Milkweed was native to my area and how I can plant some in my garden. I also want to plan a trip to the Monarch reserves in Mexico as soon as I am able. Her descriptions about the monarchs and their cyclical life are magical and captivating. The point of this book was to spread awareness about Monarchs and to make people care more about their plight, and it definitely achieves that goal. 
You can truly feel the passion Dykman has for these butterflies, which is the most inspiring part of this book, although the fact that she biked 10,000 miles was also incredibly inspiring and made me feel that if someone can do that, I can also achieve my goals. 
The writing style left something to be desired, which is most of why I rated this a 3.5. There were some very dense passages where facts and figures were told in a way that felt more like a textbook rather than a book you read for pleasure. There were also some parts that felt like they could have benefitted from more editing, for example, in one passage the word "complacent" was used where "complicit" seemed more fitting. But these are a bit picky and didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.

The journey of the author, and the monarchs is an amazing one. Allowing the readers to "ride" along made the phenomenon of the monarch migrations completely unforgettable.

In 2013, Sara Dykman and a friend conceived an ambitious plan: to follow, by bicyle, the annual migration of monarch butterflies from their Mexico wintering grounds to destinations up north. Three years later, she decided it was time to make the adventure of a lifetime a reality. As the biologist (no stranger to lengthy bicycle tours) prepared to travel from Mexico to Canada and back along the monarchs’ routes north in the spring and south when summer gave way to autumn, she knew this would not be an ordinary bike tour. Sara was doing it for the monarchs, promoting their conservation and that of milkweed, the only plants their caterpillars could use for food. 

In the winter of 2017, the author waits in a forested mountain part of Mexico for signs that the monarchs are about to begin their journey. When they take flight, Sara mounts her bicycle—loaded with camping supplies and other necessities—and heads north. As she travels, the adventurer takes the opportunity to share her message. Spending the night in a variety of locations—camping sites in both suitable rural and urban locations, pre-arranged homes, and residences of locals offering a place to stay—Sara fills her days with presentations. Catering each talk to her audience, she describes the plight of monarchs as habitats fall victim to development and milkweed to mowing, details what people can do to positively change the situation, and provides a demonstration of her mode of travel. Along the way, Sara mourns the loss of wildlife to traffic and mishaps (and rescues many critters from roads) and milkweed plants mowed down from highway medians, golf courses, and impeccable lawns. And she celebrates the discovery of eggs, cocoons and monarch caterpillars chomping their way through milkweed leaves. 

Author Sara Dykman’s first-person narrative of her remarkable trek is an eye-opening account of an even more extraordinary journey: the autumn flight of monarch butterflies to their overwintering grounds and their return north in the spring. Her description of her subjects’ awareness of changing seasons, navigational skills, and knowledge of appropriate egg-laying spots is a fascinating look at a system amazingly sophisticated for such a tiny creature. 

The author’s account is peppered with events and encounters both memorable and humorous. Her story comes alive through descriptions of details of life on the trail: ensuring her tent will not flood when rain is on the horizon—and dealing with it when it happens, setting up camp in places as unlikely as a commercial parking lot, finding her own brand of “sandwiches” (ingredients eaten one after the other instead of combined between two pieces of bread) less time consuming to prepare after a long, exhausting day, and doing laundry in a shower stall. 

Sarah Dykman’s fascinating account is spiced by passages that are sheer poetry: 

One “can only dream of the millions of bison that once chomped, wandered, and produced the prairie under the gaze of visiting monarchs. Looking out at the broken scraps of what once was, my heart is broken, too.”

“Humans keep taking, and wildlife keeps trying to make do.” 

All these elements combine to make the author’s story one readers will have a difficult time putting down until the satisfying conclusion. We, like Sarah Dykman, cannot help but be enamored by these tiny but amazing creatures and hope they have a future on our planet.  Her journey is an enlightening learning experience for her even as she teaches others, and readers will discover truths about our world and its human and animal inhabitants. This book deserves a place alongside memorable and inspiring wildlife rehabilitation books like American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee and Eager by Ben Goldfarb. The author’s mission, to enlighten people of all ages and three countries about the creatures whose path she follows, makes Bicycling with Butterflies not her story, but the monarch’s.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
It took me a little bit to get into this book--I liked it better once Dykman hit the road--but this was a great story of an amazing bicycle trip, with lots of information on monarchs and the people who care for them along the way.  I enjoyed this very much!

This book is an incredible story of the author’s bicycle journey to follow the migrating Monarch butterflies. So many details were given. Of course, I learned a great deal about Monarch butterflies and their journey. But I also learned about the author, her motivation, the people she met along the way, and her experiences both good and bad. I felt as if I was on the road with her. I enjoyed this book very much.

A unique and fascinating memoir by nature educator/researcher Sara Dykman, as she travels the monarch butterfly’s migration route, bicycling 10,000 miles through three countries — the first to do so. What a glorious story and an urgent one, as the author advocates for protection of this magnificent threatened species and the fragile ecosystem that supports it. 
 
4 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 13 Apr 2021
#BicyclingwithButterflies #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Timber Press, and to NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

Such an incredible bicycle trip, following the migrating monarchs. Her experiences were so incredibly beautiful, dark, sad, and bountiful, just as nature herself. I would love to follow in her footsteps, and felt as though I had after reading this beautiful book.!!  Loved it!

Very interesting tale of naturalist and cyclist Sara Dykman. She follows the migration of monarch butterflies from Mexico to Canada to Maine and back again on bicycle. She writes about the biology of the butterfly migration (yawn), the people she meets, and the adventures she has. I'd probably would have liked to see less biology and more adventure but the biology is important to survival of the monarch butterfly population.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC

The author follows the migration of the monarch butterfly solo on her bike - a kind of Tour de Monarchs - from Mexico, USA to Canada and back again.

Whilst the writing might not always be 4 star, the message certainly is. There is so much we can easily do with little or no effort to stop destroying the creatures of our planet, such as growing native plants or simply not mowing or paving over critical habitats, which might easily be our windowsills, verges or gardens. I was surprised by how difficult cycling can be with 200 mile detours needed because some US roads don't allow cyclists.
I also found her love for the other creatures she spots on her journey joyful and the (mostly) kindness of strangers.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to review a digital arc of this book.  From the start, I was in awe of the author and her story. Thirty two years old, with courage for days, no smartphone and only paper maps.  

The author was the first person to bicycle the entire monarch migration loop (and then some) – 10,201 miles and three countries.  One of the main goals for the trip was to serve as a spokesperson for monarch butterflies and conservation truth teller.  The journey was also a baring witness, in a new and intimate way, to the destruction of the habitats on which the monarchs’ survival, and ultimately, the survival of human life, depends.  

I found deeply touching the moments Dykman spent having personal connections with creatures encountered along the path.  In those passages, I found the invitation to look into the mirror Dykman was holding up, to show us how we can find ourselves in every living creature and become motivated to take action.  

I marveled at the seamless writing and careful crafting of this book.  The question in this book that stuck most with me was this: “How do we choose when and what to protect, sacrifice, or exploit? How do we choose, when the lives of both monarchs and humans are at stake?”  (pg. 29).  This question and the others Dykman contemplates, are presented in a way that seeks to shine light, hope, and show the enduring value of the actions we can all take together for the betterment of our planet.

3.75 stars Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Publishes April 13, 2021.

This is a nonfiction short story about a girl who followed the migration of Monarch butterflies from Mexico to Canada on a bicycle. Most of the book is sectioned off in chapters that run 3 to 4 days. 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. If you love nature and the evolution of animals on our planet this is a very worthwhile book to read. Enjoyable.

This nonfiction book follows the author on a solo bike tour following the monarch butterfly migration. She set out on this tour to help raise awareness about the problems the monarchs face. Dykman biked from the monarchs’ wintering grounds in Mexico to Canada and back. She gave presentations at schools and community centers along her route, teaching people how they can help the monarch butterflies.

I enjoyed this book. I was drawn to it because I enjoy cycling, but I can’t fathom such a long bike tour. I wanted to see what that would be like. 

Dykman is obviously very passionate about conservation. I liked reading about how the book combines her passions with the practical matters of a long bike tour and scientific information. She does an excellent job presenting science and conservation information in an engaging way.

There are some points in the story where Dykman gets a little preachy about conservation, but it is one of her passions, so that could be excused. It’s not overwhelming, and I actually finished this book admiring her dedication to her cause.

This is a great book for teens and adults!