E59 Matt Forister – Butterflies, Climate Change & the Hidden Crisis Facing Insects

Send us Fan MailButterflies are beautiful. They are also disappearing.In this episode of Naturally Scott, Scott Harris sits down with University of Nevada, Reno biology professor Matt Forister for a fascinating and surprisingly urgent conversation about butterflies, insect declines, climate change, pesticides, and why these tiny creatures may tell us more about the health of our planet than almost anything else.Matt explains how a decades-long butterfly monitoring project in California revealed dramatic declines in both butterfly abundance and species diversity, and why modern pesticide use may be playing a major role. But this conversation is not all doom and gloom. It is also about wonder.From tiny butterflies no larger than a fingernail to massive monarch migrations stretching across North America, Matt shares why butterflies captivate so many people and how anyone can begin exploring the incredible diversity of the insect world.Topics include:🦋 Why butterflies are declining across North America 🌎 Climate change and shifting migration patterns ☠️ The hidden dangers of modern pesticides 🐛 Why caterpillars and moths matter more than most people realize 📚 The surprising book that led Matt into science 🔬 How 53 years of butterfly data became one of the longest-running insect studies in AmericaThis episode is dedicated to Scott’s mother — an incredible mind, an incredible woman, and a shatterer of many glass ceilings. She was a force, but never quiet.👉 Stay up to date and get bonus content here: https://naturallyscott.kit.com/5fd12c6752