Our Story

How It Began 🦋

The story of Colorado Front Range Butterflies began with a science teacher, a butterfly class, and a few people who shared a deep curiosity about the natural world. In 1998, Donn Cook, a high school science teacher from Southern California, came to Boulder to take a class on local butterflies taught by Janet Chu, a high school biology teacher and expert on Colorado butterflies. Later that year, Donn met Catherine on a three-week hiking trip in New Zealand. They quickly discovered a shared love of hiking, travel, and nature—and fell in love.

Donn was an avid birder and a lifelong teacher. He introduced Cathy to birds, butterflies, wildflowers, geology, astronomy, and so much more. Together, they continued exploring and learning about the natural world. After retiring, they married and completed the Boulder County Parks and Open Space volunteer naturalist training. Butterflies soon became a special focus. With help from Jan Chu and other local lepidopterists, including Paul Opler and Ray Stanford, Donn and Cathy began learning to identify the butterflies they encountered in the field.

Learning in the Field

As volunteer naturalists, Donn and Cathy met Joe Krieg, who shared their growing fascination with butterflies and their desire to protect them. Under Jan Chu's leadership, the three began participating in butterfly surveys on Boulder County open space properties. Those early surveys grew into a dedicated survey team that has conducted annual butterfly surveys in Boulder County from 2002 to the present.

Learning also took them far beyond Boulder County. They attended field trips, classes, conferences, and butterfly festivals and learned from many of the naturalists and lepidopterists who helped advance butterfly study and conservation. Time spent in the field—and countless photographs—became their greatest teachers.

Creating a Local Resource

As their knowledge grew, so did their desire to share it. They found that people interested in butterflies often had to rely on broad field guides that did not provide much information specific to Colorado's Front Range. Joe Krieg suggested creating a website that could serve as a beginner-friendly guide to the butterflies found in this region. The idea took hold, and in 2010 the first Colorado Front Range Butterflies website was launched.

What began as a small effort among friends has continued to grow. Over the years, many people have contributed their knowledge, observations, photographs, encouragement, and expertise. Their contributions have helped transform the website into a more comprehensive resource for anyone interested in discovering the butterflies of the Colorado Front Range.

Why We Continue

Butterflies are beautiful, fascinating, and important members of our ecosystems. They also face many challenges as their habitats change. We hope this website will encourage people to look more closely at the butterflies around them—to find them, watch them, learn to identify them, and appreciate the habitats they depend on. By sharing knowledge and encouraging people to participate in citizen science, plant native habitats, and protect natural areas, we hope to inspire a deeper appreciation for butterflies and the remarkable natural world they represent.

This website is a record of a journey that began with curiosity and grew through friendship, teaching, field work, photography, and a shared love of nature. We invite you to continue that journey with us.