WESTMINSTER —From the frenzy of bulldozers to pesticide use to bright city lights, insects across the planet are being bombarded with threats that carry the potential for extinction.
In Colorado, this means the flickering of fireflies that once lit up backyards and childhood imaginations is rapidly becoming a distant memory.
Meanwhile in Boulder County, biologists suspect a species of dragonfly is in a steep decline but lack any data to know if it’s actually happening, let alone why.
Looking to better understand and reverse threats these insects face — whether it’s in our own backyards or on the Mongolian steppe — the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster has hired biologist Richard Reading to lead an expansion of the organization’s conservation and research efforts.
Mary Ann Colley, a vice president at the Butterfly Pavilion, said the hire is a key part of long-term plans for the organization to become a top-tier scientific facility specializing in captive insect breeding, international field research and conservation efforts.
“Our goal right now is putting the Butterfly Pavilion in a place where people start seeing us as the go-to source for invertebrate knowledge,” Colley said.
Reading’s résumé includes a doctorate and three master’s degrees from Yale University, with decades of work focused on grassland ecosystems on six continents. He’s written or edited eight books, published 175 scientific papers and teaches at the University of Denver.
“There’s a quote from Ed Wilson who said, ‘Little things run the world,’ and that philosophy really forms my knowledge of invertebrates,” Reading said. “We could do without a lot of mammals and birds, but the world would fall apart tomorrow without insects.”
Fresh off a trip to Peru, Reading was in a backroom at the Butterfly Pavilion, surrounded by stacks of about 100 clear plastic containers, each one housing a tarantula.
He said that particular research project focuses on tarantulas’ unusual growth patterns — unlike most species, their growth accelerates as they get older — and is one of about a half-dozen projects he’s overseeing at the Butterfly Pavilion.
“Given the magnitude of the problem many of these species face, the response has been inadequate,” Reading said. “I’m very interested in doing what I can to help.”
This year, members of the Butterfly Pavilion will travel with Reading to Mongolia, where they’ll continue a decades-long effort to recover an endangered species of high-altitude butterfly. Plans also call for trips to Australia and Kenya, where they’ll work with farmers whose land runs along wildlife preserves.
In Kenya, farmers can be plagued by elephants destroying their crops.
The solution?
“Elephants hate bees,” Reading said. “So we can show farmers how to create bee fences on the edge of a park or reserve to control elephants raiding their farm. As a bonus, they can sell the honey and wax.”
Closer to home, Reading is working with a New Mexico zoo in studying how bison and cattle use land differently. One line of research he’s especially excited about, however, is dragonfly and firefly conservation efforts in Colorado.
“There’s a couple dragonfly species in Colorado that are endangered,” Reading said. “So we’re looking into a captive breeding program; no one has been able to successfully maintain live adults in captivity, but I think we can probably be the first to do it.”
Richard Hancock, a professor of biology at Metro State University, serves on the Pavilion’s Science Advisory Board and guides a steady stream of students into internships at the organization.
He said the facility has been successful in pollinator studies and believes the organization is well-positioned for a national profile in conservation and research efforts.
“The value of Dr. Reading’s leadership is gonna just be this positive, all-out, boots-on-the-ground kind of approach,” Hancock said. “I’m thrilled to see what they’re going to be able to do.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or @abriggs
