Podcast #27 · Ricardo Murillo · The Importance Of Butterflies
“Butterflies deserve a place in the world, not because we find a reason… they don’t have to mean anything to us to have the right to exist.”
Ricardo Murillo
Luis Ricardo Murillo-Hiller is a Costa Rican entomologist working at the University of Costa Rica. He has been passionate about butterflies his entire life and believes protecting them will help us save the few remaining forests we have. Ricardo founded the Live Butterfly Exhibition together with his professor in 2010 as a way of educating school children about diversity, natural history, sustainable development and butterflies! He, together with his team, also conduct research on genetics, diseases, natural history and they help support breeders who export butterflies for exhibitions globally.
The team at Oropopo Experience introduced us to Ricardo and we visited him in his live butterfly exhibition on the university campus. It was, as you would expect, a little noisy, being in the middle of big city, San José, but in our little pocket of paradise, we were surrounded by the most beautiful butterflies and jungle sounds – the perfect backdrop to cover the following with Ricardo:
- Ricardo’s background and his interest in butterflies from an early age (~01:20)
- What is it about butterflies that Ricardo loves and more on butterflies in Costa Rica (~02:10)
- Ricardo’s first moment with butterflies and butterfly mutations (~04:15)
- The live butterfly exhibition at the University of Costa Rica (~06:30)
- Ricardo’s thoughts on butterfly farming and how it can help save forests in Costa Rica (~9:35)
- Remember to notice butterflies! And why butterflies are important to our ecosystems and the amazing world of pollinators (~12:00 )
- The state of butterflies worldwide and why they’re in trouble (~17:00)
- Innovations / research helping protect butterflies globally (~19:00)
- How Ricardo is teaching people to turn their back yards into habitats for butterflies (~20:30)
- Other aspects of butterfly education Ricardo is passionate about (~21:40)
- How to support the live butterfly exhibition at the University of Costa Rica (come visit!) (~23:00)
- Ricardo’s advice for making a difference for butterflies and conservation (~23:50)
“Butterflies are really important for the ecosystem, not only because they are pollinators but they are also important in the food chain…”
Ricardo Murillo
