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Richard Lindstrom 1932-2013

The Washington Butterfly Association is dedicated to
the enjoyment, conservation and understanding of butterflies
and their ecology through education and scientific understanding.

wabutterflyassoc@earthlink.net
PO Box 31317
Seattle, WA 98103

WBA meets at 7:00 pm the first Wednesday of every month
at the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle.
Please join us.

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April 20, 2013, the Wall Street Journal printed a story about a new book
called Butterfly People by William Leach. The full article can be read by clicking here.

WSJCheckerSpotsInSanFrancisco

WSJCheckerSpotsInSanFrancisco

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Sadly WBA has lost one of our founding members, Richard Lindstrom.

Video: Tributes to Richard Lindstrom at the April 3 WBA Meeting.
Obituary Guest Book

Richard Dale Lindstrom

August 10, 1932 ~ April 1, 2013

Richard Lindstrom was born in Minneapolis MN. His father ran the neighborhood grocery store and his mother sold gift items in the local department store. As a little boy, he spent much time with an uncle whose passion was the natural world. Together they collected road kill, taking treasures home to dissect and display. Thus began Richard's lifelong interest in animals and the wild wonders that surround us.

In high school, he developed a keen interest in drawing and drafting that led him to enroll in the University of Washington School of Architecture, receiving his B. Arch. in 1954. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea until 1957, spending R&R time in Kyoto, Japan studying and collecting Asian ceramics, a passion he pursued for many years.

He worked for several Northwest architectural firms, settled on Bainbridge Island in 1973 and established an architectural partnership there with the late Christopher Morgan. Their work was widely published and given numerous awards. In 1979 Richard received the American Institute of Architects National Honor Award for the home he designed for himself, his wife Laura Ingham and son Erik. Inspired by Ise shrine near Nara, Japan, Richard created a highly original, beautifully proportioned structure, reminiscent of a Northwest longhouse.

An avid birdwatcher much of his life, in later years he focussed on butterflies, helping found the Washington Butterfly Association. He specialized in the subfamily Skippers/Hesperiidae amassing photographs of almost 2400 species, probably the most extensive collection in the world. Emails from enthusiasts worldwide filled his inbox requesting "Dr. Skippy's" assistance in identification. In 2008, Richard married Shirley Sekarajasingham. They enjoyed great travel adventures throughout Central and South America photographing rare birds and butterflies.

He gave generously to organizations dedicated to preserving habitat including The Nature Conservancy, Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica and the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens. He helped build a state-of-the-art storage facility for the National University, Lima, Peru butterfly collection plus classroom and laboratory space for entomology and lepidoptery. Not forgetting the little ones, he donated binoculars to Honduran schoolchildren.

Richard cared deeply about certain political and religious subjects, writing frequently to local papers and creating his own bumper-stickers. A recent mission urged aetheists to come out of the closet. He also cared deeply about the lonely and less fortunate, finding small ways to brighten many individuals' lives. His dedicated, generous life filled with humor and creativity inspires us all.

Richard died the beautiful spring morning of April 1 from a sudden brain hemorrhage. Preceded in death by parents Dorothy and Morris and sister Louise Standridge, he leaves behind his son Erik, his wife Shirley Sekarajasingham, nephew Scott Standridge of Long Island, NY and niece Debbie Musumeci of Bethel, CT.

The family welcomes all to a gathering at Pleasant Beach Manor House, 4738 Lynwood Center Road, Bainbridge Island, Sunday, April 14, 1-4 PM. They request that gifts in Richard's memory be made to McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville 32611 for skipper research.

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WBA Noticeline

This is a special service to WBA members. Notices are sent out to members reminding them of upcoming meetings, special announcements and copies of interesting butterfly research articles. We make every effort to not overuse this communication and all addresses are blind.

If you are interested in receiving this service, just send your name and e-mail address to:
wabutterflyassoc@earthlink.net
and indicate: Add Noticeline

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Flight Of The Butterflies In 3D
Boeing IMAX Theater at the Pacific Science Center, Seattle

Find out how scientists discovered the Mexican winter site of the monarchs. This award-winning production team filmed hundreds of millions of monarchs in their remote overwintering sanctuaries in Mexico and also along their migratory routes from Canada and across the U.S. The film immerses you in the astounding migration experience as two generations of the butterflies migrate north and then a Super Generation finds its way from Canada to a few isolated mountaintops in Mexico. Rated: G. Runtime: 40 min.

For more information, visit the Pacific Science Center web page.

Information about monarch butterflies in the Western United States can be found at the Xerces Society web page.

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Membership

Join by becoming a member of the North American Butterfly Association.
Click here to go to the NABA membership page.