Blues are common in the alpine "shrub-steppe" of the high Andes. Here, in northwestern Argentina, Dr. Kurt Johnson and his colleagues often found blues clustered on these yellow flowering bushes. High winds often buffet these highland areas (many far above 10,000 feet in altitude), but butterflies still cling successfully to these bushes and can be located in profusion.
Foot of volcano Sajamo -- a high altitude bog habitat of "Itylos inconspicua". In Nabokov's pioneering Harvard publication on Latin American Blues in 1945, a few of his most important specimens hailed from the flanks of this huge volcano on the border of Bolivia and Chile. Because of this, as recorded in Nabokov's Blues, modern scientists had to revisit the region, an adventure that even in the "summer" in South America got them stuck in ice and snow.
NOTE: To view additional photos and Nabokov illustrations please see the PHOTOGRAPH ADDENDUM PAGE that accompanies this article.
SPECIAL THANKS: To Dr. Kurt Johnson, and also to the many others who so graciously assisted me in coordinating this first in a series of two articles featuring endangered Blues butterflies. Watch for my February 2000 article which will focus on the "Karner Blues!"
CO-FEATURE LINKS: The following excellent sites are featuring vital data in a united effort to inform readers about the endangered status of both Nabokov Blues and Karner Blues. Learn how we can all help save these beautiful butterflies from possible extinction before it's too late by visiting each site.
Nabokov's Blues: The Scientific Odyssey of a Literary Genius. This exceptional book is coauthored by Kurt Johnson and Steve Coates. Kurt Johnson is the foremost expert on Nabokov's lepidoptery. Steve Coates is a staff editor at The New York Times. They both live in New York City.
Read outstanding reviews about Nabokov's Blues at Zoland Books. Abridged versions of Chapter 1: "The Most Famous Lepidopterist in the World" and Chapter 10: "Dancing with Fire" are currently featured on this site. Note: See these features via NEWS AND REVIEWS at Zoland Books, which will take you to "samples", "interviews" and "web ring links".
Save the Pine Bush. This excellent, informative site is dedicated to saving the habitats of Karner Blue butterflies in North America.
The Lepidopterists' Society. Read the superb article published on this site, Vladimir Nabokov and The Lepidopterists' Society: a centenary tribute. (Kurt Johnson).
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