As published in The Monitor, February 14, 2015

January 1, 2015, Chris Tenney started his Big Year for butterflies. This personal quest to locate and identify as many species as possible in 365 days is not an activity for the unprepared or faint-hearted; rather, it requires focus and determination if numbers are to be tracked and racked up, reported and defended, in what often becomes a contest among naturalists in search of bragging rights and field status.

This is not Tenney’s kind of quest.

Lanky and soft-spoken, rumbled and weathered, deliberate and unassuming, he does not appear to be leading a charge, marching across America in pursuit of a goal; but don’t let this fool you. Tenney is a man on a mission, and butterflies may just a pretense for his first significant trip alone.

Two years ago, January, marked the loss of Tenney’s true love, May, his wife of forty years. Together, they criss-crossed the country, discovering special places and creating memories that he cherishes. Recollections of their experiences in places like Missoula, Montana, and Zion National Park, are guiding his steps, today, as he seeks to honor her time here, as well as her passing.

Talking with Tenney, it soon becomes clear his Big Year is less about setting a record than it is about creating a present that simultaneously celebrates their bond and releases him to complete the rest of his journey in this new form, on his own. With this in mind, staff at the National Butterfly Center, in Mission, Texas, eagerly anticipated his arrival, which occurred befittingly on the first day in which the sun broke through the blanket of winter clouds.

January 19, 2015, Tenney walked into the Chrysalis Visitor’s Pavilion. Mythologically and metaphorically, the chrysalis has long been symbolic of transformation and resurrection. Resembling a death shroud or sarcophagus, the cloak that safeguards the creature inside is shed in resurrection, discarded and abandoned in metamorphosis, as a new creature emerges to soar. None of this was lost on those cognizant of the fact that Tenney was embarking on such a momentous solo flight.

Of the 700 or so species of butterflies in the United States, about 300 of them may be found in the Rio Grande Valley. Unbeknownst to many, this place is unique throughout the country for its exceptional volume and variety of butterflies, from native and endemic species, to seasonal migrants and subtropical strays. So, Tenney sold his home in California, and set out across deep, south Texas in his Sportsmobile camper van…. In his first week here, he added 25 species to his fledgling list at a time when much of the country is covered in snow and ice, and utterly devoid of butterflies.

“Originally, I wanted to hit all 48 states,” Explains Tenney, who has mapped his journey according to butterflies and birthdays, keenly aware of how precious his family is and the importance of being there for his brother and sister, two daughters and two growing grandsons. ‘Pops’, as he is called by his grandsons, will return to California for special holidays, but never again to home-ownership; at least, that’s how he feels, today.

If home is where the heart is, Tenney is most at home revisiting all the places he shared with May. His true purpose in this year-long trip down memory lane is to leave a little piece of her, here and there, in Rapid City, South Dakota, and the Florida panhandle—places she relished and Tenney saw afresh, through her eyes.

Accomplished bicyclists, both Tenney and his wife rode 4,000 miles cross-country, averaging about 80 miles per day. A biologist, with a Master’s of Science in Ornithology, Tenney’s favorite part of his trek from Seattle to Boston was the landscape. On that journey, he rode at his own pace, taking time to smell the flowers and photograph the wildlife. May, on the other hand, rode across the southern U.S. and claimed her favorite part of the trip was the food.

“Normally, she was very shy,” states Tenney, “Once we got on the road she was anything but; she was game for anything. She planned our activities to include happy hour wherever we landed, and breakfast at the local diner. She loved meeting people; she’d just go for it; so we’d go to local pubs or hang out at sport’s bars. She just blossomed when we traveled.

“She kept me on pace, but would also pull me away from whatever I was doing, usually behind the lens of my camera or binoculars, to do something cultural or historical,” continues Tenney. “We even drove the route Lewis and Clark took on their expedition, while listening to the audio narrative of it. She exposed me to so much, made me see so much more. She was really gutsy.”

Without his navigator, relief driver, cruise director and companion, Tenney is not as adventurous.

“Her illness was a real shock,” admits Tenney. “She was always active and very fit; never smoked a day in her life, but she got lung cancer. She was supposed to be with me on this trip. We were going to do it together.”

This Big Year should have been bigger by two. May also enjoyed butterflies, birds and plants, hiking and tennis, anything outdoors, according to Tenney. Suddenly somber, he confesses going at this alone is going to be tough.

“Over the last 26 years, I’ve amassed a U.S. bird list of close to 700 species, without really trying,” states Tenney. “As for the butterflies, I don’t have that kind of time left. I figure, why not pack it all into one year.

“Why not?” he asks himself, even though he has lost his soulmate and sidekick.

“We still talk,” he says, “especially when I am driving. I hear her voice all the time. Sometimes I wonder whether that ever stops—talking to someone you’ve loved and lived with for forty years.”

Soon, Tenney will depart for Florida, where diverse species, including endangered and unusual rarities await. That long I-10 drive will give him lots of time to consider the future and likely, consult with May, concerning whether it’s worth a detour for jazz and beignets in the Big Easy; or if he should steer for Alaska, this June, for the chance to bump his butterfly list by as many as fifty species…. No doubt, his search for butterflies is bound to give birth to conversations, quiet introspection, and healing reflection.

This is Chris Tenney’s Big (Bold) Year of discovery. To keep up with him on this solo flight, visit http://www.butterflybigyear.net, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive new blog posts, when published.