You and Betty and the nancy's and bills and Joes and Jane's will find in the study of science

a richer, more rewarding life.

Hey, welcome to Inquiring Minds. I'm Indra Viscontas.

This is a podcast that explores the space where science and society collide.

We want to find out what's true, what's left to discover, and why it matters.

There's more than what we see.

If like me you're spending more time at home,

sheltering in place, or just staying safe,

then maybe you're also spending more time

gazing out your windows, observing wildlife outdoors, or maybe your pets indoors. Well, I thought it

might be fun to talk to someone about at least my most favorite insect, if not the world's most

favorite insect. And that would be the beautiful butterfly. But butterflies aren't just

beautiful. They're also super interesting in terms of what they're able to do. I mean, just think of

monarch butterflies that can migrate over hundreds of miles and the many scientists that have spent

time figuring out just how they know where to go. Wendy Williams is a science

writer and best-selling author of The Horse, and now her latest book is called The Language of Butterflies,

how thieves, hoarders, scientists, and other obsessives unlocked the secrets of the world's favorite

insect.

Wendy Williams, welcome to inquiring minds.

Glad to be here.

So I have a kindergartner, and I like to think that I'm just slightly ahead of him on things like what is an insect.

But I was wrong.

...