92-year-old Chico biologist donates lifetime butterfly collection to University of Florida

KHSL

By Diego Moctezuma

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    CHICO, California (KHSL) — A long-time Chico biologist is giving away his 60,000 butterfly species collection after more than 70 years.

92-year-old Sterling Mattoon says he wanted to ensure the butterflies remain preserved in a safe space. His life work is the study of butterflies – lepidopterology. Throughout his career, Mattoon studied and collected various species of butterflies.

He says his collection holds a mass of unknown information about butterfly ecology. He has about 16,000 pinned and 40,000 unpinned specimens. Soon, his butterfly collection will be taken to a state-of-the-art facility.

“I’m so glad to get it there, when we get it there safely through the trucking I will be relieved,” Mattoon said. “I’ve got lots of things to do yet in my life, but the collection will be where it’s safe and it should be and I’ll be happy.”

Throughout his career, Mattoon has had a long-time connection with the University of Florida. His book about Western North American butterflies was published through the university.

A colleague, Bill McGuire, founded a state-of-the-art center for Lepidoptera, the largest center of butterflies in the world. The center is where Mattoon’s collection will live on.

The university sent Mattoon special boxes to transport the butterflies. A rep will then truck the collection to Sacramento where they will be shipped to Florida. The collection was once preliminary appraised at $200,000.

Mattoon is an honorary doctor of science at Chico State – only the 21st such degree in the school’s 137-year history.

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