About Linda Gilkeson: Linda earned a Ph.D. in Entomology from McGill University in 1986, and then moved to British Columbia to work for Applied Bio-Nomics Ltd., a company that produces biological controls. From 1991 to 2002 she worked for the provincial government, promoting programs to reduce and eliminate pesticide use. She was head of the provincial State of Environment Reporting Unit for the next six years, then the Executive Director of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy until the end of 2011. Linda now devotes her time to writing, teaching and consulting.
Did you know that South-eastern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands have by far the highest butterfly diversity in coastal BC? Many species and varieties found in this area occur nowhere else in Canada, and several are endangered throughout their ranges. Unfortunately, local butterflies have declined greatly. The Victoria area has lost roughly twenty species, about half of its original number, since record keeping began in the late 1800’s. Most of this loss is due to historic conversion of native meadows and woodlands, first to farmland and then to residential and commercial uses.
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