Orchids and Butterflies: The Life and Times of Theodore Mead

The story of a man who transformed ornamental horticulture in America.In this historically accurate biography Paul Butler paints a vivid picture of the life and times of Theodore Mead. As a young man he hunted butterflies in Colorado discovering dozens of new species. Later as a Florida citrus and tropical plant grower he amassed a huge collection of orchids and imported ornamental plants from all over the world cross-breeding them to produce new varieties.Life was anything but easy as a pioneering settler in Florida. He faced bouts of malaria the harrowing loss of his only daughter to scarlet fever the catastrophic financial damage of the great citrus freeze of 1894/95 and the brutal excesses of the Medfly crisis of 1929/30.Theodore Mead helped keep Florida a Land of Flowers and was one of Americas most distinguished entomologists and horticulturists. But despite this success a significant part of his life remained unfulfilled. Orchids & Butterflies is ultimately the story of one mans search for meaning in life.