When: Thursday, September 19, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Marine Discovery Center, 520 Barracuda Blvd, NSB, 32169

Cost: FREE

The lecture is open to the public at no charge and no reservations are required.

Butterflies will be the featured topic at the Marine Discovery Center’s September monthly lecture.

Deland native Jim West, who grew up in the florist and landscaping business, will be the guest speaker and will discuss these intriguing insects in his presentation, “Plight of the Monarch Butterfly.”

The lecture will be held Thursday, Sept. 19, starting at 6 p.m., and will be hosted by the Marine Discovery Center, located at 520 Barracuda Boulevard in New Smyrna Beach.

West owned and operated Stetson Flower Shop, a family business for 20 years, before becoming a high school teacher. After leaving DeLand High School, he started a horticulture and lepidoptera studies program at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, where his students planted and maintained 8,000 plants for seven years.

Since retiring and moving to New Smyrna Beach, West has taught seminars at Stetson University and for Master Gardeners and local garden clubs. As a member of Monarch City USA and Butterfly Society, he designed the 1,200-plant butterfly garden at Bill Dreggors Park in DeLand.

West will discuss the fall migrations of butterfly species and will inform guests about what they can do to help support dwindling populations of butterflies as food sources and habitat have become increasingly diminished across North America in recent years.

He will also bring native milkweed plants and various other butterfly plants to the lecture for display and purchase.

The September lecture is open to the public at no charge and no reservations are required. Seating in the center’s Learning Lab is limited and early arrival is recommended.