Sara Dykman

Magic City Books, in partnership with Tulsa Parks and more than 20 community partners, is proud to welcome Sara Dykman for a free event to celebrate her book, Bicycling with Butterflies, winner of the 2021 National Outdoor Book Award, on Thursday September 29 at 7:00 pm. This event will be hosted in the community center at Veterans Park (just west of Peoria on the south side of 6th Street).

Sara Dykman made history when she became the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration–a round-trip adventure that included three countries and more than 10,000 miles. Equally remarkable, she did it solo, on a bike cobbled together from used parts. In Bicycling with Butterflies, Dykman recounts her incredible journey and the dramatic ups and downs of the nearly nine-month odyssey.

This event is part of the “Migration Continues” series of events that will follow the 7th Annual Monarchs on the Mountain event on Saturday September 17, 2022 at Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area.

Copies of Bicycling with Butterflies are available now at Magic City Books or you can order a copy online at: https://magiccitybooks.square.site/product/bicycling-with-butterflies/839. The book will be for sale at the event and Sara will sign copies at the conclusion of the event.

About Bicycling with Butterflies

“An extraordinary story in which Dykman seamlessly weaves together science, a real love of nature and the adventure and hazards of biking with butterflies from Mexico to Canada and back. They share an epic journey and encounter hardships, but they do not give up. The book is a lament for our thoughtless destruction of nature and at the same time a celebration of the beauty that remains. The migration of the monarch butterflies is one of the wonders of the world–we must save it for future generations.” –Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute U.N. Messenger of Peace

Sara Dykman made history when she became the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration–a round-trip adventure that included three countries and more than 10,000 miles. Equally remarkable, she did it solo, on a bike cobbled together from used parts. Her panniers were recycled buckets.

In Bicycling with Butterflies, Dykman recounts her incredible journey and the dramatic ups and downs of the nearly nine-month odyssey. We’re beside her as she navigates unmapped roads in foreign countries, checks roadside milkweed for monarch eggs, and shares her passion with eager schoolchildren, skeptical bar patrons, and unimpressed border officials. We also meet some of the ardent monarch stewards who supported her efforts, from citizen scientists and researchers to farmers and high-rise city dwellers.

With both humor and humility, Dykman offers a compelling story, confirming the urgency of saving the threatened monarch migration–and the other threatened systems of nature that affect the survival of us all.

Sara Dykman is the founder of beyond­abook.org, which fosters lifelong learners, boundary pushers, explorers, and stewards. She works in amphibian research and as an outdoor educator, guiding young people into nature so they can delight in its complicated brilliance. She hopes her own adventures–walking from Mexico to Canada, canoeing the Missouri River from source to sea, and cycling over 80,000 miles across North and South America (including the monarch migration trip)–will empower young and old to dream big.