<p><strong>The story of a&nbsp;man who transformed&nbsp;ornamental horticulture in America.</strong></p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Theodore Mead helped keep Florida a &ldquo;Land of Flowers,&rdquo; and was one of America&rsquo;s 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 man&rsquo;s search for meaning in life.<br />
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