Steve Collins grew up in western Kenya. Butterflies fascinated him by age five. He started building a collection. Now he is 74. He has more than 4.2 million specimens. They include hundreds of species. He hopes to find them a good home.  

His parents encouraged him to look for butterflies after visiting the Congo. Friends there gave the family a trapping net. Steve was hooked at age 15. “I was already visiting other countries like Nigeria to study more about butterflies,” he says. 

Mr. Collins’ full time job was to take care of soil. He helped grow crops. He did that for 20 years.  

He researched butterflies in his free time. His 1.5 acres of land has hundreds of trees and bushes with flowers. They attract the fluttering insects. Some even land on Mr. Collins’ hand.  

Mr. Collins founded the African Butterfly Research Institute (ABRI) in 1997. ABRI ran an education center. It was open to the public for about five years. But it was too costly to keep open.  

He keeps 1.2 million butterflies from across Africa pinned in frames. Another three million are in envelopes.  

“They need to be kept in dark spaces,” he says. He stores them on shelves. That protects them from other hungry insects or parasites. Institute staff members apply insecticides once per year to keep them safe.   

Africa struggles with periods of long droughts. Some seasons bring severe floods. Both destroy forests and other spots where butterflies live.  

Mr. Collins believes all his butterfly treasures together are worth about $8 million. “I’m currently seeking to ensure the species are in safe hands when I’m out of this world,” he says. 
 
Why? Studying God’s creation allows us to marvel at what He made. Keeping careful records benefits learners for generations to come.