M. E. Colby
Science Communicator | Student Filmmaker | Butterfly Enthusiast
About Me
Hello! My name is Colby, and I am a science communication student in Central Illinois. I have always loved butterflies, and I’ve spent most of my college experience working with them and caring for their habitats. I have been working with the Urban Butterfly Initiative since 2022, and I've put in over 300 hours maintaining their native pollinator gardens.I enjoy nature photography, birding, hiking, reading, and spending time with my own bird, Ruby.My first documentary, Butterflies & You, is available to stream on YouTube and to watch on WEIU.Feel free to reach out!
Photo Gallery
Tawny Emperor
Chinese Mantis
Red Spotted Purple
2024 Periodical Cicada
Gray Hairstreak
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Viceroy
Dickcissel
Red-banded Hairstreak
Red-tailed Hawk
Cottonmouth
Wood Duck
Eastern Box Turtle
N. Rough-Winged Swallow
Black Rat Snake
All photos © M. E. Colby
Butterflies & You: Considerations of Human Relationships with the Natural World
About the project
Butterflies & You is a short documentary about butterflies and how they relate to both humanity and the environment. The project is a Departmental Honors Thesis project at Eastern Illinois University, and was funded by an Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity GrantThe project involved examination of the history of documentary film as a genre, methods of communicating science effectively to a variety of audiences, and the study of butterflies. Over 60 species of butterflies were filmed across Illinois, as well as other animals that are also shown in the documentary.
Watch Butterflies & you
Contact
Want to know more about my work? Interested in booking me as a speaker? Have a burning butterfly question?Send me a message!
I would love to hear from you :)