By CRISELDA VALDEZ
THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

Jeffrey Glassberg, the man who introduced the world to DNA fingerprinting, spoke to students and Frank and Mary Yturria Elementary about the unlikeliest of subjects: butterflies.

He presented the students with a slide show on butterflies, their habits and habitats. The children reacted with oohs and aahs during some of the photos, including one showing a Monarch butterfly resting on a woman’s face. They squealed and audibly expressed disgust over others.

Glassberg, who has been fascinated with butterflies since his early childhood, showed a photo of a male butterfly courting a female. "He flicks out his wings and emits a ‘special perfume,’" he said. "And much like humans, if he looks good and smells good, then things go forward. Otherwise, the female just leaves."

He went on to describe some of butterflies’ favorite foods, enemies and friends. He told the children that if they wanted to attract butterflies, they needed to plant passion vines in their yards. "I assure you, you’ll have butterflies flying around your house if you plant passion vines," he said.

Glassberg wanted to let the students know they were the ones that could save butterflies and the land they live on. "But you need to have passion, persistence and a desire to change things," he told them.

At the end of the session, he entertained students’ questions. But it seems he sparked an interest, as many students raised their hands to ask questions. The students and principal, Francisco Saldivar, promised to have a butterfly garden at the school by next year.

Glassberg said that during adolescence he stopped butterfly watching, something he calls butterflying, because he discovered "looking at them probably wasn’t the coolest thing." He decided to pursue civil engineering when he discovered he was good at math and science. "But I knew I wouldn’t make a career of it," he said.

He eventually found himself studying molecular biology and getting a background in DNA structures of plants. He moved to Manhattan to further his education and began birding. During this time, a rape case in Central Park sparked his interest in human DNA. What resulted was the discovery of DNA fingerprinting, the process of comparing DNA and finding its "owner."

He and two other men formed a company called Lifecodes Inc. in 1981, which included DNA fingerprinting. When he sold the company a few years later, it left him with the time and money to follow his true love — butterflying.

Glassberg, in an effort to help change people’s attitudes toward butterflies and the way they study them, founded the North America Butterfly Association, or NABA. It is the largest group of butterfly watchers in North America. He said there are currently 4,000 members and that number should grow as the pastime becomes more popular.

He has written several books on butterflies and butterflying, including "Butterflies through Binoculars – The East." He is releasing "Butterflies through Binoculars – The West" in the next two weeks.

Glassberg said that of the 20,000 species of butterflies in the world, more than 700 are found in the United States. He said half of those species are found in the Rio Grande Valley. He has included all but 10 or 15 of those species found here in both books.

Although there are a large number of species found here, the area is also an endangered ecosystem. For this reason, NABA decided to form the first North American Butterfly Association park in Mission. Glassberg said he hopes the park will attract large groups of families, amateur butterfly watchers, as well as professional ones.

Although recognized for his contributions to science and forensics, he prefers to be recognized for his contributions to the world of butterflies. "I enjoy promoting butterflying, and more importantly, the conservation of butterflies," he said. "I feel that I have made a greater contribution to the world by trying to conserve butterflies and the land they live in."

Anyone interested in joining the NABA can visit its Web site at www.naba.org and click on membership. Once you join the national chapter, you are automatically a member of the local chapter, called NABA–South Texas Butterfly Club. Regular membership is $25 a year. Family rates and special sponsorship rates are available.