Rebecca Jordi, Nassau County’s Extension Director (University of Florida/IFAS), has written a children’s book, “Zoe’s Mission.” She plans to donate proceeds to the UF/IFAS horticulture program.
“Zoe’s Mission” is a nature book about butterflies seen here in Nassau County, Florida. (Watch a video further below about the new book that was featured on the First Coast Livingtelevision program.)
Zebra Longwing Butterfly
The Florida state butterfly is the Zebra Longwing. In the book, Zoe is a Zebra Longwing butterfly. It’s a story about friendship with four other butterflies. The book’s illustrations were done by Joanne Roach and graphics by Kathy Warner. The underlying objective of publishing the book is to increase the population of Zebra Longwings in northeast Florida.
Amelia Island Book Festival
Meet the author and illustrator and purchase a signed copy of “Zoe’s Mission” at the Amelia Island Book Festival’s Authors’ Expo & Readers Extravaganza. The event is happening at Fernandina Beach Middle School on Sat., Feb. 15, 2020. This free-admission family event features more than 100 authors. The expo is open from 9 am to 5 pm.
Watch Interview About Book
Rebecca Jordi and Joanne Roach appeared on First Coast Living February 11, 2020. Watch the interview about “Zoe’s Mission.”
Rebecca Jordi & Joanne Roach Interview
The Zebra Project
The new book will help support 4-H programming such as the Zebra Project. It’s a Nassau County Extension program designed to get children interested in observing caterpillars and chrysalises and then charting them. Learn more about Nassau County gardening programs and workshops and the Zebra Project at the Nassau County Extension website.
Here in northeast Florida, a native vine, the Purple Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), is host plant for butterflies (pictured above growing in Egans Greenway in Fernandina Beach). Caterpillars (larvae of the Zebra Longwing) feed on passionflower to complete their life cycle.
