During one of the weekly story time sessions at Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens last month, volunteers honored a colleague who has been committed to blending science and entertainment for children for years.
Bill Schafer, known as “Butterfly Bill” around the Casa Romantica grounds, was recognized for his work with the publication of a book titled after his nickname.
The short children’s book, which will be sold at the cultural center’s gift store, tells the story of a fictionalized Butterfly Bill, who comes down from his house on a hill to teach young Casa Romantica visitors all about Monarch butterflies.
It was written by Diane Bennett-Cheek, another Casa Romantica volunteer of five years who wanted to capture the “magical” impact Schafer has on the children with whom he interacts.
“If you see it, it’s quite special,” said Bennett-Cheek. “The kids love it. He’s just a very special man—he just has this aura about him, and he’s doing this as a hobby.”
Schafer wasn’t always interested in farming butterflies. He only started around 2001, after a relative brought up the subject and gave him milkweed seeds to attract the insects.
“After that, I kept planting more and got very involved in that,” he told the San Clemente Times.
A friend within the San Clemente Garden Club further helped him along to where he now raises five different types of butterflies.
As the Garden Club contributed to setting up the Casa Romantica’s gardens when it opened in 2004, Schafer was involved in the process, which led to his volunteering there. He began bringing the butterflies to story time from his developed garden at his residence, earning him the “Butterfly Bill” title.
Schafer faithfully comes every Wednesday to spend time with the 18-month- to three-year-old children and entertain them as he puts the butterflies on their hands and noses. He said he enjoys interacting with children and teaching them about science.
Having self-published a book before that also related to gardening, Bennett-Cheek thought she could manage the process to eventually publish the book honoring Schafer and have it sold at the Casa Romantica gift store.
“At first I thought it was going to be real simple,” she said. “Take a few pictures, go down to Kinko’s, put it together … but it didn’t go that way at all. I think it probably is a better product as a result of that.”
Once friends and people around the nonprofit got wind of what she was attempting, many of them volunteered their time to help. A professional photographer, a layout artist, and a friend well-versed in graphics all either sacrificed their time or received discounted pay to put together the book.
Looking back, Bennett-Cheek said she could never do on her own what took more than a year to finish, but the resulting product turned out to be good.
“The very last page is sort of a group picture of Bill with children and it just says, ‘Thank you, Bill, for all you do, when we see butterflies, we all think of you,’ ” Bennett-Cheek explained.
The book’s Feb. 22 launch was “unbelievable,” she added, partially because of the Casa Romantica’s contributions that she didn’t expect.
She had asked for their permission from the beginning to avoid being intrusive, which they gave, but Casa officials also set up a table for Schafer to sign books and for refreshments such as donuts and coffee during the story time session. The cultural center also advertised the event on social media, leading to an audience of more than 50 people and sales of more 30 books.
Their gesture took Bennett-Cheek by surprise, she said.
Afterwards, Casa Romantica hosted a lunch for the people who contributed to the book and for Maureen Ohnstad, founder of the story time tradition.
“It was a festive occasion,” said Bennett-Cheek. “It kind of blew me over … It was very nice.”
Schafer added said that the reading went well, and he appreciated Bennett-Cheek for writing the book.
Bennett-Cheek also referenced an event with the Garden Club scheduled for April 15, where Schafer will be present as always to display his butterflies and interact with the community.
If his presence at the upcoming GardenFest is any indication, Schafer will be around to spread happiness and learning to San Clemente residents for as long as possible.
The Casa Romantica gift shop is open during daily visiting hours, which is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.
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