The International Wildlife Museum

International Wildlife Museum: Tucson's Natural History Museum

Trigaux Moth Collection

George A. Trigaux (1925-2008) was a lifelong naturalist, avid birder and a collector of butterflies and moths. His passion for nature took him from the eastern United States to the West where he lived in Arizona and Colorado in his later years. He traveled the world extensively in the pursuit of observing exotic butterflies and moths, and building a life list of more than 5,000 birds. He was an active steward of nature, serving as one of the founders and a board member of the Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, a group dedicated to preserving the Santa Rita Mountains and nearby ranges near Tucson. He also served as treasurer of Arizona's 8,000-acre Audubon Research Ranch. He lived with his wife, June, in Sonoita, AZ.

Trigaux's interest in butterflies and moths started early when he was growing up near the Appalachian Mountains. He collected indigenous species as a youth and passed that interest on to his children. He traveled to the Florida Everglades to expand his collection and enriched it with various private acquisitions.

Trained as a chemical engineer, Trigaux served as a U.S. Navy officer in World War 2. He then worked as a business manager, executive and entrepreneur in New York, Geneva, Switzerland, and other cities before re-committing more of his time to the pursuit of nature, global travel from the Amazon to Antarctic and environmental causes. One of his great wishes was to make people more aware and appreciative of nature's wonders.

His family’s donation of this collection to the International Wildlife Museum helps assure that his vision is realized.

Trigaux Box 1