A Sixty Year Butterfly Odyssey

Nobody can fail to be fascinated by butterflies: their beautiful colouring, intricate wing patterns, and, above all, the miraculous transformation from egg to larva to pupa and finally to the adult butterfly. Apart from the larvae of the Small and Large Whites nibbling your cabbage leaves, they do no harm, and they perform a useful service as pollinators.   I was hooked from the age of 10 when I encountered these beautiful creatures in Epping Forest, Essex. Because their larvae generally feed on the leaves of various wild plants, to see the less common species, it is necessary to visit wild, unkempt areas of countryside. Such places have become more difficult to find as a result of increasing urbanisation and agricultural land use. Searches for the rarer species, in Switzerland and in the UK, took me to beautiful habitats: woodland, meadows, and hillsides.   Just as rewarding has been meeting the many 'kindred spirits' during this long journey who share this fascination.