The Butterfly

Understanding, loving and protecting butterflies—in all their enchantments. Butterflies have enchanted and intrigued us for centuries. From the eighteenth-century 'aurelians', through the Victorian 'golden age' of collecting to the twentieth-century focus on conservation, humans have chased glimpses of these beautiful but elusive creatures. Winding through literature, art, music, and dreams, The Butterfly: Flights of Enchantment uncovers why butterflies continue to inhabit such a profound place in our imagination. Today, the art of butterfly-watching can be a mindfulness practice for many; a Romantic escape from our industrialized existences. A first of its kind in combining the history of human interest in butterflies with a guide to practical observation, this pocket guide encourages us to nurture our curiosity and head out into our local environment, focusing on edgeland habitats that are home to many species. It is perhaps because butterflies are so fragile and fleeting that we are so beguiled by them. But now, as numbers dwindle, they have never been more difficult to spot. The Butterfly paves the way toward uncovering the history of our fascination with butterflies and learning how to spot and identify them.