Nature for Absolute Beginners: Butterflies

One of my earliest memories is going butterfly hunting with my brother Jim. We would take our nets and find glorious Monarchs, Black Beauties and Tiger Swallowtails flying near our house in Garfield, New Jersey in the USA. When I moved to England in 1984, I noticed the butterflies, but hadn't really bothered to study them as I was too busy working and then raising children. However, since my new interest in nature during lockdown, I am now completely enamoured of these beautiful ephemeral creatures and every walk I take in my garden or the surrounding countryside is a new butterfly spotting adventure. This article was published in The Henley Standard on 16 July 2021.