The other day I spent 40 minutes watching a butterfly ‘nursery’. A few butterflies had partially emerged from their chrysalises. Some were dangling from their empty former home, occasionally flapping their tiny, awkwardly-shaped wings. Others, already looking like proper butterflies, rested or tried out their long new tongues,* curling and uncurling them repeatedly. The most […]
Nature Study
Review: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman
In 17th century Europe, young Maria Merian was fascinated by butterflies. ‘Summer birds’, they were called, and no one really knew where they came from. Raised first in an engraver’s house and then an illustrator’s, Maria learned both the technical details of her craft and how to observe nature. She combined the two to become […]