by Matthew Oates

From the publisher:

Matthew Oates has led a butterflying life. Naturalist, conservationist and passionate lover of poetry, he has devoted himself to these exalted creatures: to their observation, to singing their praises, and to ensuring their survival. Based on fifty years of detailed diaries, In Pursuit of Butterflies is the chronicle of this life. Oates leads the reader through a lifetime of butterflying, across the mountain tops, the peat bogs, sea cliffs, meadows, heaths, the chalk downs and great forests of the British Isles. Full of humour, zeal, digression, expertise and anecdote, this book provides a profound encounter with one of our great butterfly lovers, and with a half-century of butterflies in Britain.

A Review by Peter Eeles - 17th September 2015

Few of us get an opportunity to step into the world of one of our greatest naturalists, but In Pursuit of Butterflies - a fifty-year affair manages to give us just that experience and is highly recommended.

In writing this review, I should first point out that I'm somewhat biased, having spent a good amount of time with Matthew in one of his beloved "homes", Savernake Forest in Wiltshire, where he let me into his world while following Purple Emperor larvae through the winter. I am, in short, a fan. And In Pursuit of Butterflies is written very much as Matthew is in real life - an eclectic mix of a deep knowledge of butterflies (and nature in general), a poetic perspective of what Matthew calls "spirit of place" (and our connection with the natural world) and, if the time is right, insights into the latest cricket results via Test Match Special.

Although published earlier in the year, I really wanted to make sure I had read this book thoroughly before posting this review. At 480 pages it needed to wait until I had a good chunk of time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride that this book takes you on. This book is Matthew's memoir, recounting in chronological order his butterflying experiences from childhood to the present day, supported by detailed diaries that he has kept since 1971.

The introductory chapters focus on Matthew's early life and one of my favourite passages is in the opening chapter: "I did not stray away from it [Nature] ... in the process I became distanced from some of the thinking and values that are prevalent in Western civilisation, together with the associated material benefits". A love of nature, and our connection with the natural world, is the subtext of this book.

Pretty much all of the butterfly species found in the British Isles get a mention, but there is a particular focus on those that Matthew has spent a considerable time studying, the most notable being the Heath Fritillary, High Brown Fritillary, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary, Duke of Burgundy, Mountain Ringlet and the Purple Emperor that Matthew is known for.

What could have been a pretty dry read is anything but, since every chapter is filled with anecdotes, humour and, most importantly, facts. My own copy is heavily marked up with interesting snippets that I intend to investigate further when time allows, and there are lots of them. The book even answered a question that has been in my mind since 1984, when I found several Marsh Fritillary flying on my home patch, on the lower slopes of Leckhampton Hill in the south of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. I always thought that this had been a release, until I read of the 1982-1985 expansion of the species and the colonisation of most of the southern Cotswolds. Mystery solved.

The book also contains opinions on sensitive topics that Matthew could have shied away from. For example, he makes mention of poor habitat management when warranted. It is this honesty that led to him becoming warden at the Noar Hill reserve in Hampshire in 1976, a glorious summer for butterflies.

The influence of this book on budding and seasoned naturalists should not be underestimated. Spending time with some of the "great and the good" in the butterfly community, and seeing Matthew at work in the field in particular has resulted in me moving beyond simple recording and photography, to a world where science and ecology are always at the forefront of my mind (I'm currently following a number of White Admiral larvae in the wild this winter). Perhaps this is a natural evolution of a passionate interest in butterflies, but one that has been accelerated by spending time with Matthew. I think that reading his book would have a similar positive effect and should be considered an opportunity that is too good to pass up.

Many adjectives have been used to describe Matthew - naturalist, poet, classicist, eccentric. I would also add "inspiring" to that list. Buy the book. Be inspired.

How to Order

The book is available through all good book stores, from online stores, and also the publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing.