Butterflies galore

The Book

Butterflies 

On the Roof of the World

~ A Memoir ~

Peter Smetacek

Aleph Book Company

2012

The Cover

A snippet from the book.

The interesting thing is that the leaf mimics not only have a shape and a wing pattern that resemble leaves, but they even behave appropriately. If an Oakleaf, or a Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana) is disturbed, it will dash into a thicket, where it will either settle on a twig in the shade or on the ground amid dead leaves. There it will keep very still until it is satisfied that the danger has passed. If the danger, in the form of a lepidopterist or a bird, follows up, it will wait until the hunter has got quite close, keeping up the deception as it sits among the leaves. While one is searching, there will be a sudden flash of orange and blue, or orange in the case of the Pansy, and the butterfly will be off at high speed before dashing into another bush. This strategy is called flash coloration. The idea is that not only will the hunter be startled as the bright object leaps up from the leaf litter, but the hunter will go and look for an orange and blue butterfly, or an orange butterfly as the case may be, and not suspect that the garish colours are now concealed behind the drab pattern of a dead leaf. 

To the author

Dear Author,

Please accept my compliments for putting together this memoir in such a delectable fashion.

How interestingly you have showcased the manner in which personal experiences can be woven with technical information and history!

After reading the book I visited your website and saw a long and rich list of publications of the technical kind and wondered why you do not share more for lay people like me?

Thanks for encouraging me to again make trips to Garhwal and Kumaon – and this time I will make it a point to take up long bike rides!

However, the book also makes me wonder if

We need to capture so many individuals from the wild?

When you say that there is no information / knowledge (at multiple places in the book) does it takes into consideration the knowledge of people who share the landscape with butterflies and moths?

Regards,