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In our era of global change, we need narratives that offer hope. On a Butterfly's Wing is just that. A beautifully illustrated, autobiographical story, told by one of the world's leading conservationists, it describes how the parallel lives of a butterfly and a beloved mother can help us to reflect on the unique privilege of being alive.
En route, we discover the extraordinary metamorphoses of a butterfly's life, and how these hold lessons for the difficult transformations of our own.
On a Butterfly's Wing invites us to collaborate in conservation. It shows us how to restore our relationship with the butterflies that mitigate and measure our planet's health, and invests profits in planting flowers – arranged in butterfly shapes – to affect its own transformation by feeding future generations of pollinators.
Prologue
I. The Magic of Transformation
1. A Quick Overflight
2. Shedding and Growing
3. The Imaginal Soup
4. A Fateful Accident
II. My Life as a Flightless Butterfly
5. Mission Amatxi
6. The Gregarious Globetrotters
7. Never Give Up
III. Lessons from Nature
8. The Eternal Cycle
9. Looking Back
IV. Regeneration
10. Attention, Here and Now
11. Looking Forward
12. Stardust
In Memoriam
Gratitude
Disappearing Butterflies
Resources
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Astrid Vargas is a conservation biologist with an outstanding record in leading environmental restoration programmes. She has been a key figure in the recovery of three of the world's most endangered species: the Iberian lynx (Spain), the black-footed ferret (USA) and the golden-crowned sifaka (Madagascar). Astrid was named by El País as one of the Top 100 people in Ibero-America. She has earned a Lifetime Career Achievement Award from the Government of Andalusia, a Nature Conservation and Research Award from EDC, Spain, and a top 10 nomination in the global Future for Nature Awards, The Netherlands. Astrid believes in the power of art and inspiration to transform society. She is the founder of Inspiration 4 Action, an initiative that inspires communities to bring collective creativity into ecosystem restoration.
"Every so often a book comes along with a sweep and magic that means you'll rarely find a copy languishing in a secondhand bookshop because it has metamorphosed into a family treasure." -Tim Smit, Co-Founder, Eden Project
"This exceptional book is an inspiration, a personal guide and a call to action. A beautifully illustrated autobiography of a butterfly based on a true story, it spins a magic that captures hearts and leaves us with hope and a determination to do better. For ourselves, for nature - and for the butterflies. A brilliant read for all ages and a philanthropic tool for rewilding butterflies." -Kris Tompkins, U.N. Environment Patron of Protected Areas
