From caterpillars to chemistry -- A reflection on the career: Following a path to moths and butterflies -- Follow the breadcrumb trail -- Contingency -- Pursued by adrenalin, in pursuit of dopamine -- Mount Shasta and the mystery of Mu -- How and when I ventured into the study of butterflies and adventures along the way -- One butterfly turned me to biology, another one helped establish metapopulation ecology -- Tropical caterpillar addiction -- Tales of three tigers: A 50-year career-shaping journey chasing swallowtail butterflies -- Butterfly reflections in thirds -- It should have been called a moustache -- Collections, serendipity and flightless moths -- A tale of two... glasses? -- Journeys of a microlepidopterist – from South Korea to Arizona -- The education of the field biologist -- Some Brazilian lepidopterists -- Butterflies on a dragon’s head; butterflies in a dragon’s head -- A butterfly has time enough -- Butterfly nexus.

Inchworms, tiger moths, underwings, owlet moths, silkworms,sphinx moths, grass moths, and butterflies. Collectively, these and many others are the Lepidoptera, one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet. Lepidoptera can be found in the highest tropical canopies,the driest deserts, and at the leading edge of science. The adults include some of the most beautiful insects that have inspired artists and have sailed through the dreams of human cultures for millennia. The immature stages (“caterpillars”), like the underwing depicted on the cover, link together vital processes in diverse terrestrial ecosystems that are only barely documented let alone understood. The people that study these animals are lepidopterists, and the goal of this book is to introduce them with their own words. In twenty chapters, lepidopterists tell their stories, and these tales mirror the diversity of nature in their range and depth. You will find individuals that wrestle with the challenges of scientific careers, stories of far flung travel sand close calls, and historical perspectives on recent decades of scientific break throughs.