Exhibitions 2022

Lepidoptera: 15th November – 14th January 2022.

Solo Exhibition at The Royal Cornwall Museum.

There is something interesting about the fragility of butterflies in relation to the climate crisis. Do they, with their very momentary life, matter? Would anyone notice if these jewels of the air vanished from the woodland glades and sun-drenched hedgerows of Cornwall?

In the early 20th century, the head of the Truro Art School, William Rollason, spent much of his leisure time travelling around the county collecting butterflies of many species. They were abundant. He probably had no idea that these beautiful creatures might be at risk. His vast collection, stored at the Royal Cornwall Museum, and his detailed record keeping provide a fascinating insight into the species which were common in Cornwall at the time and a wonderful resource for research today.

Today, through the work of organisations like The Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Butterfly Conservation, the decline of some of the rarest species is being reversed. Painstaking protection measures and efforts to rebuild habitats are sowing seeds of hope.