A New Zealand enthusiast spent his life collecting over 20,000 butterfly specimens, but as his health declines, he must part with his beloved collection, finding a new home for it at the prestigious Natural History Museum in London.
A Lifelong Obsession
John McArthur fell in love with butterflies when he was a child and saw a swallowtail butterfly float among his mother’s flowers. This serendipitous meeting ignited a love for natural history that led to a lifetime of adventure, including trips to the Amazon, Himalayas and Andes.
McArthur spent almost 60 years collecting over 20,000 butterfly specimens, pinning and preserving every one. His house turned into a swirling sea of color and life, adorned with hundreds of boxes displayed all along the walls, each one a testament to his dedication and persistence.
A Bittersweet Farewell
In the final years of McArthur’s struggle with multiple sclerosis, he was faced with a dilemma: What should happen to his life’s work? All but wheelchair bound in decreasing control of his speech and movements, he understood that he could no longer love of the butterflies in as always code. Resolving to protect their future, he vowed to keep them alive but seek refuge elsewhere.
Deciding New Zealand museums did not have the right facilities, he selected the Natural History Museum in London as a preferred repository. It would be tough to let go of his life’s work, but at least it went on knowing that his butterflies will be taken off their new shelves and placed back on their pins again for anyone out there who wants them.
Conclusion
The story of John McArthur reminds us that passion and the lengths to which we will go to keep what is important to us, can be a force for good. He passed 17 years ago, but as an active collector and studier of butterflies, left behind many heartfelt donations to the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles County that will serve as legacies to inspire the next generation of naturalists. Though the loss of his collection has left a hole for McArthur, this man’s dedication remains unwavering and his chosen path is a gift to himself — assuring even through threatening flames and brutish weather that a life spent following one’s passions will never disappear.
