How to Vacation Like Nabokov

[image description: A field guide open to a page with detailed drawings of moths.]

In college, I did my senior thesis on art, ethics, and morality in Lolita. It was… A LOT. Writing 25+ pages on Lolita has rendered me unable to read any Nabokov in the 7 years since.

However, I remember coming across an interesting fact about Nabokov in my research for my paper. In addition to being a novelist, Nabokov was also a lepidopterist or researcher who studies butterflies and moths. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but these days I’m getting more intrigued by butterflies every day. I’m not sure if it’s due to climate change, planting different things in the yard over the years, or what, but my yard has been a haven for butterflies this year. I’ve found several fat caterpillars and brought them in the house to watch them cocoon and change into butterflies.

So far, every caterpillar I’ve brought in has emerged from their cocoon in the middle of the night, so I didn’t actually get to see them busting out. Nonetheless, waking up in the morning to see a beautiful butterfly was so rewarding.

I see why Nabokov spent the summers when he wasn’t writing and teaching chasing butterflies. There’s something inspiring about them. So when I was craving a cabin vacation (socially distant, safe, in the middle of the woods) I took my camera and tried to capture the caterpillars, butterflies, and moths I saw.

That’s the caterpillar of a Milkweed Tussock Moth! I didn’t see any of the grown-up version, though.

That one is a Tiger Swallowtail.

And of course, the classic Monarch. I actually caught two of them mating in the tree in my front yard. It was probably rude to stare, but I couldn’t resist.

And my favorite: the Black Swallowtail. I’ve raised two of these from caterpillars before since they like hanging out on the dill I grow in the garden. So they have a special place in my heart.

This was the first time I’d seen one of these. The internet tells me it’s a Great Spangled Fritillary.

I’m not 100% sure, but I think the one above is a Hackberry Emperor.

This is the weirdest looking moth I’ve ever seen. It’s a Blind Sphinx, so called because it has underwings that have a pattern resembling an eye.

There were butterflies and moths everywhere at the state park in southern Ohio we stayed at, so they weren’t hard to find. I was even inspired to get a butterfly net with a telescopic pole (not like the pink plastic one I had as a kid!) to really go chasing.

This post might seem random. What do butterflies have to do with books and writing?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how the other things that fascinate writers, outside of books and writing, go on to inform and inspire their writing. Literature scholars have poured over Nabokov’s work looking for mentions of lepidoptery and have written articles and books on it. One could argue that he wouldn’t have been the writer he was without this other, nearly equal interest.

And that’s led me to consider what else fascinates me that might make it into my writing. Museums. Letterpress printing. Roller skating. Victorian cemeteries. Old typewriters. Cats. Foraging for herbs. Hand sewing. And, now, apparently butterflies.

I used to think authors who had other things they were equally passionate about just weren’t serious writers, but the more I think about it the more I realize that’s not the cause. People contain multitudes, especially authors who create entire worlds, so I think we owe it to writers to consider that they might have things other than writing that are important to them and that doing so doesn’t make them a less dedicated writer. In fact, it makes them a better author.

Go chase some butterflies. You never know, it just might inspire you to write.