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Butterfly Hunt: A Daughter's Quest for Her Father's Ghost
14 Apr
Summary
- Rena Effendi seeks rare butterfly named after her absent father.
- The search leads to the Caucasus mountains on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.
- Lepidopterists describe the Satyrus effendi butterfly as melancholic and brooding.
Photojournalist Rena Effendi is on a deeply personal mission to find the Satyrus effendi, a rare and endangered butterfly species named in honor of her father, Rustam Effendi. He was a renowned lepidopterist who spent seven years hunting this elusive species, a duration longer than he reportedly stayed married.
Having been largely absent during her childhood and passing away when she was 14, Rustam Effendi's memory is complex for Rena. Her quest to locate the Satyrus effendi, which flies for only two weeks annually in the high Caucasus mountains, is also a journey to connect with her father's legacy.
The search requires Effendi to obtain travel permission for the butterfly's habitat, situated on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. This region, still healing from recent conflict, adds a layer of geopolitical sensitivity to her expedition.
Assisted by experts like Dmitrii V Morgun from the Azerbaijan Zoological Institute, Effendi learns about the distinct personalities of butterflies, with the Satyrus effendi characterized as melancholic and brooding. This pursuit offers a poignant reflection on her father and the natural world he cherished.
