A Quest for Earth-friendly Development

A Quest for Earth-friendly Development

(Original in Japanese)

Spring. It is the only time of year to see my favorite butterfly, the kotsubame (Callophrys ferrea). The kotsubame is a plain-looking butterfly, brown in color, whose wings open only when it flies. Its habitat ranges from woodlands outside populated areas to mountainous regions. It points its wings toward the sun, and like a solar panel, it lives off the energy of the sun's light and heat. This year again, I went to a ravine area to observe kotsubame. Plants and animals that appear only once a year in the spring are known as 'spring ephemerals.' Because they only come out in the spring, I am always restless on a sunny spring day. This is the third year that I have been studying butterflies. How did I get the idea to start studying butterflies? A particular incident sparked my interest.

It was one day in science class. We were studying the sun and moon, and the teacher asked us: which revolves more quickly-the sun or the moon? I thought about the question, and came to my own conclusion. I thought the sun would turn more quickly. Amazingly, I was right. It made me very, very happy, and I came to like science. Yes, that was the experience that changed me. From our lesson on the sun and the moon, I developed an interest in science in general.

I have a dream for the future. It is to become a scientist. Now, I am focusing on the ecology of kotsubame and solar energy, making observations and doing experiments with this dream in mind. The first year, I started by broadly examining the phototaxis of butterflies. I made observations from a butterfly's point of view, and I recorded them. I quickly went to look up any questions I had, such as: What are the special characteristics of phosphorus powder, which even butterflies perceive as shiny? As a result, I learned the basic ecology of butterflies. Butterflies are very delicate creatures, and they live in an intelligent way with their allies and predators, as well as plants in nature. As I ran around in nature making observations, I discovered things and gained knowledge, not from other writers, but through my own experiences. Based on these experiences, in the second year, I finally focused on the kotsubame, and learned about its solar panel-like structure. The idea that I came up with was that if we could use the structure of kotsubame, which tilt their wings diagonally to absorb the sun's light and heat and turn them into energy, and include it in solar panels, then their energy efficiency would increase. However, using the wings themselves would be destroying nature instead. So, I am thinking that with further research on the structure of kotsubame, we will be able to find a way to use it in the construction of solar panels.

I have a dream for the future. It is to become a scientist. Now, I am focusing on the ecology of kotsubame and solar energy, making observations and doing experiments with this dream in mind. The first year, I started by broadly examining the phototaxis of butterflies. I made observations from a butterfly's point of view, and I recorded them. I quickly went to look up any questions I had, such as: What are the special characteristics of phosphorus powder, which even butterflies perceive as shiny? As a result, I learned the basic ecology of butterflies. Butterflies are very delicate creatures, and they live in an intelligent way with their allies and predators, as well as plants in nature. As I ran around in nature making observations, I discovered things and gained knowledge, not from other writers, but through my own experiences. Based on these experiences, in the second year, I finally focused on the kotsubame, and learned about its solar panel-like structure. The idea that I came up with was that if we could use the structure of kotsubame, which tilt their wings diagonally to absorb the sun's light and heat and turn them into energy, and include it in solar panels, then their energy efficiency would increase. However, using the wings themselves would be destroying nature instead. So, I am thinking that with further research on the structure of kotsubame, we will be able to find a way to use it in the construction of solar panels.