Documentation of a butterfly collection, Vilnius.

Entomologists collect butterfly specimens not only for their beauty or aesthetic value – they are an important scientific tool that enables precise species identification and the study of biodiversity. These collections function as time capsules, recording species distribution and environmental changes across decades or even centuries. The origins of such practices can be traced back to the so-called “cabinets of curiosities,” where various specimens were initially collected for their appearance and strangeness, but over time this practice evolved into systematic scientific inquiry.