Wu Ming-i says that he never planned to become a nature writer. Originally, his publishers wanted to publish his ads and music reviews, but because such books are too costly to publish, they suggested that Wu write on natural history instead. He was as surprised as anyone when his first natural history book, Notes of a Butterfly Enthusiast, was a hit with the reading public and won the Taipei Literature Prize.
「完全是無心插柳，」吳明益說，原先出版社是想出版他的廣告與音樂評論，但因該類書籍成本過高，改建議他多耕耘自然寫作，誰知第一本自然觀察書籍《迷蝶誌》竟引起廣泛注意，並獲得台北文學獎。