Butterflies: Freely They Flutter By

Butterflies are beautiful insects of the order Lepidoptera. We watch them, we chase them with nets, we display them on boards but mostly we enjoy the fleeting visitation of this lovely winged spectacle as it dances through the air so gracefully.  We can only look on with child-like wonder as one lands close by, its wings all aflutter.  Quietly and still so as not to disturb it, we smile at this most amazing creature.

Who would guess that this brilliantly decorated apparition started in life as a lowly caterpillar?  How incredible that it could then weave for itself a cocoon, the protective resting place in which to metamorph into the form we treasure most in our writings and art.

For the sake of scientific study, butterflies are usually separated into three categories; the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (Superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (Superfamily Hedyloidea).  Variations of color, shape, size and design render them fascinating and collectable.

Gardeners and farmers alike are happy to see most species of butterflies grace their flowers and plants as they spread the pollen far and wide but growers are quick to prevent the onset of any pesky insects that can wreak havoc in the fields and forests.

Next time you see one, watch it closely.  Said to be a sign of good luck, they seem to flitter about in happy abandon. Watch where it goes, where it lands and note how long it stays and what it does while lingering there. Butterflies are free; free to entice, alarm and always to entertain.