You notice the beauty of their multicoloured wings, admire the grace with which they alight on the prettiest flowers. Butterflies could spend their days preening in the Sun–their beauty is enough to justify their existence.
But they work extremely hard too. They fly long distances to collect nectar for their supper. While we are busy admiring them, they are actually gathering food to feed more than just their soul.
Generous creatures. They hop from flower to flower, transferring pollen. Creating life.
I would love to be called a butterfly.
Why then does the name carry connotations of being flighty?
6 comments:
AAh Butterflies! It's the only insect that I'm not afraid of. As a matter of fact I love them. The Monarch butterfly makes an amazing migration to the south of Mexico here on the North American continent. They are absolutely amazing.
Beautiful, graceful and oh so fragile! Lovely post.
So pretty.
I'd like to be a butterfly, too...maybe not a *social* butterfly, though. :)
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
I've always wondered why butterflies are called just that. What do they have to do with butter? In Norwegian, we call them "sommerfugler", which means "summer birds". Way more appropriate, at least in this part of the world...
Brilliant drabble. I love butterflies. Have never heard of one being thought of as flighty though.
Great twist at the end.
@ Marjorie - I adore butterflies too, but then I love most insects, even the ones that people normally dislike/ are scared of.
@ Fiona - they are, aren't they? Thanks
@ Elizabeth - a most unlikely social butterfly you would make. Though online, you are quite a bit of a butterfly in the way you flit from blog to blog pollinating ideas.
@ Mari - the first butterflies I met were all yellow in colour, so I presumed they were called butterfly because they were the same colour as butter. Obviously, that cannot be the reason. I love the Norwegian name for them, though it is far from the truth in India.
@ Chary - aren't people who can't seem to settle down called butterflies? They are here.
Post a Comment