There is something enchanting about butterflies flitting here and there, going from flower to flower with such ease.
Many of them are earthly rainbows with wings.
Like all kids, we were up for a good butterfly chase on a summer day, trying to catch one.
Recently, I spied a canary-yellow butterfly effortlessly soaring toward a familiar tree along the blue horizon. It seemed as if butterflies don’t have a care in the world, but I wondered whether it was its last flight.
As the butterfly flew upward and away, thousands of leaves fell from the many trees in my yard.
The beautiful butterfly flew heavenward as the mottled dogwood leaves fell downward. The leaves fell gracefully and fearlessly onto the porch, cars, rooftop, grass, and ground as the wind nudged them.
Yes, falling leaves are a sure sign of fall, a season of beginning decline for many living things.
Butterflies are cold-blooded creatures and need external heat like the summer sun to maintain their body temperature. They love to bask in the sun with their wings open or tilted.
These gentle creatures represent change and metamorphosis. They have an amazing life cycle: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and winged adults. Their life cycle of growth and change is like ours, which includes infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and eventually a season of decline.
All living things change as they move through their life cycle. We notice changes in ourselves and the vast world around us as time passes.
Leaves fall, leaving the trees bare until spring brings the fruits of renewal. But where do butterflies go in the fall and winter?
What happens to adult butterflies? When is their decline period?
I watched the yellow butterfly and wondered how old it was and how much longer it would fly between earth and heaven.
Two to four weeks is the average lifespan for an adult butterfly. Considering that the larval or caterpillar stage lasts from two to six weeks, the average adult phase is a short period for something so beautiful. During the butterfly’s adult stage, creating the next generation of butterflies is their reason for existence. They have one goal: reproduce, reproduce, reproduce.
Some butterfly species migrate thousands of miles to sunny places to escape cold weather.
The Red Admiral, Painted Lady, and the Monarch use the sun, landmarks, and the Earth’s magnetic field to find sunny locations, especially those in far-away places.
The butterfly’s adult stage of flight and feeding on nectar is the shortest of the entire lifespan for many species. Many species have short lifespans, from one to two weeks, but some live up to 11 months.
The migratory Monarch butterfly lives 8 to nine months. The Mourning Cloak overwinters as an adult and is one of the longest-living butterflies.
A butterfly’s lifespan reminds us of life’s brevity and the need for change and growth, physically and spiritually.
Butterflies also remind us about the joy and wonders of life.
David Henry Thoreau said, “Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it will evade you, but if you notice the other things around, it will gently come and sit on your shoulder.”
Enjoy the butterflies while we can. Fall is around the corner.
I hope that you are happy and well.