alejandra
06-01-2013, 12:16 AM
i wanted to tell you about a butterfly i recently made friends with. he was on some plants in my patio for a few days. i kept watching him. he never flew away. i looked closer at him and realized he had a damaged wing. he couldn't fly. it was getting cold and rainy one night so i thought i would bring him inside. for the next two weeks he lived on some house plants on the window sill in my kitchen. he had no way of flying from flower to flower to get nectar - so i started bringing him fresh flowers everyday so he could feast on them. have you ever watched a butterfly eat ? fascinating ! everyday i would take him out on the patio so he could get some fresh air and sunshine - and then i would bring him in at night.
i began to have a friendship with this butterfly. butterflys have personalities ! i began to know this butterfly. he would spread his wings and turn his head when i walked into the room. he began to trust me and would climb on my finger every morning when it was time to go out for the day. i quickly learned what flowers he liked - and which ones he had no interest in.
i knew this friendship would be short lived, since i did some research and found that butterflys live from caterpiller to butterfly is one month.
i also learned about this plant 'milkweed'.... about four months earlier this 'weed' popped up in my garden. i didn't know what it was - but something told me to let it grow. soon, there was a lot of it. i did research and found it was Asclepias curassavica (Scarlet Milkweed). interesting twist to the story... milkweed is the one plant that monarch butterflys love. they will only lay their eggs on milkweed. and baby caterpillers will only eat milkweed. this is because milkweed has a poison in it that will make them non-desireable to predators !
i realize it was no mistake i let that 'weed' grow and it brought me my friend.
sometimes it was hard to watch him... i saw him flap his wings. i felt sad that the one thing butterflys can do - which is to float through the sky - my friend couldn't do that. the lesson i learned from that is to love and enjoy exactly where you are today - there are no mistakes and no 'handicaps'. i wondered if he knew he couldn't fly like the rest of his kind - or if he was happy and pleased with life just the way it was.
one morning after two weeks i had put him outside on his flower. i would check on him every hour to see how he was doing. later that afternoon, i went to check on him... and he was gone. my heart sank. i looked everywhere for him. where could he have gone ? he couldn't fly. i looked under plants, benches, everywhere. i cried - although i realize it was his time to go. for a few days i was really sad - even now i miss him. i thank God for lessons i learned. i thank God for letting me have a relationship with one of his most amazing beautiful creatures. i feel so blessed. i will continue to be open to the experiences that will help me live and grow.
a week after he was gone i was outsidel... i was shifting through the mail and i felt this huge SWOOOOSH behind me - nearly knocking me over. it was so powerful, loud and forceful - i whipped myself around... and there... floating gracefully calmly by me... was a beautiful gorgeous monarch butterfly. i watched him flutter around my yard for a bit until he drifted away. there should be no monarchs in my area at this time of the year. they migrate to central america. but there he was. what a gift.
something definitely happened with that SWOOSH behind me that made me turn around at that exact moment to see that butterfly floating by. i don't think it was some sort of reincarnation of my butterfly - but whatever it was - it really wanted to get my attention so i could see that butterfly. i am not sure how to word this - but i thought it might be some kind of collective energy of 'butterflies' just passing by to say 'thank you'.
i am wondering if anyone has any input or experience with this sort of thing ?
i began to have a friendship with this butterfly. butterflys have personalities ! i began to know this butterfly. he would spread his wings and turn his head when i walked into the room. he began to trust me and would climb on my finger every morning when it was time to go out for the day. i quickly learned what flowers he liked - and which ones he had no interest in.
i knew this friendship would be short lived, since i did some research and found that butterflys live from caterpiller to butterfly is one month.
i also learned about this plant 'milkweed'.... about four months earlier this 'weed' popped up in my garden. i didn't know what it was - but something told me to let it grow. soon, there was a lot of it. i did research and found it was Asclepias curassavica (Scarlet Milkweed). interesting twist to the story... milkweed is the one plant that monarch butterflys love. they will only lay their eggs on milkweed. and baby caterpillers will only eat milkweed. this is because milkweed has a poison in it that will make them non-desireable to predators !
i realize it was no mistake i let that 'weed' grow and it brought me my friend.
sometimes it was hard to watch him... i saw him flap his wings. i felt sad that the one thing butterflys can do - which is to float through the sky - my friend couldn't do that. the lesson i learned from that is to love and enjoy exactly where you are today - there are no mistakes and no 'handicaps'. i wondered if he knew he couldn't fly like the rest of his kind - or if he was happy and pleased with life just the way it was.
one morning after two weeks i had put him outside on his flower. i would check on him every hour to see how he was doing. later that afternoon, i went to check on him... and he was gone. my heart sank. i looked everywhere for him. where could he have gone ? he couldn't fly. i looked under plants, benches, everywhere. i cried - although i realize it was his time to go. for a few days i was really sad - even now i miss him. i thank God for lessons i learned. i thank God for letting me have a relationship with one of his most amazing beautiful creatures. i feel so blessed. i will continue to be open to the experiences that will help me live and grow.
a week after he was gone i was outsidel... i was shifting through the mail and i felt this huge SWOOOOSH behind me - nearly knocking me over. it was so powerful, loud and forceful - i whipped myself around... and there... floating gracefully calmly by me... was a beautiful gorgeous monarch butterfly. i watched him flutter around my yard for a bit until he drifted away. there should be no monarchs in my area at this time of the year. they migrate to central america. but there he was. what a gift.
something definitely happened with that SWOOSH behind me that made me turn around at that exact moment to see that butterfly floating by. i don't think it was some sort of reincarnation of my butterfly - but whatever it was - it really wanted to get my attention so i could see that butterfly. i am not sure how to word this - but i thought it might be some kind of collective energy of 'butterflies' just passing by to say 'thank you'.
i am wondering if anyone has any input or experience with this sort of thing ?