Butterfly

Just about a week ago while enjoying the sunshine and warmth of my south facing deck, my brother and I noticed a butterfly, the first of the season for me.  I think it was a Mourning Cloak, which is apparently one of the earliest butterflies to emerge in spring because they are one of the few varieties that hibernate here as adults. 

We talked about the fact that there were no flowers out.   So how would it survive, what would it eat my brother asked.  I remembered that butterflies don`t eat.  But they have a long tongue, he said.  On doing a little internet research, I discovered that, yes, butterflies do have a proboscis, though mostly they drink rather than eating -- water from puddles, tree sap, rotting fruit, and nectar from flowers.  I have a compost bin, so maybe they get in there.  Their caterpillars like to eat the leaves of American Elms and other trees, though they usually aren`t a real threat because their numbers are low (they have lots of predators).  The average lifespan of a butterfly is generally two weeks, though it varies depending on the species.  Mourning Cloaks, because they hibernate in the fall, can end up living almost a year.

A short time in the context of human life.  We recognize the fragility of our own lives, but do we see the beauty in ours or others?  I find that as I get older I don’t always have the positive outlook that I had in my younger days.  I suppose it’s because I’ve seen my share of ugliness, witnessed despair and dying dreams over the years.  Still, the sight a butterfly can remind me that there is still wonder and joy.

The Chinese Taoist philosopher Chuang Tsu (or Zhuangzi)  , wrote in the 4^th century BCE, “Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tsu, dreamed I was a butterfly flying happily here and there, enjoying life without knowing who I was.  Suddenly I woke up and I was indeed Chuang Tsu.  Did Chuang Tsu dream he was a butterfly or did the butterfly dream he was Chuang Tsu?  There must be some distinction between Chuang Tsu and the butterfly.  This is a case of transformation. `` (Taken  from Chuang Tsu Inner Chapters, translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English, published 1974 by Vintage Books)

The last couple of days winter has come back – cold and even some snow – though today it’s looking a little better.  I hope that butterfly found shelter so that it can survive to mate and lay eggs, and make more butterflies.  And soon, I hope, spring will actually arrive and transform this place again.