When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do when I visited my grandmother was to look at all her butterfly mementos. I would rearrange the magnets on her refrigerator, stare at the pillows and towels all around the house, and gaze at the beauty of the butterfly necklace she always wore. When my grandmother died, she left me her necklace; a necklace that she had worn everyday for many, many years. There are many questions I wished I had asked my grandmother, but one stands out: why butterflies?
All butterflies begin as larvae, also known as caterpillars. Caterpillars in themselves are remarkable. They very in size from about 1 mm to about 8 cm and contain about 4000 muscles in their tiny, tiny bodies. Most people think of caterpillars as pests, because they like to eat (just like many humans). Caterpillars eat so much that they grow and shed their skin four or five times before they spin themselves into their silk cocoons. Many caterpillars receive help from other insects, particularly ants, as they feed and grow. Despite this help, few caterpillars actually get the chance to mature into butterflies. Many are eaten by animals, killed by weather and gardeners, and some insects even implant their eggs into caterpillars, who become both a home and a food source for these parasites.
When caterpillars have grown, they spin themselves into a cocoon, where their bodies are broken down and then reassembled into butterflies. Butterflies then break open their cocoons, strengthening their wings. As soon as they are released, their wings become hard, and butterflies are free to fly away. After all they go through, escaping dangers as a caterpillar, having their bodies broken down and rearranged, and finally struggling to break out of their cocoons, butterflies only live about two weeks on average. They spend most of their lives in struggle, only getting the chance to fly and achieve their destiny for a brief second of time.
I don't know how much my grandmother knew about butterflies. Maybe she only thought they were pretty. I think she felt something deeper, some sort of connection to butterflies. On the sofa, she had a pillow that I think sums up her thoughts on butterflies: "Just when the caterpillar thought that life was over, God made him into a butterfly." I think this accurately describes life; just when you think all hope is lost, life becomes wonderful again, and you get your chance to fly away.
All butterflies begin as larvae, also known as caterpillars. Caterpillars in themselves are remarkable. They very in size from about 1 mm to about 8 cm and contain about 4000 muscles in their tiny, tiny bodies. Most people think of caterpillars as pests, because they like to eat (just like many humans). Caterpillars eat so much that they grow and shed their skin four or five times before they spin themselves into their silk cocoons. Many caterpillars receive help from other insects, particularly ants, as they feed and grow. Despite this help, few caterpillars actually get the chance to mature into butterflies. Many are eaten by animals, killed by weather and gardeners, and some insects even implant their eggs into caterpillars, who become both a home and a food source for these parasites.
When caterpillars have grown, they spin themselves into a cocoon, where their bodies are broken down and then reassembled into butterflies. Butterflies then break open their cocoons, strengthening their wings. As soon as they are released, their wings become hard, and butterflies are free to fly away. After all they go through, escaping dangers as a caterpillar, having their bodies broken down and rearranged, and finally struggling to break out of their cocoons, butterflies only live about two weeks on average. They spend most of their lives in struggle, only getting the chance to fly and achieve their destiny for a brief second of time.
I don't know how much my grandmother knew about butterflies. Maybe she only thought they were pretty. I think she felt something deeper, some sort of connection to butterflies. On the sofa, she had a pillow that I think sums up her thoughts on butterflies: "Just when the caterpillar thought that life was over, God made him into a butterfly." I think this accurately describes life; just when you think all hope is lost, life becomes wonderful again, and you get your chance to fly away.
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