For the most part it’s the furry, cute mammals that get all the attention. Puppies, kittens, ponies – almost anyone will stop to give them a cuddle and some baby-talk.
Insects, on the other hand, easily go about their day unnoticed. Perhaps a beautiful monarch, like the one above, will get a remark like, “Oh look! A butterfly!” But will more than likely not receive a second glance from passersby. My point being that we really don’t stop enough to observe insects, and it’s rare that I hear anyone enthusiastically sharing a story about one. No one ever really says, “Man, you shoulda seen what I saw this honey bee do today!” Not your average person that is…
So what really brought on this post was a story that my former employer, at a local honey and bee supply store, told me…
A woman had come in a few weeks earlier and began to tell of a butterfly she had rescued. The butterfly, I believe it was a monarch, was injured in a way that prevented it from surviving on its own. Perhaps a broken wing? Details weren’t shared, unfortunately.
The lady took this butterfly to a butterfly specialist and asked, “So… what can I do to help this creature?” The assumed response was that there wasn’t much she could do except keep it safe and happy until it passed away. With a bit of information on “butterfly care”, aka what they require to survive, she took her new friend home!
Every morning she would carry the butterfly from his or her box to a flower outside that was freshly sprayed with water. The lady would then sort of “baby sit” her patient by keeping an eye on it while it ate and hung out on the flower for the majority of the day.