Butterflies

 Every spring the butterflies come back to my garden, not in droves but enough to make me stop what I am doing and watch them flying around the garden. I and I believe many others delight in the beauty of the butterfly/ They are gorgeous creatures, and they can capture your imagination. However, we rarely think about or consider the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. In fact, many of us use the Butterfly emoji when we text or post. The butterfly emoji represents the butterfly, as well as the symbolism associated with it: positive transformations, hope during a dark time, and new beginnings. Here are some fascinating facts to consider next time you cross a butterfly’s path:

There are more than 17,500 recorded butterfly species around the world, 750 of which can be found in the U.S.

Butterflies and moths are part of the class of insects in the order Lepidoptera. Butterflies are flying insects with large scaly wings. Like all insects, they have six jointed legs and three body parts: the head, the thorax and the abdomen. The wings are attached to the thorax, and they also have a pair of antennae, compound eyes and an exoskeleton.

Monarch butterflies migrate to get away from the cold. However, they are the only insect that migrates an average of 2,500 miles to find a warmer climate. The iconic North American Monarch has been greatly affected by extreme weather events, going through drastic dips and spikes in numbers over the past several decades. The overall pattern continues to point downward, with a 95 percent population decline over the last 20 years, but conservation efforts are helping:

Monarchs are not the only butterfly that migrates. The Painted Lady, American Lady, Red Admiral, Cloudless Sulphur, Skipper, Sachem, Question Mark, Clouded Skipper, Fiery Skipper and Mourning Cloak are among the other butterflies that also migrate, but not as far as the Monarchs.

The Common Buckeye Butterfly is one of the most striking butterflies, with its bold multicoloured eyespots and thick upper-wing bars, all designed to frighten away any birds that might be tempted to chomp on them. If you look under its wings, you’ll find a more abstract profusion of brown, orange and beige. These insects are pretty common all over North and Central America, although you won’t find them in the Pacific Northwest or in the far north of Canada.

The Orange Barred Sulphur Butterfly is one that you can find all over the Americas and the Caribbean. It’s very distinctive, being bright yellow with patches of orange marking both forewings and hindwings. Females tend to be bigger and darker than their male counterparts and unusually, just like the adult butterflies, the caterpillars also have bright yellow bodies segmented by dark stripes.

Speaking of caterpillars, how much do you know about the life cycle of a butterfly? The butterfly starts its life as an egg, laid on a leaf. The caterpillar (larva) hatches from the egg and eats leaves or flowers. It loses its skin many times as it grows, increasing greatly in size. Eventually, it turns into a pupa or chrysalis and finally, a beautiful adult butterfly emerges, and the cycle continues.

An adult butterfly has a very short life: just three to four weeks. However, the entire life cycle of a butterfly can range between 2 and 8 months, depending on the species. Some migratory butterflies, such as the North American Monarch, can live as long as 7 to 8 months in one generation.

The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, as its name implies, is one of the biggest butterflies, with a wing spread of four to seven inches. The female is once again bigger than the male. It too is found throughout North America and sometimes as far south as South America. These butterflies are called “swallows” because they have long tails on their hind wings that resemble the long, pointed tails of the birds known as swallows.

Be sure to get outside this summer and look around for butterflies and other wildlife in your backyard. If you see a butterfly but aren’t sure about the species, you can consult this handy identification guide

 

 

Gifts of love

 When I was talking to a distant cousin, she told me about her mother-in-law and how her mother-in-law made each birthday and holiday special for my cousin's three children. According to my cousin, her mother-in-law took the time to write each child on every special day and relate a story or a family anecdote about the child. The card contained family history, and each child looked forward to receiving the card.

Special days and events are made more memorable by the use of personal family stories. What a gift she is giving to her grandchildren. Our involvement in our grandchildren's lives does not need to be a series of major events. Taking the time to listen, and to tell stories some with morals, some for fun should endear yourself to your grandchildren.

The best gift that you can give your grandchildren and your children is your time, your love and your respect.  The stories and the time will be remembered while the latest and greatest toy you buy will soon be forgotten. Write your stories or record your stories so that when you are no longer around they can be listened to again.

But, as my cousin said, she had to tell her mother-in-law not to write the stories in cursive writing because the children could not read cursive writing. 

Memories are made of this

 My daughter just posted this to her cousin as they were talking about my mom.  I remember just bits, but of her being very warm, smiling, and affectionate. She would be proud to call you her Granddaughter, I'm sure.

I lost my mom early; she was in her 50s and I was in my mid 30’s when she died of cancer. I am glad that my daughter has some memories of her. My mom was a remarkable woman, she was feisty, determined, loving and kind. Her mom left when she was young and she was tasked with raising her younger brother and sister, which she did. She lived in as small town in Saskatchewan in the 30’s and 40’s that was almost all Romanian. This was the language of the community, so she grew up with English as a second language. When she went to high school, people made fun of her accent. Within three years she had lost her accent and when we were growing up, we never knew that she spoke another language.

She was elected to the School Board for two terms and was active in the community in which grew up. She did not talk about her early years very much that I recall. When she died, I and my brothers went through her papers and discovered that she had kept a diary of her early life. It took a while, but I eventually read her words.

Her words allowed me to get to know her better and could understand some of the things that I did not understand as a youngster. Because she wrote her diary and I got the chance to read it, I started writing this blog for my grandson. One day my hope is that he will read it and it will give him some understanding of what my world is like, what I find interesting, my sense of humour and my love for him and my family. I hope my niece gets to read my mom’s diary so that she can have a better understanding of her.

Dance as if no one is looking

Have you ever had a setback a delay or had to take a detour? I know I have had that happen many times. Sometimes you can think that these setbacks, delays, and detours are often just a way of "keeping" you for something way better. Many take this view.

There is, however, another way of looking at setbacks, delays and detours. First, don't let them discourage you, second, don't see them out of context. Third, consider that these events may lead you to a new adventure, a new road to travel, or a new way of thinking.

Life is complicated, our lives follow dance-like steps in the mambo, tango, or the cha-cha. If you dissected the movements and saw them without the rest of the dance, you’d only see painful contortions. But when you see the big picture can you see the poetry of your life in motion. The sad fact is we only see the big picture when it is completed, not when we are dancing, so whatever you do, don't stop dancing. Remember you are your own choreographer