Winged warriors

The next time your life seems difficult, think of the butterfly, and you're bound to feel blessed with your human form.  I mean, really, we've got it good folks.  Once we journey  through the birth canal, our work is pretty much done--for an interminable 18 years--until we're urged out of our cozy cocoons.  Even those of us who are forced out earlier, or are more than ready to spread our wings, are slow starters when compared with our fluttering friends, who've completely changed their life form before most of us sprout our first tooth.  This lovely tribute to metamorphosis, posted on FanStory by Melissa Brown, sums up each butterfly's tough transformation:

Born just a worm, lowly and plain
crawled a caterpillar through rain
It started to eat and grow strong
for trials would find it before long.

Spinning thread inside a cocoon
to total darkness, not immune
All alone and starting to die
transformation the reason why.

The capsule shakes and starts to split
works its way out, it will not quit
Wings of beauty ready to fly
freed from prison and flying high.

Born like a worm, ugly and low
crawling around, life started slow
Growth would come and tried to be strong
Satan's darkness came before long.

Overwhelmed and wanting to die
God held onto me, He knew why
Transformed life was His perfect plan
Takes a lifetime to run the span

Free from pain and wanting to soar
Spread my wings like never before
Never look back and fly above
To the arms of my Father's love.

And that's just the beginning of their year of living dangerously.  During those 12 fleeting months of precious life, butterflies encounter: extreme climate fluctuations, including heavy rain and freezing temperatures which kill thousands of them, and multiple predators, such as wasps, snakes, toads, frogs, birds, rats--even monkeys, ants and dragonflies. 

Good news for the beloved orange and black Monarch butterfly:  because it's young derive most nutrition from the milkweed plant, which most predators despise the taste of, the Monarch is less often on the menu.  Bad news for the Monarch: deforestation, including widespread loss of the milkweed plant makes it harder to survive.  This is, in turn, bad news for humans because Monarchs pollinate plants, including some that people rely on for food, such as corn.

The solution is simple: plant milkweed in your flower and vegetable gardens.  The native Asclepias tuberosa (common name, Butterfly Weed), is a vibrant orange hue, offering a valuable shot of color to any garden.  This plant is fragrant, drought-tolerant, and thrives in full sun, or even partially sunny areas.  Don't mistake it with the also-lovely Butterfly Bush, whose graceful pannicles come in a multitude of pinks, purples, blues, and even white (Buddleia davidii).  Although the latter attracts butterflies to the garden, it won't provide the life-sustaining nutrients of the milkweed plant.  For this reason, use the Latin name at nurseries or when ordering online.  I placed my order with the reasonably priced Four Season Nursery (4seasonnurseries.com).

One clever butterfly--the Viceroy--looks exactly like the Monarch to untrained observers (which is, I bet, most of us).  This is not a chance happening.  This clever critter mimics the appearance of its more-famous cousin in order to avoid predation.  This is just one of nearly 20,000 species of butterflies in the world.  They flit through the social spectrum of all continents except Antarctica, leaving delighted viewers in their wind-walking wake.  Let's ensure their survival by planting milkweed and other butterfly attractors, like creeping thyme (Thymus p. 'Coccineus'), dill and fennel, which provide useful cooking spices--but discourage butterfly-chomping critters, who prefer their meals unseasoned.