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Lesson in Abiding

I have written about finding the caterpillars in my parsley plant. Yesterday I discovered that three babies had escaped. Two were on the screen and one was under a blossom on the eggplant. Today, each has formed a chrysalis.



There is a lesson in the metamorphosis. Patience, first of all. Unlike monarchs, swallowtail butterflies can take their own sweet time. According to some of my reading up on the subject, it could be August.




So if I make my way back north I will have to at least take the eggplant so I can watch the first flight of a swallowtail. And I like eggplant parm.




The other lesson is around struggle. The emerging butterfly really appears to struggle to break out. It may seem painful and painful to watch. Yet tender hearted helper types who carefully peel away the chrysalis end up with a dead butterfly.  Struggle serves its purpose. The butterfly tempers and strengthens its wings so it can fly free.

Be patient.

Abide.

Comments

  1. Linda ReederJune 5, 2020 at 2:04 PM

    I love everything about this post, Olga. Yes, I will work on patience. I will abide. Change also requires persistence, whether it is breaking free of a chrysalis or racial oppression. We must have patience with those struggling to break free.

    ReplyDelete
  2. gigi-hawaiiJune 5, 2020 at 2:23 PM

    Very interesting. I didn't know that butterflies would die if a human peeled away the chrysalis.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TomJune 5, 2020 at 4:35 PM

    Great perspective ... altho' I will say it's always easier to watch the other person struggle than do the struggling yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  4. KayJune 5, 2020 at 8:59 PM

    I’ve read a story about how the butterfly’s struggle pumps fluid into the wings. It’s interesting how the swallowtail’s chrysalis is different from the monarch.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Arkansas PattiJune 6, 2020 at 9:36 AM

    Thank you, I would have been one of those to try to help not knowing I was murdering the poor baby.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jenn JilksJune 6, 2020 at 3:58 PM

    Ooh, that's a great sentiment.

    ReplyDelete

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