Season for Butterflies

Butterflies are pretty things
Prettier than you or I
See the colours on its wings
Who would hurt a butterfly?

I don’t remember the poet who wrote this poem. The poet seems to be sympathetic towards butterflies. I think only poets and I can see their beauty. Others don’t seem to care about them. As the poet said, "who would hurt a butterfly," I haven't seen anybody, even birds and animals hurt butterflies. These multi-coloured winged creatures attract me. I waste my time to watch them. Butterflies come to the window-sill plants and lay eggs on them. So I can watch their metamorphosis. Farmers hate them because these winged creatures have the strength to destroy their crops. They will destroy them instead by spraying pesticides on plants. Farmers find their crops more beautiful than butterflies. How selfish human beings are! We, human take advantage of the earth maximum. Butterflies need food plants to lay their eggs. They lay the eggs under the leaves so as to protect them from weather and the leaves make food for the larvae. Their survival sense is surprisingly great. But only a few eggs hatch out of thousands of them. There are butterflies barely half inch in size. One could be mistaken them for moths. Moths are different in looks and habit. They are not attractive as butterflies. Butterflies are good to look at, not good to touch. the delicate wings will easily come off and the powdery substance on the wings will stick on the hands.
Autumn is the season for butterflies, also a season for all kinds and coloured flowers. That’s why people in Kerala make rangolis with different coloured flowers for the Onam festival. I sense the autumn dry weather pulling my skin. Fire-flies also appear in this season. With the onset of the autumn many different coloured butterflies that came out fresh from the cocoons can be seen flying around vigorously among the trees and plants. After a rain when it shine they come out looking for what, flowers or lovers? They enjoy their short life to the utmost. Their multi-coloured wings and patterns on them are attractive; represent modern art. Nature is a wonderful artist. But why does Nature give the beautiful things short life? I feel pity for them. How can we change the Nature’s ways? Though they have got a speedy short life-span they are inclined to do the duty of this world. They mate, reproduce before they shed their wings to keep the existence of their species which is the first and foremost duty of this world. Butterflies are really wonderful also Nature is wonderful.