The Butterfly Effect Redefined

Hmmm, how little they ask and how verymuch they offer in return.

I do not talk much about my fascinationwith butterflies. Most people understand birdwatching which I enjoyed for manyyears until my chronic back problem forced me to give it up. But when youconfess that you chase the smaller winged wonders, you tend to get the “Oh,that’s interesting” response coupled with a furrowed brow.

For the record, I do not use a butterflynet as some afficionados of this pastime do. So I am one step removed from the naturegeek gamboling through meadows sweeping his net at anything that takes flight.I use binoculars which leaves casual observers free to assume I am watching birds– a misconception I am happy to leave unchallenged.

Why am I fascinated with these delicatecreatures of glorious summer? It stems at a high level from my general love of naturein all its forms. But there are specific reasons why these winged wonders fascinateme.

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The simplest of the reasons is that manyof them are quite visually stunning like the Baltimore Checkerspot above.I still remember the day I first spotted one. My heart fluttered (pun intended)and I was desperate to get a photograph of it. Beauty inspires me particularlywhen it is fleeting as butterflies are by their very nature.

Learning to identify these diminutiveand often look-alike creatures is an intriguing challenge. There are some butterfliesthat are unmistakable on sight. But often I must apply a combination of fieldmarks, habitat, season, geography and even behaviour to make an I.D.  Case in point: Tiny Skippers like the CrosslineSkipper above.

But if I am being completely honest, themain reason I am drawn to this pastime is because it is a reprieve from theincreasingly fractious and often inexplicable affairs of the human race.

Butterflies have no hidden agenda, noaxe to grind, no prejudices and no selfish desires. They do not compete to seewho can acquire more wealth or power, expect more of me than I can offer or enterinto conflict for reasons that made no sense to me. All they ask is that Iappreciate their simple elegance and do my best to protect the fragileenvironments in which they live.

The Butterfly Effect metaphor – that a butterfly flappingits wings can have an impact thousands of miles away – demonstrates that little,insignificant events can lead to significant results over time. But for me itmeans simply that the sight of one of these winged wonders can bring me peace of mind and spirit Ioften cannot find anywhere else.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Diet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner inthe Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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