Chasing Butterflies

I love chasing butterflies. Trying to get a photograph of an ethereal-seeming creature that flits from here to there and barely stays still is a challenge that I will always take on.

In the fall, however, it’s not quite as challenging. The butterflies are tired. They’ve lived through most of their lifecycle and you can see them resting here and there throughout our area of the Ozarks.

One of the more prevalent species we’ve had in our area is the Red Spotted Purple. Their colors fade late in their lifecycle, and the wings of the resting butterflies are usually torn or show some amount of damage.

An adult Red Spotted Purple butterfly’s lifespan is only 6-14 days. The males are territorial and aggressively fight other males. (Source) I see why they’re tired. All that changing, just to constantly fight, mate, and then die.

Time is fleeting. We all know that. Butterflies can remind us to focus on the beauty in the moment, because it’s gone so fast. Just like they fly away before I can get the perfect shot, and just like their brief time on our Earth.

I’ll keep my fantasy that butterflies are the fairies of the insect world and that they all hold a bit of otherworld magic. At the same time, the reality of a creature that spends so much of it’s lifecycle changing and adapting is magical in it’s own way.

So without further ado, here is my #PictureADay. A tired, battle-worn butterfly, briefly resting it's weary wings in the autumn sun, finding a bit of water in a mostly-dry creek bed.
_{Red Spotted Purple Butterfly}

_{The #photograph in this #ozarklife post is by me, @madame-cyntaia, taken and edited with my iPhone6. Thanks for reading! 🦋}