The Birth of a Butterfly

The butterfly. The symbol of transformation, new beginnings, and the embodiment of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Few creatures on this earth can evoke such a strong sense of wonder in human beings like the butterfly. Secluded within its chrysalis, the butterfly hides itself from the world, swathed in the secrets of the universe as it grows, changes, until the moment it emerges to make the world more beautiful, one butterfly at a time.

Mattapoisett was made a tiny bit more beautiful on Tuesday, September 22, when it welcomed into the world a single Monarch butterfly that had been developing under the care of Jeanne McCullough at the Mattapoisett Library.

The chrysalis originated in the Fairhaven backyard of Ella Gillen, 10, and Sofia Gillen, 8, where the milkweed grows, attracting scores of Monarchs each year to lay their eggs. With their mother, Tracy, the girls took the chrysalis to the library so it could share the experience of raising a Monarch with its patrons, particularly with the children.

For almost two weeks, the chrysalis hung suspended in air attached to a leaf within a netted pop-up habitat.

On the day the Monarch broke free from its protective shell, Ella and Sofia were serendipitously visiting the library (and so was I), when they heard some excitement coming from across the way. Children’s Librarian Linda Burke was showing this reporter the beloved chrysalis when we noticed it tremble slightly, a fleeting flicker that led to another, and another, and another….

Just then, the translucent fibers of one fold of the chrysalis gave way, separating it from the others in a sudden burst of life force that began the unfolding process of new life. The cover of the habitat was removed and taken down so as not to obstruct a single second of the wonder that was taking place before our very eyes.

Stunned, we all watched closely and waited. And with each slow breath we took, the Monarch edged closer to its escape, finally exiting the shiny clear shell completely, yet still clinging to it as awakened from the mystery of its butterfly sleep.

As the minutes passed, the butterfly hung in the air suspended from the leaf, quivering gently as its delicate wings pulsated, closing and then opening ever so slightly with each thrust that appeared small to each of us, but was surely momentous to the tiny creature.

How mighty, yet how fragile is the Monarch emerging, just as life itself is frail yet forceful. The Monarch danced in slight half turns and half twirls against the force of gravity beneath it, a force that would, in a matter of hours, be of little consequence to the willful wings of the butterfly.

The first and second-grade classes from Center School by happenstance entered the library and were able to catch a glimpse of the spectacle as they made their way to a presentation on the other side of the library. No one could have known the exact minute the Monarch would hatch, but it was as if the butterfly all along waited patiently for the right moment to emerge when the most pairs of eyes possible would be watching with wonder.

“I think it’s really cool,” said Ella, “and I think I’m very lucky to see it.”

Meanwhile, as the Monarch took its time acclimating to its new form, the girls thumbed through a library book about how to raise Monarchs and read that the butterfly would not be strong enough to be handled until at least an hour and a half after it had hatched. It would take that long for its powdery wings to fully dry so it could be tagged with a tiny circular sticker as part of a national Monarch butterfly counting project.

Within a matter of three to four hours, the butterfly would be released into the outside to discover itself, and perhaps its first flower, thus beginning another cycle in the life of the Monarch butterfly.

By Jean Perry

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One Response to “The Birth of a Butterfly”

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  1. ward johnson says:

    Two years ago, my wife, Ann, and I started a foundation in Minneapolis, to try to save the Monarch Butterfly. The foundation is SaveOurMonarchs Foundation, devoted to saving Monarchs by planting Milkweed seeds.

    So now SaveOurMonarchs.org offers free milkweed seeds to anyone. You can just send your request for seeds to SaveOurMonarchs.org and click on ‘Get ‘Seeds’.

    This year we will provide over 1 million Milkweed Seed Packets to individuals for their gardens.
    Ward Johnson

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