Do you know about how a butterfly becomes a butterfly?
Most do not. It begins as what some would call a worm. But it is not a worm. It is a Larva.
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| this is the black swallowtail larva. Nickname the parsley worm. It eats parsley, parsnips, carrots, dill, and fennel plants. This one is in its third stage of Instar. |
The word Larva is a noun. It means:
"the active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa, e.g., a caterpillar or grub."
Some Larva are very colorful others not so much. At the Larva stage they crawl on the ground, crawl over plants, -it must not be too easy to get around. It takes them a very long time to get from point A to point B.
I wonder do they look up and when they see butterflies and other flying insects flying around, do they think 'I wish I could move that easily around'. Do they dream about not being on the ground, being a 'worm'? It is the way we are as humans, we see others that seem to be above us, looking more beautiful and we often think, why are we stuck here?
People usually call all larva 'worms' using the word worm is a put down. That would mean that all worms and earth worms are bad thing. Earth worms are wonderful, and do a great job for our soil! The earth worm has a very soft body and it can make its way through hard soil, changing the soil to a type of compost that helps to feed plants. That is impressive!
This soft body worm is protected in the ground, but if it is close to the surface, becomes vulnerable to being eaten by birds. So to survive it stays in the soil, hidden. Did you ever see worms out on the cement/sidewalk when it is raining? They seem to be enjoying the rain. Maybe it is like a shower for them. But when it is no longer raining, and if they are stuck on the cement, they can dry out and die. Do you rescue them? I would. They are a valuable source for our environment and so saving them from drying out is a good thing. Do you ever feel like that after something good has happened in your life-(like the rain shower for a worm)? Something good happening, then wam! Your stuck in something you did not expect (the worm stuck on the dry cement).
As I mow in the summer, I always am careful of avoiding plants that may have larva on them. Yes I am looking at plants all the time, and if I see larva, I allow that plant to stand as it is to feed the larva. I have several spots that butterflies seem to always lay their eggs and I have seen a plant with 10 to 20 larva on it!
Butterflies help with pollination so I encourage them to survive on my land!
I like watching the larva go through their various stages of growth. So each year I will collect one or two and place them in a jar with their food/plants. You have to replace the food often, refreshing those plants! Provide a stick or something firm for the larva to attach itself to when it is ready to go into the chrysalis stage.
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| black swallowtail larva going into the chrysalis stage. |
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| this is after it is done, notice the color change |
And now I wait.
This is what I will be witness to see:
I wonder about people. We seem sometimes to be in the larva (worm) stage, and thus, are often put down by others. As we crawl around in our lives, we encounter those who are flying around above us, seemly to be better off than us. We look at their lives and think, they have it so good. If only.....
We often do not notice that our job, our existence, is just as important as those beautiful flying butterflies. No, instead we look at the soil we are in or the same plant we are on all the time, and think-we have no meaning. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Will I be stuck on this same plant (aka same job, same home, same location of the country, same -- -fill in your own words here).
If we are the 'earth worm', we look at the same job everyday, or the same life we are living --and it seems we have no variety, nothing new in our lives. And then a rain comes, and we venture out of our known familiar area to the refreshing feel of the rains. It is different than the dry soils, and we are refreshed! But shortly after that refreshment, if we do not venture back to our home, if we try to linger just a little longer than we should, we find our-self stuck on the cement and no way to get back to the soil/home. We die...slowly.
Does this happen to you when your life is going along just so so, and then something happens and you feel so refreshed you just want to linger there for a little while...lingering is not always the healthy thing to do...
We need to know when it is time to move on, even if it means moving back the the familiar not so happy life. If it is where we are suppose to be, remember what ever your job is --it is important.
I say hang in there, if you are in the larva stage now, you will go into a chrysalis and come out a butterfly...yes, you will...
But when you do, remember those still in the larva stage, or who are earth worms, they too have their spot in this world. Do not fly over them in a haughty way, instead encourage them as you fly around their plant they are feasting on. Encourage them when you see them out in the rain being refreshed, that they need to not linger, but go on to their job because it is important but is is also the healthy thing for them to do for their own lives.
Encourage them to just hang on a little bit more....
life will change
life will change
they will change
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