It's mid-September here on the Oklahoma prairie. Lone monarch scouts are beginning to drift through on their journey to Mexico. We're enjoying their beauty as they perch on prairie flowers for an energy boost to continue their travel to the tropics.
Possibly the most amazing feat of the butterfly world is the annual pilgrimage of millions of Monarch butterflies to the mountains west of Mexico City. The genetic compass of these hardy travelers navigates a new generation of butterflies over 2000 miles to the same area each year to spend a pleasant, warm winter in the tropics. They fly from the United States from late August through October and return the following spring, sometimes covering a marathon of 200 miles a day. Mexico has established several Monarch preserves to protect the winter home of these long-distance travelers.
In many cultures, the butterfly represents the soul leaving the body at death. The Aztecs of Mexico believed that souls of warrors slain in battle joined the sun on its daily journey through the heavens until noon. In the afternoon, the souls became butterflies and hummingbirds and fluttered to earth to enjoy the flowers in the fields. Butterflies adorned the outer circle of the Aztec calendar and were displayed in paintings, murals, goldwork and stone.
The butterfly is considered an omen of death in some cultures, while in others like the Aztec culture, it is considered the spirit of an ancestor who has returned to visit. It is a popular tradition in the United States to release butterflies at weddings and funerals to signify hope and a new life.
The butterfly's silence lays an important role in granting wishes, according to legend. If you want a wish to come true , you must first capture a butterfly and then whisper your wish to it. Because the butterfly makes no sound, it cannot tell your wish to anyone. Always release the butterfly to its natural freedom. In gratitude for its freedom, it will grant your wish!
