Butterflies are Self-Propelled Flowers

But these are flowers that fly and all but sing:

And now from having ridden out desire,

They lie closed over in the wind and cling

Where wheels have freshly sliced the April mire.

– Robert Frost

For the Our Daily Bread devotional guide, Dave Branon writes: "Among God’s creatures, the butterfly is one of the most stunningly beautiful! Its gentle flight, colorful wings, and amazing migratory patterns are traits that make the butterfly a masterpiece of the natural world. This flying insect, while supplying us with visual enjoyment, also supplies us with amazing examples of the marvels of God’s creative work. For instance, the majestic monarch butterfly can travel 3,000 miles on its migration to Central America—only to end up at the same tree its parents or even grandparents landed on a generation or two earlier. It does this guided by a brain the size of a pinhead.

"Butterflies are not insects . . . 

They are self-propelled flowers."

-- Robert A. Heinlein

"Or consider the monarch’s metamorphosis. After the caterpillar builds a chrysalis around itself, it releases a chemical that turns its insides to mush—no perceptible parts. Somehow from this emerges the brain, internal parts, head, legs, and wings of a butterfly. One butterfly expert said, 'The creation of the body of a caterpillar into the body and wings of a butterfly is, without doubt, one of the wonders of life on earth.' Another expert feels that this metamorphosis is 'rightly regarded as a miracle.'"

“The butterfly is a flying flower, 

the flower a tethered butterfly.”


– Ponce Denis Ecouchard Lebrun

"O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all." - Psalm 104:24

The world of nature points to the Master Designer and speaks volumes about God's great love for us.

Photos by Donna Hailson