A short walk along side Ferry Lagoon this morning, revealed the coloured presence of several different butterflies. I saw the pale yellow and white of Brimstones dancing in the blue sky. Whilst the trees beside the paths were dotted with Speckled wood, Orange tip, Red admiral, and even the occasional Painted lady.
Not only do individual species have well chosen affectionate names, but even the word ‘butterfly’ rolls of the tongue well. It manages to convey some of their grace and charm, and it seems our pretty fluttery friends are equally loved in other languages.
The French for Butterfly is ‘papillion’, in Spanish it’s ‘mariposa’, in Italian ‘farfalla’, whilst in German it is the onomatopoeically named ‘schmellerling’.
Do butterflies hold the answer to life’s mysteries? Is an excellent article (BBC magazine 16 June 2015) which explores our relationship with Butterflies who ‘...seem to distil out of warm summer air. Their fleeting, fragile appearance has inspired poets, authors and musicians through time.’ As well as exploring our past relationship, this piece looks at the role butterflies may play in our future, and what their movements can reveal to us about climate change.
Not that the butterflies I saw this morning seemed aware of their species contribution to science and poetry, but they were very enjoyable to watch as their bright colours livened up the green banks and paths around the lake.
Small tortoiseshell Aglais urtecae: Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com)