Recently I have had two cool close encounters with butterflies, and I was lucky enough to have my trusty Canon digital camera with me and quiet enough not to scare them away while excitedly tramping about in my size 10s. The zebra swallowtail was hanging out around our new butterfly bush. When it (the bush, not the insect) arrived from a mail order house this spring, about four inches tall, I was somewhat skeptical about its chances of survival, but it has thrived and is over four feet high already. And, of course, the butterflies love it since its flowers emit a romantic aroma that drives them into a frenzy. The zebra swallowtail is the state butterfly of Tennessee. This one must have been on summer vacation. The other butterfly pictured is a “limentis arthemis arthemis” (not a repeat typo), more commonly called a “red-spotted purple,” even though it actually looks like an “orange-spotted blue.” I saw it while hiking Woodson Cove at Toronto Lake with great neph Bo a few weeks ago. It reminded us of a picture that accompanies a Ray Bradbury short story in the sophomore literature book at both our high schools. “The Sound of Thunder” is a time travel tale about how stepping on a butterfly negatively alters the entire future of mankind. "Don’t get off the path!!!"---Ooops. You never know what kind of consequences and curses your behavior can generate. So, always remember: quietly carry your camera, be kind to butterflies, and watch your step. That’s The Flaming Bore’s moral of the story for today.
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