I didn't know much about birds when I starting photographing them and still don't. "I take pictures of them just don't ask me what they are" was my stock phrase, but I suppose I do know more than I did.
However when it comes to butterflies I know less, a lot less and I can't even name all of the ones in this post
I can and have done my usual research; not about their names, habitats, feeding and breeding habits but their place in culture.
It appears that the word "Butterfly" derives at least in part from "butter", but that seems to be the only point of agreement amongst the 'experts'. Some of these experts believe the name comes from the butter-yellow colour of the wings of many butterfly species. Other experts however claim it is a reference to the old folk tale that butterflies steal butter while other think it comes from yellow colour of a butterfly's excrement
Having done my research I could have continued the naming convention I started with my blog on (Jenny) Wrens and titled this one: "What links Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Dolly Parton, Toto and Puccini?"
The answer being that they all have released songs (or operas) with butterflies in the titles.
There are lots of books with and about butterflies including The Butterfly Ball and (the one that probably came immediately to mind if you're a parent) The Hungry Caterpillar
And thinking about general expressions perhaps the most obvious one or ones are to "get butterflies" or "to have butterflies in your stomach", both of which mean to feel nervous or excited about something, especially something about to happen.
However the first recorded use of the phrase “butterflies in my stomach” is often said to have been first used in a 1908 publication where it reads “gave him a sad feeling, as if he had a butterfly in his stomach.”
The more common usage dates back to 1943, when Bill Gardner, a paratrooper and former scout wrote an account of his first jump for 'Boys' Life' magazine. In it he describes how he had the feeling of small butterflies floating around in his stomach which he thought was a sign of the nervousness he felt as he prepared for his jump
"I landed all right and although I'll always have butterflies in my stomach every time I go up, I'll never experience the fear of that jump. Somehow I feel as though I've accomplished something worth while."
Butterflies are also linked to chaos theory. Neil Gaiman explains it thus - "The things that really change the world, according to chaos theory, are the tiny things. A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle, and subsequently a storm ravages half of Europe.”
Hopefully the ones I've seen flying haven't caused too much damage on the other side of the world...
and to finish a couple of other "flies"
(Now should I have butterflies in my stomach about whether or not anyone will like this blog?)
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