Random Musings: The Butterfly and the Little Fish

My parents live with my brother’s family. So I made it a point to drop by every day. My sister-in-law has two terrapins and a small tank full of fishes. I think the fishes are tiny neon Tetras.

They naturally became part of my “entertainment” on each visit. I’d watch the fishes for signs of changes and cluck my tongue disapprovingly when the bigger terrapin bullied the small one, promising that I shall withhold pellets from the bully on the next feeding. (Don’t worry, I don’t.)

Recently, my sis-in-law rescued two lime butterfly caterpillars and kept them in a little tank full of lime leaves. Lime Butterflies, or papilio demoleus, are a type of Swallowtail Butterfly. Being a newbie gardener, I took some joy in watching the caterpillars nibble on their leaves. One day, they crawled to the top of the little tank and turned into pupas.

A happy sight

On Monday, I went over for my daily visit, and to my delight, saw that one of the pupas had turned into a beautiful Lime Butterfly! I dropped a text to my sis-in-law, and she told me to release it in case it dies in the tank. The little kid in me gave a little whoop of excitement.

I moved the tank to the balcony as fluidly as I could. Sensing movement, it fluttered anxiously in its little enclosure. I rested it on a ledge and opened the transparent door on top of the tank carefully.

The butterfly fluttered once, twice, and perched on the cusp of freedom, as though suspicious that freedom could come this easily. I took that little bit of time to scrutinize it, admiring its fresh colors and clean strong legs in the brightly lit space. Then it flew out of the tank in one swift motion and landed on the top branch of a nearby tree.

My heart soared and a grin took over my face. I stood for a while by the window, just watching its perch on the branch as a strong breeze shook the tree. It held on, enjoying both sun and breeze, strong despite being so recently rebirthed.

With that done, I moved on to check on the fish that had gotten sick a couple of days ago. It had developed a series of tiny bumps on its back, then its scales had become oddly loosened and its stomach inflated. I’d seen the same thing happening to its friend, so I knew it was dying. Sure enough, I found it lying among the aquatic plants, motionless. I removed it and buried it among earthworms and bugs.

A little lesson

Such is life, a constant loop of life and death.

Life isn’t possible without death, and death wouldn’t exist without life. The butterfly will go on to carry out pollination and procreation, while the dead fish will decompose and become nutrients for the ground. We’re designed to be born, to fulfill our duties no matter how small, and to (preferably) become worm food eventually.

It never ceases to amaze me how happiness and reverence for life can be triggered by the simplest things. In my opinion, the ability to appreciate the beauty in the simple things and the intelligence of our natural world is by far the best gifts bestowed upon humans.

What do you think?