Thursday, May 17, 2007

butterflies

The other day, i pondered as to why butterflies were called thus. Who named them so?Words usually have histories and interesting ones at that. But butterflies?
And this is what i found :

Word History: Is a butterfly named for the color of its excrement or because it was thought to steal butter? It is hard to imagine that anyone ever noticed the colour of butterfly excrement or believed the insect capable of such theft. The first suggestion rests on the fact that an early Dutch name for the butterfly was 'boterschijte'. The second is based on an old belief that the butterfly was really a larcenous witch in disguise.

Weird. Very.

Butterflies are colourful insects, which add some cheer to the environment. I stop myself to watch at a butterfly, flitting from one place to another. Many a time. They are secretive, as all insects are.

They come in various, enchanting colours. Grabbing the attention of a passer-by. My exposure to them has been very limited. But, the monarch is one of my favourites. It can be spotted anywhere, even amongst concrete buildings. The bright orange fringed with pitch black, meandering ribs in black, colours it beautifully.
The other day i saw a similar one(if i could use this word). It had a pleasant green(what we call parrot green) in place of orange, but the black was present. I, again saw it today. I was crossing the circle, and there it was.
It vanished before i could fill my eyes with it's beauty.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very natural question for a biology student, I guess. I wouldn't have ever wondered about it :)

mouna said...

ds,
natural for a bio student or not, it caught my attention... anyways a very strange history..