Butterflies are back

By Julia Magsombol Local Journalism Initiative julia@columbiavalleypioneer.com

Summer is here, and so are the butterflies! I’ve seen many white butterflies in my backyard for the past few weeks. But where do they go during the winter season? What happens to them during the summer? And what does this mean to Indigenous Peoples?

Butterflies in Winter

Most butterflies enter a dormant phase. In this stage, they can be as an egg, larva, pupa or adult insect, depending on each species. They don’t usually eat or move during the cold seasons.

Their development in this stage is dependent on the temperature. To remain dormant until the appropriate season, the butterfly inside the chrysalis must stay cold.

For the adult butterflies species some of them contain glycerol, a naturally occurring alcohol in their blood which prevents them from being frozen. They can survive during the winter weeks. These adult butterflies usually stay in the crannies of a tree, rocks, and leaves.

Butterflies in summer

Most adult butterflies re-emerge in early spring and continue in the summer.

They love the sunshine as it gives them the energy to fly. There were at least 187 butterfly species in the year 2000 in B.C. Clouded sulphurs are the most common butterflies in B.C. as well.

The male clouded sulphurs are typically yellow, while the females have wings of yellow with a black border. They also have a dark spot at the centre of each forewing.

Butterflies in Indigenous culture

Indigenous Peoples have a strong spiritual connection to nature. For them, butterflies symbolize transformation, beauty, balance, and grace.

On the Pacific Northwest Coast, butterflies are seen as companions and spokespersons for the raven. They usually help the raven by leading them to food sources.

Butterfly Art - Francis Dick

In 2005, Francis Dick, an Indigenous artist from the Kwakwaka’wakw community, drew a butterfly artwork representing a more profound meaning.

Da Vic Gallery explains the meaning of the artwork:

“Celebration of Life” is about a young boy who came home crying because one of his friends had died. But in the end, the young boy accepted it and thought of his friend as a butterfly.

Francis Dick explained, “This design speaks to creating a different perspective around death; it’s important for me to believe that this place called ‘earth’ is a place where I am to learn lessons and to embrace life, and experience it as a gift given to me. In the bottom of the butterfly is a design which represents our humanness, and in death our transition into another dimension, represented in the butterfly. In the top of the design is the wolf, which represents my family crest. This painting I dedicate to all of us who have lost loved ones and to those who have passed over to another dimension. This painting is a reminder to me that life is a celebration.”

For more information, visit: https:// nativecanadianarts.com/gallery/celebration-of-life/

If you are interested in reading more about butterflies, visit: https://www.cambridgebutterfly.com/butterflies-in-winter/