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Surprising Serendipity

August 2, 2011 By Jean Wise

I paid no attention.
It was routine as usual.
My mind scurried ahead, planning my next half hour and really, the rest of my day.
Grabbing my second cup of coffee, I casually walked back to my office ready to write this post.
But God jumped in and surprised me with a surprise serendipity.
Passing by the window, movement from my garden caught my eye.
A tiger swallowtail butterfly danced on my flowers.
Grabbing my camera, all my plans disappeared. I knew this was a moment to capture.
Amazingly I crept so close, I thought this delicate creature might land on me instead of the flowers.
God dipped into his paint well for colorful details. Look at His workmanship in the tiny joints and beady eyes.

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Intrigued, I wanted to know more. Take a look at these fascinating details about butterflies. Imagine how complex and perfect is God as Creator.
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·      There are about 24,000 species of butterflies
·      Butterflies “smell” with their antennae and “taste” with their feet. Butterflies have one pair of segmented antennae. The basic shape is clubbed, meaning the segments increase in size, as it gets further away from the head. Butterflies use their antennae to detect which plants are producing nectar and males can sense pheromones from females of the same species. Butterfly antennae are also used for balance and for detecting wind speed.
·      Butterflies have six jointed legs and each leg has six parts. Butterflies are also able to locate food sources by using the chemoreceptors in their legs. Many butterflies can taste with their feet to find out whether the leaf they sit on is good to lay eggs on to be their caterpillars’ food or not
·      Butterflies range in size from a tiny 1/8 inch to a huge almost 12 inches
·      Butterflies can see ultraviolet light (light invisible to the human eye), which makes the markings on flowers very vivid to them and guides them to the nectar tubes. Some butterflies have ultraviolet reflectants or markings on their own wings, which are visible only to other butterflies.
·      Butterflies weigh only as much as two rose petals, but they can fly thousands of miles.
·      Butterfly wings are covered with tiny scales, each a single color. The iridescence of some butterflies results from a reflective microstructure on the scale’s surface. Their wings have 125,000 scales per square inch.
By the time I sat in my office by my computer, I could no longer remember what I was gong to write about for today. Instead, God took me on a journey to my own backyard to witness His creation in a new way. What a blessing to pause and behold such a beautiful creature of God.
Creator God, I am amazed at Your workmanship. If you see to the beauty and tiny details of a yellow Tiger Swallowtail, how much more you must shape the specifics of my life. Remind me to pay attention to details as You do. I don’t want to miss another sacred glimpse of Your love.

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Comments

  1. blankKaren says

    August 3, 2011 at 8:43 pm

    Oh, Jeanie-those are marvelous pictures! I love the surprises of God.

  2. blankGLENDA CHILDERS says

    August 3, 2011 at 3:17 am

    So beautiful.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

  3. blankJean Wise says

    August 3, 2011 at 12:42 am

    Aren’t God’s wonder so grand? My heart spills over with wonder when I stop and take the time to appreciate even the smallest creatures.

  4. blankPhather Phil Malmstrom says

    August 2, 2011 at 8:15 pm

    What beautiful pictures, and a wonderful post as well Jean! The butterflies are showing up at our house recently as well, and they always inspire me.

    Thank you for sharing this!

    Have a Blessed Day!

  5. blank*****Shelly***** says

    August 2, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    I love this post! Thanks for sharing your pics and the facts about butterflies. God is definitely into details. He continues to amaze and astound me, even in the little things. I had no idea butterflies could taste with their feet! My six year old was quite intrigued. 🙂

  6. blankJean Wise says

    August 2, 2011 at 5:31 pm

    Thanks Jen. It was such a perfect moment and then when I learned such details about butterflies, I knew I had to share it with others.

  7. blankJen says

    August 2, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    I had no idea that butterflies could be almost a foot long. I would love to see that in my lifetime! Love the beauty, not only in your pictures and words, but in the heart of God, that He pulls away from our daily schedule to witness His gifts to us.

Healthy Spirituality – a sacred space to nurture your faith, grow closer to God, and belong to a community, walking together on life’s journey. This blog is written by author, speaker and retreat leader Jean Wise

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