The miracle of a new life is always amazing. And while human babies can be amazing, I think butterfly babies are really amazing. Butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis. This basically means the butterfly baby looks nothing like the adult will look. When a butterfly mama lays an egg, and a caterpillar hatches from that egg, that caterpillar is entirely on their own. Any nurturing that the mother butterfly provided was accomplished through the selection of the spot to lay the egg. Imagine, being a 2 millimeter long caterpillar out there in the great big world all by yourself.
God has created some interesting mechanisms to keep these little guys safe. Some are toxic like the monarch caterpillar. Others have evil looking spines and barbs, like the Gulf Fritillary caterpillar in the pic below. Some have what look like big scary eyes (like the Spicebush Swallowtail) to scare away predators. Others blend in perfectly, like the Giant Swallowtail caterpillar which looks like a glob of bird poop.
This caterpillar will eat and eat and grow and grow until it transforms into a chrysalis. I like to think of caterpillars sort of like junior high boys. As a chrysalis, the butterfly is very vulnerable, yet God designed them in such a way to help them stay safe. Some are green, looking like a rolled up leaf. Others are brown, looking like a twig or peeling piece of bark. The Glasswing butterfly of the tropics has a chrysalis that looks like a glistening drop of water.
Eventually, an adult butterfly crawls out of the chrysalis, and will shortly be able to fly away, and avoid predators using flight. But in the meantime, God's wonderful creativity gave it a better chance to survive. God finds creative ways to keep us safe as well. God finds creative ways to allow us to be productive members of His kingdom. Never question God's creative ability to work miracles in your life!
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| Spiny Gulf Fritillary caterpillar |
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| Gulf Fritillary adult |
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| Droplet-like chrysalis of the Glasswing butterfly |
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