CONSIDER
THE GULF FRITILLARY
by Julie Lavender
As I
headed out on my walk with God this morning, splashes of pumpkin-orange flitted
about, lighting on yellow lantana flowers intermittently before drifting out
of sight.
I
smiled at the sighting of the Gulf Fritillary, because its autumn coloration is
yet another reminder of this time of year, the season of thanksgiving.
A portrait of autumn
The
topside of the butterfly is deep orange with black streaks, and a closer look
reveals silvery white dots speckled about.
Slurping nectar
The
Gulf Fritillary butterfly sips on nectar from various flowers, using a long
proboscis like a straw to slurp the sweet nectar.
The butterfly may flit about from flower to flower of lots of species, but during one part of its life cycle, it depends completely on a single plant species.
The Gulf Fritillary caterpillar, which is the larval stage of this insect,
feeds exclusively on passion vine plants.
Passionately purple
A couple of varieties of passion
flowers abound in many parts of the country and have exquisitely beautiful
blossoms.
Passion
flower vines serve as the host plant for the caterpillar and for the placement
of eggs by a female Gulf Fritillary.
Munching on the greenery
When an egg hatches, the larvae feeds on the foliage and vines of the passion plant.
The dark orange caterpillar with black spines nibbles and munches until time to spin itself into a chrysalis.
In miraculous ways that only God could design, an elongated caterpillar with spines attaches its rear end onto a plant with a silk-like substance and forms itself into an oddly-shaped chrysalis through shedding skin and transforming, drying and hardening, and just 'hanging' for two to three weeks.
The miracle of the chrysalis
When the metamorphosis inside is complete, the chrysalis cracks, slowly, and the butterfly crawls out on spindly legs. Pumping fluid from its abdomen into the wings, the butterfly's shape emerges.
After its wings dry, which only takes about ten to fifteen minutes of sitting motionless, the Gulf Fritillary flaps its wings and takes flight.
God's beautiful plan
The
relationship between the egg and host plant, the caterpillar and the passion flower vine, the chrysalis and its support branch, and the butterfly and its nectar-filled sources reminds me of
God’s plan for His creations.
That's how it is.....
God
intended for His creations to live and thrive and grow together, individually,
yet dependent on one another, too. Part of one another and part of the body of
Christ.
Why
do we humans have such difficulty remembering that we’re all in this together?
This whole flitting about on the globe thing? We need each other, and life is
exquisitely beautiful when we keep that in mind.
That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. Romans 12:5 CEV
What
about you? Join in the conversation and share your reminders in God’s world
about being “part of one another.”
Julie, what a beautiful lesson and such beautiful pictures. God's plan for each creature is so amazing, and yes, fit together incredibly. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI love God's attention to detail, from the tiniest of His creations to everything about our lives! It truly is amazing! Thank you, Connie, for your comment!
ReplyDeleteJulie, I recognized the passion flower. When I was a child we farmed tobacco and the passion plant was a terrible nuisance in the fields. As always, your pictures are beautiful, but I especially appreciate your connection of nature with God's plan for us. We are all important as part of His plan. On Earth, we are his hands and feet--our actions reflect our relationship with our Lord.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Katherine, for joining the conversation! I didn't know that the passion plant could be a nuisance - LOVE to learn new things about God's creations. I understand they often smell awful! I've encountered them mostly in large fields and I didn't stick my nose too closely to find out! They are certainly a beautiful, delicately-created flower that I may actually have to write about on my blog one day too... I love your words: "our actions reflect our relationship with our Lord." That's a sobering and powerful statement!
ReplyDeleteI love this refreshing post about a gorgeous part of God's creation. Honeybees are such a perfect reminder to me about how each of us, with special spiritual gifts, work for the good of the hive. We are truly one body with individual gifts.
ReplyDeleteA honeybee is a perfect example of one body with individual gifts, isn't it Jeannie? My father was a beekeeper for a time in his life, and it was fascinating to learn more about the intricate details of just one hive!
ReplyDelete