Have you ever heard about the tremendous migrations of monarch butterflies, sometimes covering thousands of miles? They fly south to warm areas like California, Mexico, and even South America to spend the winter. Then, in early summer, millions form large clouds and fly north to the United States, including Alaska, and also to the Maritime Provinces and other parts of Canada.
While in those northern areas great numbers of eggs are laid. They quickly hatch-not into baby butterflies-but into caterpillars which find their food in the plentiful wild milkweed. Soon, however, they lose interest in food and enclose themselves with a cocoon made from silken threads which they spin.
Then an amazing thing takes place. When summer is nearly over, they break out of their prison-like cocoons-no longer as caterpillars-but changed into beautiful butterflies! After a short rest, stretching their wings and other body parts, they take to the air, fully grown. Now they eat only sweet nectar from wildflowers.
Meanwhile, the parent butterflies have died, so the new generation is entirely on its own. But no, it is better to say that they are under the guidance of their Creator who delights to care for them. As they mature and build up strength, they sense that cold days of fall and winter are near at hand. Before long, great groups gather at night, leave their summer homes and fly south together. Each group flies to the same areas and the very same trees their parents left behind many months before when they migrated north.
Their migrations are much like those of many birds. But monarch migrations are even more remarkable, as they have never before made the long trip nor seen the areas which will be their winter homes. They, of course, could never do these marvelous things if it were not so planned by their Creator. He guides them in ways too wonderful for us to understand.
We could never find time to give a detailed account of each kind of butterfly, for there are so many-250,000 varieties-throughout the world.
As our beginning Bible verse tells us, the Lord God, the Creator, found pleasure in giving to each group and the individuals in it, its own lovely design, just as He has done with the vast number of birds, the flowers of the world, and other things of His creation.
Now let's take a look at a few other butterflies.