The Naughty Butterfly

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21575, 10 February 1940, Page 6

The Naughty Butterfly

It was a lovely summer morning, very warm, and so still that the leaves hardly stirred. But in a sunny corner of a field something was moving.

Hanging from a nettle plant was a funny little bag from which a small creature was pushing its way out. It was a baby butterfly struggling out of the chrysalis in which it had been lying packed up for several weeks, and now it was getting into the air and sunshine for the first time. You would hardly have known it for a butterfly, it was such a poor little thing, and in place of wings it only had what looked like bits of damp rag! But as she came slowly out. some of the fairy folk who look after baby butterflies came running up. There are two kinds, the rainbow-fairies, and the sun-fairies, and one of each sort went to little Vanessa, and began to help her. Thermia, the sun-fairy, warmed the wee, shivering body, gently straightening out the tiny crumpledup wings, and smoothed and dried them, while Iris, the rainbow-fairy, touched them here and there with beautiful bits of colour. Vanessa lay quiet for a few minutes, then looked around, stretched herself, moved her wings a little as the fariies worked at them, and then, as she waved them softly to and fro, you could almost see them growing. Close by. two more

fairies were bending over another butterfly, who had come out earlier, and whose wings were nearly finished. “Oh!” piped the baby, as she opened her eyes wider, “are you making my wings like that?" “Yes,” said Iris, “you two are of the same family, and they always wear these lovely colours.’ Vanessa was delighted, and kept as still as she could while Iris went on painting her wings. When the upper sides were finished, the under ones had to be done, and then the trouble began! For Iris put away the bright colours she had been using and started painting on some darker ones, which Vanessa thought very ugly. “I don’t like those colours,” she said. “I want some pretty painting underneath as well as on top.”

“Ah, no. that wouldn’t do,” said Iris, “nearly all butterflies wear dark colours underneath —it is the fashion;, besides, there is a good reason . . .”

“I don't care about that,” interrupted Vanessa. “I won't have those nasty colours, I want the pretty ones.”

Iris spoke kindly to her, and said she must be content, and tried to tell her why the undersides had to be dark. But she wouldn't listen, and burst into tears, and between her sobs kept on calling out, “I want to pretty ones, I want the pretty ones, I want

the pretty ones!" And she wriggled about, so that it was impossible to do any painting, and at last the fairy said sternly. ' Weil then, I have no more to say to you. and you shall have just what you want!”

Vanessa was rather surprised, but very pleased at having got her own way, though she didn’t quite like the tone in which Iris spoke to her. nor the look on her face. However, she soon forgot all about that in her delight at seeing the beautiful colouring on the underneath of her wings. She looked at all the other little butterflies around her, and thought how much better she looked with her wings brilliantly painted on both sides. Then she began to flutter about a little, feeling very proud indeed of herself But she was still very young, and not very strong yet. so with the others, she was glad to find a sheltered spot and fold up her wings for a Jong rest until the next day. She woke to find another perfect day just beginning. She felt very happy, and ever so strong, and was soon sporting in the sunshine with a host of others, who were chasing one another in and out. .and fitting from flower to flower. After a while she grew a little tired, and settled on a clump of yellow ragwort. Suddenly she felt a dreadful shock, a sharp pain In her side and a violent pull at her wings. She fluttered to the ground, and lay under the plant, trembling with pain and fright. Unknown to her, Iris had been hovering near, and a moment after she fell the poor, unhappy little Vanessa felt a gentle touch, and there was the rainbow-fairy looking at her sorrowfully but very kindly. “Oh, why wouldn't you listen to me?" she said. “But there, never mind that now. Let me see what I can do for you first." She fetched some healing ointment, and put It on the painful wound in the soft little body, and then helped her to crawl to a quiet place in the shade where, after taking a little honey, she went to sleep for a bit. and woke feeling rather better. Soon Iris came to see how the invalid was getting on. gave her some more refreshment, and sat down beside her. “Oh, please, whatever did happen to me?” asked poor Vanessa, very tremblingly.

“Well," said Iris, “do you remember my trying to tell you the reason for painting the underneath of your wines in dark colours?” "Yes," whispered Vanessa, rather ashamed. “I will tell you now. There are some birds that think a butterfly a very 1 dainty morsel to eat, and they are j always on the look-out for one to | gobble up. They cannot catch you

very well when you are flying and fluttering about, so they try to get you when you have settled down somewhere. But this is not easy either, for you butterflies, when you settle .generally fold your wings together above your head, so that only the underneath shows, and as that is painted in dull colours it does not attract the birds’ notice. But you. dear, had very bright colours underneath. and they caught the eye of some hungry bird, and he pounced down on you. meaning to make a meal of you.” Here poor Vanessa shuddered. Iris comforted her. and then

went on speaking. “I feared that something like that might happen, and have kept near you on purpose, but alas, I was not. quite quick enough to stop the bird altogether. I was able to spoil his aim though, so that he only wounded you. and did not kill you. That wound will soon heal up, but two of your wings are torn by the bird’s beak, and I am afraid that they cannot be mended. But you are lucky to have escaped as lightly as that.” Vanessa was crying now, partly because she was sorry that she had been so foolish, and partly because she would always have torn wings, but she was very thankful to think that she was still alive. She told Iris how very sorry she was. and begged her please to cover up the bright colours that had brought her such trouble, and to paint the darker ones that she ought to have had in the beginning. The kind fairy did this quickly, so that her little friend would never be in such danger again.

Vanessa soon got well, and showed how sorry she was for the trouble she had given by doing all she could to help the fairies, and to be good to the other butterflies and little creatures round about her. She managed to fly quite nicely with her tom wings, and led a busy and happy life, even on the days when the sun wasn’t shining.