Nature Can Be Harsh

The kids and I ordered one of those caterpillar to butterfly kits. About three days ago, the butterflies actually emerged from their cocoons and we have been waiting for the heavy rains to cease to release the butterflies. First thing this morning, before the girls even got dressed, we headed out with our three butterflies.

We took the first one out of the "cage" and set him on a flower. He sat there a little bit and then started flying. While the kids were cheering and we were all watching him fly above the patio, a bird swooped down and scooped him right into her mouth. We watched in horror as our just released butterfly was eaten for breakfast.

I looked at the kid's faces and their mouths were hanging open. Ben said, "well, that was terrible." Then Tori started snickering; a few minutes later, we were all laughing. I'm still not sure why, but the irony of the situation struck me as entertaining.

The other two butterflies were smart enough to remain on the flowers, at least until we went in for breakfast.

I leave for Colorado tomorrow morning, but hopefully I can post an update from there.