SAMRUDHDI KERKAR
Isn’t it beautiful how even the tiniest of creatures can capture our attention and fill us with joy, simply by existing? Some beings may evoke fear, discomfort, or even feel like a nuisance. But butterflies always arrive like soft blessings, pleasing to the eyes and soothing to the heart.
One such pleasant surprise fluttered into our lives recently when a spectacular guest visited our garden — the Malabar Banded Peacock. Scientifically known as Papilio buddha. Papilio is a Latin word for butterfly, and ‘buddha’ might represent its serene, calm presence.
Just as its name suggests, this butterfly feels like the butterfly-world’s own peacock, with shimmering colours. Its vibrant blue and green hues glistened in the sunlight, creating a mesmerising sight with a striking blue band across its wings. But calling it ‘blue’ feels unfair. If you saw it from one side, its colours appeared blue, and from the other side, as you moved, that shade would slowly turn into aqua, as if the butterfly carried a small piece of the changing sky on its wings. Watching it was nothing short of magical.
This stunning species is the state butterfly of Kerala. The host plant of this butterfly is Zanthoxylum rhetsa (Tirphal). Just as the prefix hints, it is endemic to the Western Ghats.
We were so happy to have it come into our vicinity. It was the first time I was seeing its sparkling colours up close.
But one small concern that tugged at me was about my cat, which is always on an expedition to chase anything that moves. I was worried that this delicate visitor might fall victim to her playful curiosity. However, the butterfly turned out to be incredibly calm. We could gently take it on the back of our hand, like a tiny precious ornament. We placed it on a nearby tree and clicked a few photographs. To our wonder, it didn’t even move. After a while, we went inside, trusting that it would remain unharmed on the plant.
Slowly, evening turned into night, and as the lights came on, the butterfly flew back to our home and settled next to the tube light, like most insects do, again drawing our attention. It sat there, unmoving for a while.
But this time, it couldn’t escape the sight of my cat. The moment the butterfly fluttered a little, my cat jumped and caught it, tearing its delicate, colourful wings within seconds.
I couldn’t do anything as I was having my dinner. When someone told me what had happened, I came running, but it was too late. The butterfly lay there on the floor, damaged with torn wings. It wasn’t dead, but it could no longer flutter the way it once could.
It was disheartening to see the beauty that had just spread joy and wonder in our lives lying there in such a damaged condition. We gently lifted the injured butterfly and kept it in a safer corner. Even with its torn wings, the butterfly made me realise how delicate life truly is — how quickly something beautiful can be harmed, and how helpless we sometimes feel.
Like all other butterflies, this species too undergoes a long process of metamorphosis to turn into such a mesmerising creature. Yet its life is fleeting. And even in that small life, it knows how to spread its sparkle everywhere it goes. Just as it spread a smile on our faces, it also helps nature bloom. Though tiny, butterflies are graceful gifts to the world; they are little pollinators who keep the cycle of life moving, and they are delicate indicators of natural wealth.
I remember a quote by Ruskin Bond: “After the war is over, the butterfly will still be beautiful.” And perhaps that is the lesson — that beauty, however fragile, continues to exist even after moments of sadness. It does not depend on permanence. Perhaps that is why butterflies continue to enchant us… they teach us to appreciate the fragile, fleeting wonders that life offers every day.
