A-Z of Animals - British Blue Butterfly

2 Corinthians 5:17

 Since a young age I have  had an interest in butterflies; one of my earliest memories of this is from the mid 1970s when my dad used to collect them. Sadly, back in those days it was quite common for people to collect butterflies and pin them on to boards and frame them. My dad had one of these and I remember thinking what beautiful creatures they were and how amazing it was that they came from a caterpillar. I also enjoyed collecting caterpillars when I was younger, not really appreciating at the time that they were living creatures who should be left in their own environment. This type of attitude along with the increase in housing projects on green space (don't get me started!) led to a big decline in the british butterfly population.  

Caterpillars and butterflies are so varied in their colours and shapes that I find them quite fascinating. Throughout my life I have always found the butterfly to be one of my go to creatures for cross stitch and card making as to me they depict new life.

Butterflies make for a good spiritual comparison in the way that they start off in one form as an egg, then a caterpillar, cocoon then end up as a beautiful creature who has been freed. This is much like the Christian life where we are born in to sin and go through different stages of life until God opens our eyes and makes us a new creation.

British Blue Butterfly

The "British Blue Butterfly" (BBB) first came to my attention a number of years ago at college when they were the subject of a Level 2 Conservation assignment. I found their story to be quite incredible when I learned of their symbiotic relationship with the mermica sabulita ant. This particular species of butterfly could be found in meadows throughout Britain until its apparent disappearance in the 1970s, however due to a reintroduction project during the 1980s it has made a reappearance in the UK and now doing very well. This species does not appear to survive without a specific species of ant and shows how much they need them. This reminds me of how much we rely on God to become a new creation.

The BBB lays her eggs on a plant in the meadow and the caterpillar hatches and eventually falls to the ground. This caterpillar has a pheromone that smells like a mermica ant, so the ant collects the caterpillar thinking it to be one of their own and takes it back to their nest. The caterpillar continues to mimic the young ant smell, despite looking quite different so they take care of it and feed it and nurture it until it becomes a butterfly. Whilst the caterpillar is a parasite it needs the ant for survival but never does harm to the ants, they appreciate all that the ant does for them. However they are still conning the ant and it is fooled in to thinking it is one of their own.

Whilst the BBB caterpillar is just using the ants resources in a positive way there is also the ichneumon wasp whose motives are more sinister and aggressive. This is actually quite creepy but clever on the wasps part; the wasp emits a pheromone and dupes the ant in to thinking it is one of their young so they take it back to their nest, once the ants realise it is not one of them they attack the wasp who then emits more pheromones turning the ants against each other and then injects each ant with one of their own eggs. The wasp then leaves, calm seems to come back to the nest and before you know it young wasps take over the ant and burst forth out of them and the ant nest is pretty much destroyed. I warned you it was creepy👀. The link below goes in to a bit more detail, but there are plenty of sites about this subject and a creepy video somewhere!.

Mermica Sabuleti Ant - The Goodie

Ichneumon Wasp - The Baddie

Research gate link re. BBB and Ants.




The story of the butterfly, ant & wasp could be considered an allegory to our spiritual life as a Christian. We change from our old ways to a new one with the support and strength of our Lord, but sin and temptation will often try to infiltrate this new life. Satan tries to extinguish what we have become and tries to wipe out this new creation. However, as the Lord is "Sovereign" he will not allow this to happen and has the ultimate victory. The story of the wasp reminds me of a number of biblical passages around apostates and false prophets who infiltrate churches and turn congregations against each other, causing division, discord and often destruction of what was once a stable fellowship. The butterfly larvae lives in harmony with the ant acting as one of its own without causing harm but the wasps motives are quite different. This reminds me that as Christians we need to be on guard for those who want destroy our fellowship with other Christians and the Lord.

  

I think the story of this butterfly and ant is a wonderful example of how God works in the whole of creation and has symbiotic relationships that can be used as examples to our own spiritual walk.