MUSINGS

-- By Jackie Hull, Bedford Area Master Gardener (Reprinted with permission from

The Bedford Gardener, September 2010, Volume XV, Issue 9)

This past week after lunch at Liberty Station we had a good hour to make evaporate before an appointment in Lynchburg. So we decided to wander further into the Piedmont region on a winding and twisting country road. As we neared a Baptist church, I noticed a car coming towards us. As it passed by, a beautiful Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly glanced off the side of the car. I don't see many Zebra Swallowtails so I quickly asked Peter to turn the car around. We went back to where this gorgeous creature lay on the frying hot pavement. I jumped from the car after hitting the hazard blinker. The butterfly wasn't moving, but seemed to be more stunned then mortally wounded. Scooping him up I scurried back to the car where I laid him inside my empty sneaker. There he began to recover slowly but surely. I knew if we had left him on the road, he would have suffered and died from the heat. It made me wonder how many butterflies are only stunned but die on the pavement. Gradually he stirred from the stinky sneaker...maybe that's what revived him...and he began to climb on my pants and onto my hands. What an absolutely gorgeous creature he was. Black and white vertical stripes up and down his wings. At the base of his second set of wings were two vibrant red dots. The wing tips formed black swallowtails. As he continued to climb on my arms, I noticed when he folded his wings together that underneath were a series of red dots flowing upward along the wing curves. Then he tested his wings as he attempted to fly about the car. So we found a thicket of vines and bushes to let him loose. Off he flew into the vines. I can only hope this beautiful creature survived to discover a paw paw tree and further the generations of his species.  Creatures great and small...totally awesome!