BLOG: The other butterfly, part 2
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In an earlier post I wrote about “The Other Butterfly,” I talked about the thyroid gland as a butterfly-like structure.
In part 2, I will tell the story of the butterfly that was mentioned in the part 1, which was partly told then.
I took this short video (duration, 1 minute and 2 seconds) of a Michigan butterfly enjoying the last few warm days of early fall in 2016. I recall that it was October, and in Michigan we may still have some warm days in the 60s and 70s during that time. At the writing of this post, we have experienced the first snow fall in mid-Michigan, as I was watching some snow showers this morning. It is kind of a taste of what is kept for us in the snow store for months to come!
Here is the full story of the butterfly from Michigan.
On a relatively warmish day of the early fall of 2016, I was walking back to my academic office in the Clinical Center Building from the Radiology Building on MSU's campus, after teaching a class to second year medical students. MSU's colleges of medicine are located on beautiful landscapes in the southern region of MSU's campus, which is one of the largest campuses in the country. The campus occupies a large landscape of the city of East Lansing, the hometown of the "Spartans," known for their popular football and basketball teams in the Big Ten League. Around and within the radiology building are beautiful gardens.
As I was walking by the gardens, which have beautiful bushes with beautiful leaves and flowers, I spotted a woman who was taking pictures with her cell phone of a pretty purple-yellow bush.
As I walked by, the woman looked back at me and said, "In case you wonder what I am doing, I am taking pictures of this butterfly."
The woman was totally mesmerized by the scene.
"See, how the butterfly does not move, at all?” she said.
I was not in a rush. I stayed by the scene and waited until the woman finished taking photos. It was my turn to take photos with my cell phone.
I looked at the butterfly: Beautiful, with brown-orange color markings. I am not sure what group or family this sole lonely butterfly belongs to. I wondered, where were the rest of its family?
I do not know what happens to all the butterflies of Michigan once the ice and cold begin to hit us. Of course, no butterfly can stand the very low temperatures; they would freeze in the ai.! I am not an expert on butterflies, but I love their spectacular beauty and their splendid colors. Vaguely, I still remember the butterfly life cycle from middle school. I still cannot understand why or how the butterfly babies are so different from their parents, and they appear not at all related to the butterfly species.
The butterfly was stuck to the leaf; very calm and quiet. It was pretty much motionless. While motionless, you could hardly see the butterfly from a distance. Its structure and colors blended nicely with the bush's background.
Mesmerized by the scene myself, I started taking still pictures of the butterfly.
And then I said to myself: "My God, the butterfly began to move, then it began to fly about a couple of inches, up and down, as if it watched me taking still pictures." As if the butterfly was inviting me to roll the video, I switched to video mode and took the short video clip in the link above.
I hope this video will be entertaining to viewers. I hope butterfly lovers may enjoy this soothing scene as well, and perhaps they know more details about the butterfly.
To add a soundtrack, I borrowed a music piece from the internet, to add soothing effects. I guess it must be one of the famous classical music hits. I show this video clip during my thyroid lectures, as a soothing intro, followed by a rapid tune, to prepare attendants that the first PPT slide that would be coming next.