Flutterby

Today

Autumn is here and time to dig out warmer clothes. I persuaded Paul to climb into the loft and hand down my winter trousers. As I took one pair from him I removed what looked like a bit of paper or cloth. It turned out to be a Red Admiral butterfly that had clearly thought that hibernation in my trousers was a Good Idea.

It dropped to the floor, just under the bedroom door, and didn't move. I felt some regret and thought that I'd have handled it more carefully if I'd realised. Later it was gone and I asked Paul if he'd cleaned it up. "I haven't been near it", he answered.

Somebody, somewhere, cruelly said that if you pull the wings off a butterfly it just looks like any other ugly insect. But, rightly or wrongly, we do view them differently, and a swarm of red admirals is not regarded in the same way as a swarm of cluster flies.

In My Day

I think it must have been in 1995, the 300th anniversary of Henry Purcell's death. Purcell died on 21st November 1695, on St  Cecilia's eve. St  Cecilia is the patron saint of music and Purcell set an ode to St Cecilia to music called "Hail, Bright Cecilia!" So it seemed only right and proper that our choir should sing this work at our autumn concert, on a date as close to St Cecilia's as possible.

We assembled to give this concert at St Mary's Church in Glastonbury. The church filled up and we gathered to sing this beautiful work. The poem describes the gradual creation of all things through the action of music.

As we came to the part where the beauty of the natural world is being described, a shower of Red Admiral butterflies, disturbed by the light and warmth, fluttered down from the rafters. Some landed on our scores. My neighbour watched entranced as the beautiful black and red beast walked over her page. She didn't want to disturb it further by turning her page so I shoved my copy under her nose and we shared until the butterfly moved of its own accord.

We all felt the magic of a shared mystical moment which wouldn't have felt the same if we'd disturbed cluster flies, I'm absolutely  certain.

I hope you regained your strength, butterfly and have found a better place to pass the winter.