I have never been a “bug” person.  Mosquitos, flies, cockroaches, wasps, ants and moths have previously been my enemy.  Cockroaches and wasps rank as mortal enemies. I remember going into a Butterfly House when my kids were in elementary school and being terrified of one of them landing on me.  My anxiety would peak the minute I entered the door and I would slink quietly to the exit with hopes that I wouldn’t have any encounters with some butterflies that seemed more like flying birds or bats. Perhaps it was the unpredictable nature of the flight of a butterfly or that my children didn’t seem anxious at all. I didn’t want to fall short as a parent, but I can tell you I didn’t spend much more than 5 minutes enjoying the confines of a butterfly house.

Fast forward 20 years.  I’m much less anxious.  I don’t know what to peg it on besides being older but I do think that being sober, daily meditation and not relying on as much caffeine during the day has had a mellowing effect on my reactions to all things bug related. When I toured Scotland, England and Ireland in early 2023, I was surprised by how many towns and gardens had butterfly houses.  These houses are always warm and humid and, during the rainy spring that is March and April in Great Britain, a butterfly house is an excellent respite. Perhaps it was because I was traveling alone and didn’t have someone expecting me to flinch or panic when a wayward butterfly came dancing by, but I really began to seek them out and enjoy the experience.  In November of 2023, I decided to volunteer at the NC Museum of Life and Science’s Magic Wings Butterfly House. So instead of avoiding bugs, I’ve learned enjoy them.

My 5 tips on enjoying butterflies:

Butterflies don’t bite.  Perhaps someone needed to tell me this some 40 years ago.  As I now watch nervous 5-, 8-, 16-, or 50-year-olds look at a butterfly crawling on the arm of myself or an employee at the museum, and retract their hand in horror at the potential of the butterfly crawling on them, I will frequently point out that they don’t bite and that it tickles when the butterfly crawls on you.  That’s what’s at the heart of the matter, could this thing do me harm.  It can’t.  It’s just looking for nectar or water or help if their wing has some damage. Relax, butterflies don’t bite.

Red or Pink attracts butterflies.  I saw 4-year-old on my shift yesterday that had several butterflies landing on her in her big pink puffy jacket.  She was a beacon for butterflies.  It’s funny how something as innocuous as what color your jacket or shirt is can attract some random butterfly.  You look like a delicious tropical flower, so therefore, you look more hospitable than the guy in the gray jacket.  If you want to attract butterflies, wear something red or pink.

Just sit and relax.  Magic Wings has several benches in the largest butterfly house east of the Mississippi. The other secret at this butterfly house is that there is an air vent next to each of the benches so that while it is always 80 degrees and 80% humidity, there are spots inside the house where it’s a bit more pleasant.  Also, when you sit down you can watch the show just fly by.  There can be upwards of 1000 butterflies at any given time cruising around the butterfly house so instead of chasing a butterfly, just sit back and watch them in their natural habitat.  Don’t chase, let them come to you.

Check out the chrysalis’s room. Every butterfly house I saw in Europe had a chrysalis room or cabinet that contains chrysalises (cocoons if it’s a moth). These chrysalises come from most likely tropical countries but at Magic Wings we get a shipment of 500 each week from either Costa Rica, Ecuador, Malaysia and the Philippines.  These chrysalis are then hot glued to string in the cabinet or room and within a week they start to emerge.  It’s pretty miraculous to watch a chrysalis open and watch the butterfly’s wings expand and harden into shape (although some don’t harden correctly). Here is this magical experience that happens throughout the day as another butterfly opens its wings and takes flight for the first time. Be sure to check out the chrysalis’s room.

Be patient. At Magic Wings, there are many kids that are “regulars” and they are experts at getting a butterfly to walk on their hands.  I really admire how some kids can be so patient and brave to get upwards of 10 different butterflies to land or crawl onto them in about 30 minutes.  There was a 10-year-old girl yesterday that kept showing me each one she was able to coax onto her hand. The secret is to find a butterfly walking on a leaf and to put out your hand in the butterfly’s path so that it walks onto your hand.  I had a father ask me yesterday how to get them to land on you.  It’s about going to where the butterfly is and giving them a hand.  Putting your hand out and expecting a butterfly to land is much more unlikely.  I also told him to wear red next time. 

Butterflies live for about 2 weeks.  The last days for most butterflies include damaged wings, some of which can’t even fly anymore (and are more apt to walk onto your hand).  In volunteering at the butterfly house, I learned to appreciate the variety and beauty of these ephemeral insects that rise when the sun does, love sweet things and trust us to keep them safe. The main duty of a volunteer is to make sure no hitchhikers find their way out of the house and I feel like a hero when I’m able, with butterfly net in hand, to rescue these works of art to enjoy a few more hours or days in the safely and warmth of the butterfly house.