I'll Always be Your Little Butterfly-a Short Story for Kids

"Pollination syndromes are suites of flower traits that have evolved in response to natural selection imposed by different pollen vectors, which can be abiotic (wind and water) or biotic, such as birds, bees, flies, and so forth. These traits include flower shape, size, colour, odour, reward type and amount, nectar composition, timing of flowering, etc. For example, tubular red flowers with copious nectar often attract birds; foul smelling flowers attract carrion flies or beetles, etc." Wikipedia

A young child, a little girl, loved butterflies and one fine day, as fine days go, she asked her parents to buy her a butterfly net so that she could catch some and keep them in a jar.

On a fine sunny morning she woke up and after brushing her teeth, ran excitedly out to her yard and patiently waited for the next butterfly to approach her mother's flower garden.

Soon she was excited to spy one really nice and beautiful "purple wings" butterfly. She stalked her like a lion stalks it prey. Swoosh! The butterfly was hers.

No sooner had she caught her prize than she placed it in her favorite butterfly jar and brought it close to her face so that she could marvel at its beauty.

In an instant she was amazed and quite surprised when this lovely creature began speaking to her and our little girl realized that she did indeed have something special in the jar.

Soon our little girl was listening to our winged friend as it said. “Do not keep me trapped in your jar for I have a mission that nature in all her wisdom has entrusted of me. I have to visit many flowers and help them become new ones. Please let me go and I will show you the wonders of nature”.

The little princess was a bit hesitant since she had read in a book that bees were the best pollinators and said "Bees do the pollinating by themselves. You just want me to let you go"

The butterfly responded by saying " it is true, bees are the greatest pollinators but they can't do it all by themselves. Everyone needs some help at one time or another. If you let me go I promise that you will see me everyday for as long as you want"

The girl once again had read somewhere that butterflies live for only a short time and told our purple winged friend so. "Yes", said the little butterfly "I only live for a short time but my children shall visit you, and their children, and their children too. Please let me go"

Well as the story goes the little one listened to her new friend and released her.

Soon and true to her word the butterfly took her new friend on a marvelous journey as she saw how gently the butterfly went from flower to flower and each time filled her tinny legs with pollen which she then rubbed off on other flowers.

She also saw many other butterflies; red wings, yellow wings, orange wings, small and large and in many different colors. She could not help but be thankful for the little purple winged butterfly and very glad she had let her go.

The butterfly explained that by placing pollen from some flowers on other flowers, it allowed new seeds to form inside each and soon these flowers would release their seeds and in turn new flowers would be born.

Soon our little girl saw some very tiny yellow specks on some of the flowers that the butterfly seemed to prefer. "These are my eggs and once they hatch they will continue doing what I do and they will then be your friends and come visit you everyday" The little girl was amazed and understood why the butterfly had promised that she would visit her everyday for as long as she wanted.

" In a way, I will always be your little butterfly" she heard her winged friend say.

Our purple winged friend conclude by telling the child "not all butterflies can carry pollen on our legs, but the few of us that can help nature in our little way "

Our little girl was now very happy by this new found knowledge and pledged never again to trap any other butterfly or any living thing for that matter for she had learned a valuable lesson. Every living thing has a purpose and every creature must be free to complete it for Nature in her wisdom created harmony and we need not interfere.

All that from a little purple winged butterfly. "Wow!" Thought the girl, "my pretty little butterfly is really smart, isn't she?"