Summer Butterflies + Spiritualism

Beautiful butterflies are everywhere at our place and I can’t help but stop what I’m doing and smile when I see them. Spring is the peak time for butterfly hatching in south-eastern Australia, but early summer still has plenty of beautiful butterflies in cooler areas of Victoria and where I live fits that criteria!

I invite you to take notice of the comings and goings of butterflies in your part of the world right now too. If you’re interested in contributing your observations as a citizen scientist, check out iNaturalist website and you might like to get local advice on how to make your garden more wildlife-friendly as there are lots of helpful websites and dedicated volunteers from Gardens for Wildlife or similar organisations to support you.

By taking notice of my local butterflies, I became curious about their symbolism and spiritual meaning. There are a wide range of beliefs and customs associated with butterflies. Many of them relate to hope, transformation, growth, renewal and beauty in the every day. There are also some that believe that a visiting butterfly indicates that the spirit of a loved one is coming to visit you and that it’s a sign that they are okay and in a better place.

I find this comforting as my Uncle recently passed away. Before I knew of his death, I was visited by a very friendly and spectacular butterfly that literally stopped me in my tracks while bringing in the groceries on a recent Saturday morning. This beautiful butterfly was a Scarlet Jezebel (Delias argenthona). It was a couple of days after seeing the Scarlet Jezebel that I was made aware of my Uncle’s death, so this has brought me hope during a very sad time. It’s also been a gentle reminder of our intrinsic connections with the natural world over thousands of years and the natural beauty that we can choose to connect with each and every day.