And Feed The Butterflies
One evening at the fair, I was lounging (a rare occurrence) in camp chair under the awning of my travel trailer. It was about ninety-five degrees, and all I wanted was a moment of peace and a glass of ice water. Instead, my son approached and beseeched me to take a stroll about the fairgrounds with him. How could I say no? My blue-eyed offspring had put in so many hours of labor up until that point, and I, even in my exhausted state, found that I wanted to stroll throughout the fairgrounds with him.
As we were meandering a concrete path through the commercialized side of the fair we spied a nature oasis in between the hot tubs and mattresses that were peppering the fairgrounds. A large netted tent beckoned us both, and before we knew what we were doing, both of us found foam paint brushes in our hands and a brain full of instructions regarding how to conduct ourselves in the butterfly house.
Inside that netted tent was a huge row of tables full of an assortment of blooming flowers. That alone would have grabbed my attention, but it was the butterflies that were the stars of the tent attraction. My son and I lost track of time as we hefted our nectar sponge brushes into the air and fed the hungry little orange and black insects.
People of all ages were in the tent, and it was strangely quiet in there. The fair is a loud place, but right in the middle of the cacophony was the bit of soul-calming foliage and butterfly proximity caused serenity.
You weren't supposed to touch the butterflies, rather just hold your sugar syrup stick up so they could smell it. Apparently I smell nice to butterflies, which was mildly hilarious as I hadn't had a proper shower in a couple of days at that point. Perhaps this variety liked manure scent, for I was promptly covered in the little winged fellows. My son was giggling as they were soon on all over my arms, shirt, and hair. Not that I minded.
I honestly don't know how long my son and I were in that butterfly feeding tent of awesomeness, but I can wholeheartedly recommend feeding hungry nectar craving insects as an excellent and entertaining diversion if you ever happen to come across the activity!
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