Nature

On Wings of Wonder

Image: Sagar Kulkarni @sagarkulkarni/ Unsplash

Have you ever felt the whisper of butterfly wings nearby? It is a soft mystery that evokes wonder and delight. It is poetry written on a wingspan. The butterfly is known as a powerful symbol in myth and religion.

In early Christianity butterflies were a symbol of the soul – of spiritual transformation, conversion and life in Christ. In China, butterflies represent longevity and marital bliss. Indigenous wisdom relates how Hopi women of the butterfly clan wore their hair in a butterfly shape. Elders have said that when a butterfly appears in your life it may be calling you to change or transformation. Others have experienced the appearance of a butterfly as a message from a loved one who has passed. A momentary kiss of remembrance.

Yet these creatures remain a marvel of engineering and are unique in the universe. Did you know that butterflies are solar powered? When you see them resting with wings outstretched, they are “powering up” in the sunshine. As butterflies are cold-blooded creatures, they need to soak up the sun to warm their flight muscles so they can fly. But they are also unique in their ability to taste with their feet. Nature equipped them with chemoreceptors in their tarsi(feet). They can taste flowers by” walking on them.” This sense of taste allows them to determine if a plant is safe for eating or to find a suitable place to lay their eggs.

“... poetry written on a wingspan.”

Butterflies see multimedia in a way we humans cannot. They have two eyes, as we do, but they are compound eyes with many lenses enabling them to see in many different directions at once. They have up to 17,000 mini eyes with lenses to empower their vision. We thought our colour perception was notable with our 3 cones (colour receptors) but butterflies have up to nine cones for colour, including ultraviolet. They call us to expand our vision and evolve into a new creation. Our eyes have only just opened.

There are of myriad kinds and colours of butterflies, and they fulfill important roles in nature’s ecosystem. They are key pollinators for many plant species and moths particularly are unique in this role. We need butterflies for our sustenance and to remind us to pause for beauty. How have we silenced this wonder? How can we protect them?

These are critical issues which imperil their survival:

  • Habitat Loss: Deforestation, urbanization, and land clearing destroy the native plants butterflies need to lay their eggs and feed. Nurture pockets of creation in your backyard or balcony.

  • Pesticides: Chemicals used in agriculture and gardening kill butterflies directly and eliminate the essential host plants they rely on. Use organic garden methods & sign petitions against pesticides.

  • Climate Change: Shifting weather patterns and rising temperatures can disrupt the timing of plant blooming and migration patterns, throwing their life cycle out of sync with nature’s harmony. Let us make small but critical personal lifestyle choices.

Yet at the heart of these marvelous and magical creatures there remains mystery and wonder. And an invitation into a sacred communion with all beings.

Butterflies universally symbolize transformation, rebirth, and spiritual evolution. Theirs is a remarkable journey—from an earthbound caterpillar to a chrysalis, and finally evolving into an exquisite, winged creature. Yet these fragile butterflies have the stamina to follow migration routes thousands of miles long. This reality can serve as a metaphor and the butterfly a personal guide for growth, overcoming hardship, and breaking old habits.

If today you feel the whisper of butterfly wings nearby, perhaps the Spirit has come to rest in your soul.

-Sister Linda Gregg, csj

Image: AARN GIRI/Unsplash

Love and the Environment

Outside the windows of my residence, I have witnessed this spring of 2026 as being a spring of many memorable oddities, spectacles, wonders, and disasters.

The pair of Canadian geese came back rather early to nest on the edge of our roof garden again.  Mother Goose sat on her nest for way over a month without hatching a single gosling.  This was odd and yet during her time on the nest there were hot days then snowy days and even a little hail on one occasion.

The wild turkeys are amusing with their flamboyant plumage and careful but intentional moves and behaviours during the mating season.  Usually, three birds travel past the dining room window.  Two males strut side by side with their tail feathers fully fanned while following a female sauntering slowly ahead or sometimes dashing out in front. They are huge birds and to see them fly into the trees where they safely roost at night is a sight to behold at sundown.

Every spring I enjoy watching the leaves grow on the trees turning quickly from a green fuzzy appearance to small then large leaves.  But this year was different.  The fluctuating temperatures this spring caused the leaves to grow slowly.

The fact that the leaves grew slowly had a ripple effect on the bird population.  Two robins chose the tree outside my window to build a nest.  Since the leaves took a long time to develop, I was able to watch the amazing architectural achievement right to the depositing of the four tiny blue eggs into the well-built nest.  Then disaster struck.

The disaster I witnessed took place on a cold, rainy, windy spring night when the mother robin was no longer able to protect her eggs from the wind and water and she was forced to abandon the nest.  The pair of robins assessed the damage, cleared out and cleaned up the nest, and proceeded to lay four more eggs as the temperature warmed up and the leaves began to grow larger.  Not long after the rebuilding and repopulating the nest with eggs, we experienced a tornado passing through the south of our city.  Once again, the mother robin had to abandon the nest, and the pair of robins haven’t been seen since.

Living so close to the environment and seeing the effects of changing weather patterns on the bird population has an emotional effect on me.  The obstacles faced by the nesting birds, the courage they demonstrated while protecting their eggs and the helplessness I felt as a silent observer, profoundly moved me.  Is it love?

-Sister Elaine Cole, csj

Images: Hannah Schulte/Unsplash; Elaine Cole

National Love a Tree Day

National Love a Tree Day serves as a call to action. It nudges us to plant new trees, care for the existing ones, and spread awareness about their importance. This special day is a reminder to appreciate trees and all they do for us. They protect our soil from erosion and help maintain the balance of our ecosystems.

They also play a significant role in battling climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide. The day aims to encourage everyone to see trees as an essential part of healthy environment and our everyday lives.

Immerse yourself in a forest walk, breath deeply they will rejuvenate both mind and spirit,  let the trees love and uplift you.

For many years I have been part of a team dedicated to one of the most valued components to the City of London, our Trees,  if you are looking for examples of resiliency – let the trees lead the way. Drought, insect infestation, human encroachment, and many other factors have made survival a challenge.

And yet, they do!  The emerald Ash borer has decimated millions of Ash trees, Urban Forestry London working with partners (such as myself), keep on planting - and it works. Trees show us, how to adapt and build resiliency when given the chance for regrowth.

So, keep on planting, celebrate Love a Tree Day, May 16th, 2024

By Mary Hooydonk

Image: Jeroen den Otter@jeroendenotter/Unsplash

Communing with a Ruff-Legged Hawk

I would have to say, the biggest highlight of the year for me, was the opportunity to commune very intimately with a ruff-legged hawk this past December 7, 2023. The encounter has forever changed me, having ingrained in me an even deeper spiritual connection to all of Creation. I witnessed the hawk being attacked by a vulture on one of the back roads between Thedford and Arkona, Ontario. As I drove closer, the vulture lifted off leaving the hawk lying on its back on the road. I stopped and approached the magnificent creature with the intent to move it off the road and out of the way of greater harm. When I spoke with it, the hawk looked me directly in the eyes. It felt as if he was looking deep into my soul. The environment around us dissolved and I was witness to all of Creation as seen through the hawk’s eyes. I heard (in my mind) “I see you for who you are.” It was nothing short of miraculous!

Not able to come to a solution about how to help this injured raptor, I placed him on his belly in the soft grass at the side of the road, apologized for being human and unable to help more, and left. Imagine my complete surprise the following day, when travelling the same route, a little head perked up at the side of the road very near the same spot I had left him! Gordon (named for the road on which we met) was trying to eat a morsel of the road kill over which he had been attacked. I pulled over a second time, withdrew a light fleece blanket from the back of the Terrain and approached the bird. He seemed to remember me, the crazy lady who talks to birds. I bundled him into the blanket, thanking him for the second chance to help him get medical care. He travelled with me, nestled against me, fastened under the seat belt with care not to irritate his injured wing. I noticed also that his upper beak had been broken at the tip. This would have made it more challenging to eat, no doubt.

It took a while and a couple of stops to get him to Salthaven Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre where, after a few days, it was determined that his injuries would significantly reduce the quality of his life and that he would not survive in the wild at all. He was released to the Great Beyond on Tuesday December 12th. His spirit soars freely now and I know that he will continue to teach me much over the coming months. Be sure to watch for the release of my second book, Omens of Change, where he has found a new life.

 

© Laureen Giulian, Author of Moon of Change https://laureengiulian.ca/books/moon-of-change/ 

Earth Day 2022

In the scriptures, Jesus reminds us of the care of the Father for each of us, as well as, the birds and the flowers. (Matthew 6:26, Luke 12:27). We, in northern Canada, are so blessed with the beauty of creation.

Earth Day encompasses not only nature, but all aspects of our Mother Earth. Again, as we think and reflect on our life in the North, we are aware of how blessed we are to know and be in relationship with people from many countries of the world. We are indeed, interconnected and interrelated! And in times of hardship, sorrow, and sometimes utter disbelief, we turn, in unity to prayer.

In November 2018, I made a retreat called Boundless Compassion facilitated by Joyce Rupp. The setting was the beautiful Bowen Island, British Columbia. One of the days of the retreat was dedicated to Compassion for Creation. Joyce invited us to go for a walk and have a conversation with something in creation. In this conversation, we were encouraged to listen, more than speak. The following is what a tree stump shared with me.

November 28, 2018 Tree Stump tells me about herself:

This tree stump in my yard is a feeder for birds in winter and a garden in summer. Below, images from my surroundings.

“Well, at one time, I was one of the tall trees on the property. I could see far over the water. My branches would even touch my brothers and sisters. But there came a time that I needed to be cut down…and that is a story for another time. 

Did you know that the beautiful part of our life as trees, is that, although we lose our crowning glory of branches and foliage, we remain connected in and through our root system?

Now my role is quite different. Did you notice the tiny mushrooms growing on my side? I am somewhat of a nurse giving life. And ants come and burrow and carry off sawdust. I think the tinge of green lichen or moss gives a certain decorative beauty. I can still see the water and hear the birds and even now and then a seagull or black bird will rest on me. I am happy in my old age!”

Today I encourage you to have a conversation with Mother Earth. Remember to listen.

Creator of all living beings, we desire the restoration of the health of Mother Earth. As wise stewards of all that you have entrusted to us, we resolve to evaluate our lifestyle and patterns of consumption in order to make necessary changes. Provident God, we are partners with you. By the power of your Spirit, fill us with courage and conviction as we take responsible action to ensure the sustainability of our Earth. We pray in the name of Jesus who shows us the way. Amen.

(Adapted from “An Earth Day Prayer Service”)

Blessings, Sister Maggie Beaudette, CSJ