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Some people may not be enthusiastic about the attracting butterflies and all of their life cycle stages to their garden, but butterflies really do add colours, movements and beauties to the garden. They are also beneficial pollinators for many of our favourite flowers. So, there are no doubt that we really should think and thank to The Most Merciful for everything He have gave us..

Butterflies are classified under Lepidoptera in the class of insects, and are found in many different habitats throughout Malaysia. Many butterfly species have recently expanded their ranges due to changes humans have brought on through disturbed habitats where native plants and introduced weeds now thrive.

All butterflies go through a complex life cycle that consists of four distinct developmental stages: egg, larva (or caterpillar), pupa (or chrysalis), and adult. Follow the adventure now to trace this fascinating process - and then, let us learn together what does this one of a kind creation God have gave us would really means..


The Egg Stage

No matter what their eventual size, all butterflies start out as little, tiny, dot-like eggs. Female butterflies will deposit their eggs on or near specific plants called host plants. Each specific species of butterfly has its own host plant that, when eaten by the caterpillar, will enable it grow and thrive.

To the human eyes, eggs appear to be nothing more than small dots however the eggs vary quite a lot in their shape, surface decoration, colours and size. Caterpillars grow inside the eggs and hatch after a few days by eating their shells out..


The Caterpillar Or Larva Stage

Butterfly larvae are highly efficient eating machines. They actually eat approximately 8 times their own body mass daily. It is their sole job to eat and grow, and they do both at astonishing rates. Unlike humans, butterfly larvae do not have internal skeletons. Instead, they wear their skeletons namely exoskeletons on the outside of their bodies. As a result, in order to grow, each larva must molt, or shed its outer skin numerous times during its lifetime. Each time it molts, the larva may change considerably in size and appearance. After 1 - 3 weeks of near constant eating and growing, the caterpillar seeks a safe place to go through metamorphosis.

Most butterfly larvae attach themselves to a branch, leaf, or small twig with silk that they produce themselves. The caterpillar spins the silk thread as it moves to help keep it attached to the leaves. After a few weeks the caterpillar spins a silk 'button' on the underside of a leaf, attaches itself to this with fine hooks and hangs head down in a 'J' shape. After a short rest, the pupa is formed in the body of the caterpillar. Its skin splits and exposes the chrysalis to the air..


The Pupa Or Chrysalis Stage

The pupa hardens about an hour after being exposed to the air. The pupa hangs without moving for a while. Inside the pupa a wonderful change is happening. This is called metamorphosis. Although the pupa looks lifeless, there is a lot going on inside as the caterpillar is literally liquefied and then reassembled as a butterfly. Scientifically, it is hard to understand this process but it is sufficient to say that, it is one of a prove that The Most Almighty is at work..


The Butterfly Stage

The first evidence that a butterfly is ready to emerge is a transparency of the pupa case revealing the colours of the wings beneath. After about 1 - 3 weeks time, the chrysalis splits open, a limp, damp butterfly emerges. The wings are like soggy paper. The butterfly hangs from the pupa case for an hour or so to let its wings straighten and dry out. Once the butterfly has done this and warmed itself in the sun it is ready to fly off and feed and mate, so continuing the on-going lifecycle. But sadly my friend, these attractive, beautiful, pleasure-giving insects hardly last for a long time. In just about a couple of weeks, after laying their eggs, they just die..



So What Is This All About?

Dear my friends, we may notice or maybe even not, why does our God have created this magnificent, beauty creation only live in the globe for less than two months. Why? It is actually to tell and warn us about our short lifetime. The time after our mothers gave birth to us, where we were so small, light, and brittle so that they cared us in such protective guard ever since. Aren't we the same as the dot-like creatures above? Yes we are in the matter of size and thankfully we should because they don't have mothers to take care for them just as we do. The female butterfly actually lays 200 - 500 eggs once and only a few will suvives till the end. This is the first thing that we should not take for granted..

For the next stage, is the most vital stage in our life. And it is equivalent to the caterpillars or larvae stage. It is our stage where we can learn and study many things, eat so many things that can be eaten, and most importantly doing true jobs as a slave to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. This phase now will determine our future tomorrow, whether we achive flying colours, or we just make it as failures. If the larva do not eat enough food daily, they will not ascend to the different level. So do us, as a muslim student if we do not study hard and well, and we do not connect all our actions to our God, we are not actually climb for another step.

Let us now continue our journey. For the third stage, that is the pupa stage, scarcely everyone to doubt it as an 'examination' stage for us. Don't we realize, after a long time the larva eat and grow, eat and grow, the next obstacle for it to become a beautiful butterfly, is to sit back and wait for what Allah's will to give. As we have learn before, the larva will transform itself into a butterfly by Allah's will and power inside the pupa through a process named metamorphosis. This shows that after we have tried something so hard to get it, such as straight A's in an examination, only Allah will determine what the result is. Not us nor our so-called big effort will determine it, but Allah does..

Lastly, after we have 'receive' our successes, we should never be proud of ourself nor being too happy for them. We must remember that these gives aren't for nothing. We must be more thankful to Allah and use them in the road of dakwah. The short life of butterflies shows that Allah's gives are not last long. For animals and insects like butterflies, their goal are just to mate and lay eggs, it is sufficient for them to do that only. But do we want to be like them? Marry and breed, marry and breed? We have more responsibilities on our shoulders than the animals' and the insects' have. Like one of my beloved senior's saying, responsibilities are more than the time itself. Another thing that we should not take in ease is, we must always alert that all we have now, will disappear later. Our knowledges, good-looking face, properties, moneys, and everything in our life aren't go anywhere and will never help us once we reach The Judgement Day. It is how we have done with them will help us there.

My brothers and my sisters, let us learn from what Allah have served in front of us. Butterfly. This one of a kind creation of Allah not just gives us pleasures and happiness, but also reminds us what we should really do. And the most crucial is, tell us how short our lifes are..