All this talk about flowers, oils and hydrosols and yet so little mentioned of the truly awesome creatures that make all this possible.  Yes, the bird, the bees and the butterflies!

Butterflies are less efficient than bees at moving pollen between plants, but are very active during the day and visit a variety of wildflowers.  Highly perched on their long thin legs, they don’t pick up much pollen on their bodies and lack specialized structures for collecting it…but certain plants provide perfect landing platforms to accommodate this apparent shortfall.

Butterflies probe for nectar, their flight fuel, and typically favor the flat, clustered flowers that provide a landing pad and abundant rewards. Butterflies have good vision but a weak sense of smell. Unlike bees, butterflies can see red.  Butterfly-pollinated flowers are brightly coloured (even red) but odorless.

Examples of butterfly pollinated flowers would be many members of the plant family Compositae, where many small flowers are arranged into a flat-topped head, and other plants, such as the milkweeds, where the flowers occur in large clusters. The individual flowers are typically tubular with a tube of suitable length for butterflies.

The oils we have to thank the butterfly for:

Roman Chamomile Anthemis nobilis or Chamaemelum nobile

German Chamomile Matricaria recutica or M. chamomila

Moroccan Chamomile Anthemis mixta, Ormensis mixta or Ormensis multicaulis

In addition to providing us with beautiful essential oils, the butterfly is also symbolic of metamorphosis.  Scientific research has shown that the butterfly is the only living being capable of changing entirely its genetic structure during the process of transformation: the caterpillar’s DNA is totally different from the butterfly’s. Thus, it is the symbol of total transformation. Butterfly represents a need for change and greater freedom, and at the same time it represents courage: one requires courage to carry out the changes necessary in the process of growth.

The Monarch above is feasting on some Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis. They’re known to live for between 2-5 weeks during which time they mate and lay eggs for the next generation.  Aromamuse casually witnessed the delicate dance of love, “the kama sutra for butterflies”:

The annual migration cycle of the monarch butterfly has been described as the most spectacular in the insect world. It has also been deemed an “endangered natural phenomenon”. This species and its migration are dependent upon conservation of habitats in all three North American countries – Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

See also:  Thank Hummingbird for Sage

Sources: Monarch Butterfly, US forest Service, Animal Totems, Pollination and Plant Families,