“Nan, what is a butterfly?”
A butterfly is like a moth but with coloured wings.
“Moth? never heard of that!”
Oh dear, do you know what a caterpillar is?
“No!!”
When Britain had many farms and vegetables came direct from the small farms, caterpillars were found on most of the greens, cabbages, lettuce, all those types of things.
“So what are caterpillars?”
Caterpillars are a small insect which looks and moves almost like a snake, but very tiny. They fed on the greens, but because the big companies wanted to eliminate all the small farms they encouraged farmers to use pesticides to get rid of all the insects. Then they started cleaning and packing the vegetables and bit by bit we stopped finding insects on them. When the European Union took over Britain they made it impossible for the small farmer to survive because their laws were so expensive to implement, and so the few farm that are left are now mostly owned by the big companies. That means that the skill of farming which was passed down from father to son or daughter has almost gone. Now we are mostly at the mercy of the supermarkets who buy from the big companies because bulk produce keeps their purchase costs low. That is why we shop at the farmers market when we can.
“So what have caterpillars to do with butterflies?”
Caterpillars have a span of life then they form a chrysalis, a kind of shell in which they hibernate. When they emerge from the chrysalis they are something like a fly but with coloured wings. Green caterpillars turn into moths, their wings are usually white, brown caterpillars are furry and they turn into butterflies, their wings are coloured. They are quite beautiful.
“That's good then, they got rid of all the insects.”
NO, it isn't good. Insects serve a purpose, like everything else in nature. Getting rid of insects has taken away food for many other inhabitants of our world. Birds and hedgehogs to name just two. I have to admit I don't miss moths very much. In the summer months if we had our windows open to get air at night the moths would be attracted to the lights and fly into the house in droves, they could drive you mad. However I do miss seeing butterflies, they made our gardens so much more pleasant.
“Will I ever see a butterfly nan?”
You might be lucky, I have seen a couple this year, I believe there are butterfly farms where they are breeding them now, but it isn't the same as natural breeding in the wild. Nature has a way of looking after this planet, it is man who is destroying it.
I travel up and down the country regularly. Ten years ago if I went from Plymouth to Exeter on a warm day the lights, bonnet and windscreen on my car would be covered in hundreds if not thousands of dead bugs, now when I do the same journey I can count the dead bugs on the car. Five years ago our garden had maybe seven or eight different breeds of birds visiting our bird table. Now all we get are pigeons and magpies and I can't remember the last time I saw a hedgehog.
“That is sad nan!”
The sad thing is that most people don't realise what is happening, they believe these things are making their lives better. They see cheap food in the shops, they don't know what it is like to have to actually clean their vegetables and they have no idea of how they will be held to ransom when there are only big farms and supermarkets left.