It’s a rainy day

Although I can’t go outside and play and the volunteers have been rained out of weeding tasks, the gardens seem to be quite thankful for the rain.

Q: But what does a butterfly do on a rainy day?

A: Not much of anything

When skies begin to darken before a rainstorm, just like when the sun sets at evening, butterflies seek shelter. This may be clinging to the underside of a leaf like the Julia Longwing in the photo. Other butterflies can be found deep within a stand of grasses or perhaps tucked under a man made overhang on a building. Rain is a big deal to a butterfly.

If you are a butterfly, rain isn't a great deal of fun: The average monarch butterfly weighs in at around 500 milligrams. The average raindrop weighs a bit more than 1/7th of that, around 70 milligrams. Scientific American suggested that the impact of a raindrop on a butterfly would be similar to a human being hit with a water balloon with twice the mass of a bowling ball. Ouch.

As soon as the rain has quit and the sun returns, butterflies leap from their hiding places to continue patrolling, courting, egg laying and nectar sipping. What a life.

Q: What does a butterfly keeper do on a rainy day?

A: Clean the lab, write blogs, be thankful for rain in the dry season.