It was a very nice day in South Deerfield yesterday as Sibling Connections came to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory for a day of butterflies (and other bugs and critters), and bonding between brothers and sisters. I was hoping their would be more bonding between siblings and bugs, to be honest, but I guess changing the world into a bug-loving place takes time; and in honor of the dream, I will refrain from making any jokes about people afraid of butterflies (but they do exist! I saw them yesterday! Although I guess this proves that butterflies are bugs after all, and not just headless doodles splattered in pastels on consumer goods).

So it was good to be a volunteer yesterday. Unfortunately, I found the hoeing a lot tougher being a macrophotographer. It was an overcast day which made it dim inside the conservatory and thus less than ideal for my equipment, especially the lens I typically use for larger bug subjects. Of course, the butterflies were goading me with gilded false promise as well, fluttering about everywhere, daring me to get an in-flight shot. I obliged them, but not myself so much. A few near-hits, but nothing too good. And so it goes. It wasn’t a total loss though: I couldn’t resist buying a luna moth cocoon and a praying mantis egg case! Future bugs mean future photographs!