What's it all about, Alfie?

A few months ago I got put in touch with a cousin whom I haven't met since we were young children. Among other things she asked me was why I decided to retire in Thailand. I gave the usual answers: when I was on active duty I was stationed in Thailand and married a Thai lady; the cost of living, including basic medical care, is much lower here; I love the food; I grew up in Ohio and Michigan, and I hate cold weather. But this morning as I was standing on my front porch, I realized there was another, more important reason. Butterflies.

Growing up in the United States, I basically knew only what we call the Middle West. I was a child of the suburbs, but spent time during summer vacations at my grandparents' farm in Iowa. My grandparents were interested in bird watching, and I learned a little about birds from them. But I don't recall ever seeing a butterfly that was any species other than the black and orange Monarch.

Back in 1973 I was reassigned from Thailand back to Washington, D.C. For the next several years I used my annual leave to come back and visit my wife in Thailand for 30 days at a time. On one of those visits, Lek decided one day to go fishing. We packed up a lunch to take along, with a couple of bottles of beer for me (it was before I quit drinking alcohol). Walking through the uncultivated meadows to the stand of woods where her fishing spot was, we passed a small tree. I guess it was only about fifteen feet high, and the foliage formed almost a sphere, maybe seven or eight feet in diameter. When I first noticed it I couldn't understand at first why it seemed to be covered with jewels. After I got a little closer I could see the whole tree was covered with butterflies! Certainly hundreds, maybe thousands of them! The glittering effect was caused by their wings opening and closing. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I have never seen anything before or since that struck me more.

I can't tell now whether the butterflies on that tree were all of one species or not, but I am sure they were not all Monarchs. This morning as I look out from my porch I can see eight or ten butterflies. Three are fairly small, a bright yellow. One or two are a little larger, very pale yellow, almost white. There are a couple of small, dark blue ones. And there's even one with the same black and orange coloring of a Monarch, but smaller than the ones I remember from the states.

There are also a variety of birds living nearby. We've got a flock of a dozen or so pigeons. They're the traditional grey and black, less variation that pigeons I've seen in cities. There is also a flock or doves that comes around from time to time, and a flock or two of sparrows, maybe thirty or forty altogether. There are also some swifts that come around in the morning and evening. I can tell they're swifts because of the distinctive shape of their wings and the lack of the swallow tail.

But it's the butterflies that really warm my heart.