The legend of the childhood butterfly
The Montreal Botanical Gardens presents its tenth annual exhibit that mixes ecstasy with insects
By Mel Bervoets
Culture Writer
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But we eventually found our way to the endmost corner of the gardens, where a large two-storied room was set up to house and display the inhabitants of the hour. Within a few moments, it became surprisingly clear how Nabokov, a man of such striking diction and descriptive virtuosity, could find himself hard pressed to describe his feelings around the flutter and stay of these creatures. The butterflies danced elusive preludes high above the heads of the visitors, but most rested on the walls, the plants, or the fruit, providing ample opportunity to appreciate some of nature’s most remarkable colours and patterns. They became mysterious when I tried to pinpoint their personality; they leave contradictory impressions of vibrancy and fragility, playfulness and reluctance. It somehow makes sense that at different times and in different places they have symbolized everything from
immortality to imminent death, with love, happiness, and the stars between. At other times, too, there was the realization that the wings are just showy vehicles for former caterpillars, which causes our human awe to seem a bit silly.
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“Butterflies Go Free: Myths and Legends” runs until April 29, in the Exhibition Greenhouse at the Montreal Botanical Gardens (4101 Sherbrooke.)