Butterflies are blooming

It's been a while since I've seen the elusive Blue Morpho - but today we drove up to Grand Rapids to see if they were willing to be loved up by me.

Some of them were :)

It's funny how if you hang out in that hot conservatory long enough people will start talking to you. And point out butterflies that have no issues with showing off their wings. It's also funny how every time I've been there, the biggest and boldest attraction, and the least likely to be photographed, is the Blue Morpho.

The thing is, when you see her sitting down she is brownish grey - and very much camouflaged. The surprise comes when she opens her wings and takes off immediately, leaving disappointed viewers in her wake. It's impossible to get one in flight - so we all wait patiently for one to sit down and cross our fingers she will open her wings long enough.

I talked to a lovely young woman from Colorado (by way of Minnesota) about butterflies and bees and mountains and raw milk - and when she moved on and I was thinking how lovely it is to just strike up conversations with random people - (or rather, to have them strike up conversations with me) I heard Dutch. People were speaking Dutch! It was as if Christmas had come early. I turned around and faced an older lady with what I assumed was her daughter.
When I acted surprised they said that you run into Dutch people everywhere. It didn't sound too friendly. I explained that they were the first I ever encountered at the Gardens, and the younger one said, rather sour, that they come there all the time. With a very definite period at the end of the sentence that said: I am done talking to you.
No friendly smiles, nothing.
I apologized and made sure I didn't cross their path again. What else could I do?
How odd that of all the lovely people I encountered today, the 2 that really weren't nice at all were Dutch!
As I was regrouping and trying to not let it get me down, I felt a slight tickle on my left hand. I looked down, and there was a Blue Morpho sitting on it. A present, for sure. Thank you, universe :)
There was a barrage of people immediately surrounding me, and taking photos. Someone said something about the brown outside, and I told her about the blue inside. I turned my hand to give people the chance to take photos - feeling a bit like a cross between a magician and a butterfly-whisperer.

I wouldn't mind being a butterfly whisperer at all :)