20 April, 2010

To kill or not to kill, that is the question........

I open my freezer for a pack of blueberries to make my morning smoothie, and instead of blueberries i'm staring into the frozen eyes of a monarch butterfly, neatly packaged in a ziplock freezer bag. There are several more frozen specimens in my freezer, the freezer that i'm expected to EAT out of. However, frozen butterflies are better than the ones i find in jars, still fluttering after 2 days, refusing to succumb to a slow suffocation. Those are the ones i take to the back porch and give them their freedom, feeling like an Adolf Hitler of butterflies, my counter lined with half dead and dying specimens. So tell me people, how can i humanely kill these beautiful creatures that my oldest son is so obsessed with? I made him let a few go free, not able to stand seeing them die, but i realize i can't expect him to do that on a regular basis. I know well adjusted and emotionally healthy people who have butterfly collections, so i'm asking for your help. I went online and i'm just not interested in shooting our butterflies in the thorax with a chemical to kill them immediately. And if i miss the butterfly and inject myself? Totally possible and i'm not taking the chance. For now i've forbidden Eric any more long slow jar deaths, but i'm going to need some ideas. Soon.

2 comments:

  1. can he not collect ones that die themselves? The one beautiful thing God blessed butterflies with is the freedom to fly - I say let them enjoy it and let your son enjoy watching it. :)

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  2. I'd say, be glad he isn't collecting worms, beetles, spiders or MICE! Maybe he can set up his butterfly, extermination station somewhere out of sight? Have fun! (Sorry, that wasn't much help, was it.)

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