GREEN-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY

My piece last week about Dolly Parton and the reference to her love of butterflies, prompted my friend Gill Henwood to send me photos of a Green-Veined White Butterfly taken in the Lake District.

The green-veined white is quite a common butterfly (though I have never seen it!). Its habitat is hedgerows, woodlands, garden and parks as well as river areas and damp meadows. It can be seen from Spring to October.

In Gill’s photos, it is taking its ease on sedum plants which are currently turning from their summer green to autumn pink/purple.
The Butterfly takes its name from the prominent green stripes on the underside of its wings. One description I read about this is: The so-called green veins on the underside of the adults are, in fact, an illusion created by a subtle combination of yellow and black scales.”
A comment made from folklore is that if you see a white butterfly at the beginning of summer, it will be rainy. If, however, you see a green-veined white butterfly it is a sign that there is hope for a little sunshine!
a different and more spiritual lore is that “the graceful, darting flight of the green-veined white represents seasonal re-birth, fragility and the clean beauty of the natural world.”

This thought makes the green-veined white is a suitable symbol of Creation on a week-end which includes a new ecumenical festival adopted by the Church of England as it joins churches across the globe in celebrating the new Festival of Creation in Christ, marking the worldwide Christian consensus that the Earth should be treasured and protected as a gift from God.

Lord of creation,
You have created the universe by your eternal Word,
and have blessed humankind in making us
stewards of the earth;
We pray for your world,
that we may share and conserve its resources,
and live in reverence for the creation
and in harmony with one another.
In your mercy, hear us.

[Mr G & Gill Henwood. 5th September 2026]

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