Latton Vicarage Garden – Mr G's Ponderings

*Photos of the Comma Butterfly in Latton Vicarage Garden, by Canon Lynn Hurry.*

These photos by my friend Lynn Hurry are of the Comma Butterfly.
It is so called because its orange-brown colouring is punctuated on the underwing with a distinctive white comma shape. It has ragged wing edges which, when it is at rest, resembles a dead leaf.

Unlike many butterfly species, which are becoming rarer, it is a success story of Nature, being more prolific and widespread. Some attribute this to global warming. It is commonly found in Britain, Europe, North Africa and Asia.

Spiritually, this butterfly has several meanings including renewal; rebirth; unconditional love; transformation and hope.

Personally, I see in its name ~ comma~ an invitation to pause briefly and for a moment enter into stillness.
A comma links two parts of a sentence and so we can allow a pause to be a link between one kind of activity and another.
The purpose of this brief moment can be to renew our connection with God and with Nature.
The Psalmist of Psalm 46 gives us a picture of a world in turmoil, whether it be of nations; planet earth, or more personal. Throughout this upheaval, God is our refuge and our strength. His voice melts the angry clamour of human voices; of our human spirit. God makes wars to cease, within our hearts leading hopefully to a renewed understanding of God’s presence in our hearts.
So, the Psalmist encourages to Be still and know that I am God.

We can see, therefore, that the grammatical pause in this butterfly’s very being has a purpose and a meaning which calls us to reflection, renewal and transformation. This comes if we pause with God.

Too often, in our daily life we are on the go in frenetic activity. So is the world. It is vitally important then to be still and to form a new connection with the World of Nature, represented by the Comma Butterfly, and appreciate the beauty of God’s world. Only then might we cherish all that God has made and find a new hope and a new beginning. Only so might we become deeper instruments of God’s healing love.
The Comma Butterfly is known as a pollinator, bringing the means of new life to the Natural World. That is a role we can learn from this butterfly in all our dealings with each other.

[Mr G. 9th July 2025]

The Jay (a.k.a. Garrulus glandarius : chattering, noisy ; of acorns)

These photos of two baby Jays were taken in Latton Vicarage Garden by my friend, Lynn Hurry. Our intrepid photographer had to hide in the lower branches of a pear tree to get them and emerged covered in bugs, leaves, bits of wood and blossom. Sadly, there was no one on hand to take a photo of her!

A JAY WRITES A LETTER

I decorate your garden with my finery
but you do not trust me.
Some say that I am always up to no good.
A reputation for being shifty, flighty, mischievous,
precedes me;
more kindly I am a scallywag.
But do you notice how shy I am?
Perhaps you are distracted by my piercing ‘call’.
Dismissed as a chatterbox, incessant talker,
your proper name for me is ‘garrulous.’
Hardly, ‘reserved’!
Maybe those who are more suited to quietness
speak the loudest to hide our true nature.
How better to disguise myself as I search for acorns,
my Winter food.
I have a knack for foresight and planning.
I do not fear discovery from my well disguised hiding.
So be nice to me.
I bring colour and joy to your lives,
if you but look.

[Mr G]

A Tale

The crow and the pitcher

The Intelligence of the Corvidae family was observed 2,500 years ago by the famous Greek fabulist, Aesop. Here’s the tale, taken from the BBC website, about the crow and the pitcher:

One day, after a spell of hot weather which has dried up all the streams and ponds, the crow fears it will die of thirst. Coming upon a pitcher of water left in a garden, the crow tries to drink from it, but there is only a little water left in the bottom, and his beak can’t reach it. Having thought for a while, the crow hits upon the solution of dropping in pebbles until the water level rises sufficiently for him to drink.

The moral is: little by little does the trick

All photos by The Revd Lynn Hurrry