2-sided Resurrected Christ, Flutter of Butterflies Garden Flag

Of late, pollinator gardens—whether for bees or for butterflies—have become increasingly popular as a partial remedy to the dwindling populations of these important insects. Butterflies not only add beauty to the landscape but are essential to the ecosystem. In their caterpillar stage, butterflies are a valuable food source for other animals. As adults, butterflies play a pivotal role in pollinating plants and flowers, especially wildflowers and milkweed. And, butterflies are an indicator species, that is, their presence or absence is a gauge of environmental health. + In Christian iconography, the butterfly’s meaning is twofold: it stands for the soul and for Christ. As Christians, we are called upon to embark on a spiritual journey and to transform our lives from being earthbound and preoccupied with worldly concerns to being oriented heavenwards and concerned with spiritual matters. The butterfly emerging from its chrysalis is also a traditional metaphor for Christ rising from the grave on Easter Sunday and, by extension, for the resurrection of all the dead. + The image on this garden flag for butterfly-friendly gardens is an adaptation of an Easter devotional print. In the original, the figure of Jesus is surrounded with cherub heads. (You can see the original version in our Easter COLLECTION). We have substituted Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) for the cherubim. Painted Lady butterflies are the most ubiquitous variety worldwide and their coloration of orange, yellow, and black blends particularly well with this print. Incidentally, “flutter” is the proper collective noun for butterflies for obvious reasons. (Cf., say, a flight of stairs, a clouder of cats, or an orchard of fruit trees.) + Image Credit (M 069): Antique image from a German devotional print in chromolithography simply titled Ostern [Easter], original publisher unknown, late 19th century, from the designer’s private collection of religious ephemera. + Image Credit (Butterflies): The Painted Lady Butterflies have been extracted, adapted, and repurposed from various public domain entomological prints on WikiMedia Commons.