Feeding the Butterflies
April 28, 2017 - Willie Weir blogs for Adventure Cycling every other Friday. Thanks, Willie!
Butterflies are one of the best perks of traveling in the slow lane. Even the speed of bike travel can be too swift to appreciate these fluttering, free works of art. That's why summer bike trips should include plenty of stops ... to feed the butterflies.
I used to think that butterflies were only attracted to my brightly colored clothing and gear. I found out they are more likely attracted to my perspiration.
Butterflies love sweat ... and also mud, blood, urine, feces, and rotting flesh ... but let's stick with sweat.
Bike travelers are sweat factories. It soaks our clothes, our helmet pads, our gloves; the handlebar tape of a summer touring cyclist is like a triple-scoop ice cream cone to a butterfly.
If you want to attract butterflies, climb a mountain pass in the late spring or summer sun. If you’re riding in the humid Midwest, east coast, or south ... you might not even need to pedal at all. Now hang out in a meadow or scenic lookout and enjoy being a human butterfly feeder.
SAVING THE BUTTERFLIES! One sweaty touring cyclist at a time.
Photos by Willie Weir and Kat Marriner
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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday.
Willie Weir is a contributor for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His books, Travels with Willie and Spokesongs, will inspire you to hit the road and might change the way you approach bicycle travel. He lives in Seattle with his wife Kat. You can also find him at WillieWeir.com, Facebook, and Instagram.
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