Is it just me...

[Annie]

...or is this a bit weird?

I heard through the wonderful medium of Heat Magazine that Wayne Rooney and Colleen Mcloughlin intended to have live butterflies released by each guest at their wedding - and I wondered to myself how it works...

so I went to Google and lo, Google found the details for me;

http://www.butterflycelebration.com/

In short, you get sent flatpack boxes, "chrysalides" and a thermometer one week before your wedding - you hatch the imago sealed inside the box, then hand them to your guests to release at the ceremony.

This is an Amercian site (one of plenty), using American Painted Lady butterflies (which according to the proprietors is "indigenous to all 48 states and Europe" - though to my understanding they're only found sparingly in the far west of Europe), but others use Monarchs.

I'm not aware of any UK companies offering this service.

I just wondered how other forum users felt about this idea - is releasing butterflies into the wild out of season and out of suitable area irresponsible? One of the websites states "no" because "more die on the grills and windshields of cars than could ever be released". I'd be interested in all opinions!

[Padfield]

I think they use painted ladies (cardui) rather than American painted ladies (virginiensis) but that doesn't change my fundamental attitude towards the practice. It is vulgar, commercial exploitation of living creatures. It's probably not cruel, because butterflies probably don't have the kinds of thoughts and feelings that could make it cruel, and it probably doesn't harm the environment if painted ladies are used. But it strikes me as a cheapening of life and a banalisation of beauty and mystery. Butterflies don't come out of boxes on demand, for our pleasure.

I certainly wouldn't go to a wedding where they did this, because my sadness would quite overshadow the happy day for me.

Guy

[Annie]

As well as being vulgar and exploitative as Guy stated, I also think it's rather odd. I would imagine the mortality rate before release is rather high - after all, in the run-up to the average wedding, there's so much going on, I can see piles of little boxes being left to get overly hot or cold while other fussing goes on. It seems to be a huge business in the States, so only so long before it catches on over here I suppose.

I was never one for flouncy weddings anyway - give me a simple blessing in a sunny glade surrounded by wild SWF's any day

[Piers]

It's not my cup of tea, but I agree with Guy - I could not call it cruel as butterflies are not capable of the necessary cognitive thought processes or emotional responses for them to experience 'cruelty'.

But then, if other people like it it's up to them I suppose. The butterflies are bred for the purpose and probably perish before too long after release. There used to be a company in England that supplied Monarchs and Large White for such purposes but the chap has moved to Latin America now. His activities used to annoy people who twitched for rare migrants because it messed with the legitimacy of their tick sheets, but it would not have had any impact upon our native fauna.

Sometimes in life you just have to accept that some people are just strangers to good taste. I saw a chap on my return from work today driving a Hummer H3; it is a woefully tasteless mode of transport in my opinion with all the style and grace of a badger latrine, but ultimately his personal choice to own and drive, and I wouldn't like anyone to stop him from being able to make those choices.

Felix.

[Martin]

Woefully poor taste...exactly what I'd expect from an overpaid prima dona...