The monarch butterfly, a triumph of God's design, has been studied at great length by scientists and amateurs alike. Every aspect of the monarch's existence is testimony to intricate function and amazing behavior. Select one of the stages of its life cycle, or the logo, to see the related story.
There is a lot of beauty in the development of this lepidotpteran larva in its niche in the ecosystem. Many intricately designed stages precede the presentation of the magnificent familiar caterpillar. It is a spectacular performance. Select hatchling for a glimpse, on the macro scale, of what takes place. The more we discover of the whole process, the more there is to marvel at in this design by our Creator.
It is all so very incredible: that such an ephemeral insect could behave in so fantastic manner, that such amazing, transforming change happens to a caterpillar. Yet, by believing Scripture, with knowledge of our Creator it becomes credible. Our wise and knowing God created all this. And his sense of the beautiful, his complete superintendence of intricate design and function -- the purpose behind it all -- assures the validity of the creation model.
In a well choreographed interpretive dance, the skin thrown off reveals a new being within! There is no statement more powerfully made for creation design, apart from the Word of God. To watch it happen transfixes our gaze. To know it happens rivets our minds.
Remarkable cellular reorganization completes during the chrysalis stage, changing a worm into a butterfly. It is instructive to note that metamorphosis puts the monarch larva in a very vulnerable position. At almost any point where the methodical progression is disrupted, there is scant room for recovery. It can happen when conditions permit, but they often do not. The process begun will proceed, or death will come by its failure. Life is tenaceous, however, and urgency is instinctive. This is strong argument for design, and the creation model.
The contour of the pupa defines structures of the emerging butterfly. Everything is folded together with the care and precision of a parachute on which the jumper's life depends. In a real way the life, the very existence of the monarch as a species, depends on this efficient packaging. From the germinal cell to the finished creature, the product develops within the package, bursts free in a new package it has made, all the while reorganizing and rebuilding again! Every step of the metamorphosis journey is by exacting design faithfully transmitted through the millennia, replicated by DNA encoding incorporated in the first monarch butterfly by the Creator, in the beginning.
A self-propelled banner darting here and there, seemingly without direction, the monarch exhibits still another curious characteristic. Bright, attractive hues that stand out so clearly in field and woods can make a very different statement according to who sees the monarch. To some, there is an exclamation of joy and a smile. Other's see an unpleasant thing to be carefully avoided.
Selecting the logo from anywhere in this web
publication links to the Creationist Fellowship
homepage. To return to the top of this
page, and the image map, select mini-monarch
, below: