Secret Lives of Butterflies, The

“They are the children of sunlight and as fleeting as rainbows.”

The Secret Lives of Butterflies is an invitation into the mysterious world of this delicate winged wonder. Butterflies are unquestionably the most colourful creatures on earth. Although they live all around us, we seldom notice them. Even more rarely do we truly appreciate their exquisite beauty. Their magic is largely a secret one.

The Secret Lives of Butterflies is not the same old metamorphosis film, which has been retold again and again. This documentary explores state-of-the-art biology, never before seen on television. And this documentary uses the latest in camera technique and technology to capture the subject in a manner never before seen anywhere.
The Secret Lives of Butterflies explores new realms of biology and ecology, which have been, until now, largely undiscovered. Witness the amazing annual migration of the monarch butterfly to Mexico...the mourning cloak butterfly’s aerial dog fight in its quest to win mating territories in the heart of winter...the chemistry-laden, aphroditous mating ritual of the male and female butterfly.

Few of us realize that tens of millions of years of evolution have shaped the behaviour of the 20,000 species of butterflies in amazing ways.

When we see a butterfly flying through a meadow, we assume that its activity is random. Few would imagine that a female butterfly laying her eggs must navigate a toxic minefield. Many of the poisons and medicines known to mankind, such as nicotine, morphine, caffeine, cyanide, quinine, cocaine, codeine, aspirin, are the product of plants’ defense against the larvae of butterflies and other insects. Before laying her eggs on a leaf, a female butterfly must do a chemical analysis of the plant more precise than that possible with a spectochromograph. In fact, 99.5% of caterpillars, which hatch, will not survive to become butterflies. The tremendous evolutionary pressures on larvae to avoid predators have created some weird and wonderful behaviours.

Finally, The Secret Lives of Butterflies tells a story of passion. Today, many people have begun to cultivate butterfly gardens. Butterfly photography, exhibitions and releases at weddings bear witness to this insect’s enchanting popularity. Butterflies are found everywhere in society, on greeting cards, corporate logos, tattooed on our bodies. The film explores our fascination with butterflies and the hold they have on our imagination. We hear stories about the human love of butterflies while we learn the intimate details about the very creatures that have engendered this passion.