Page 113 - The World of Animals

The caterpillar employs these camouflage techniques also when it

grows into a butterfly. Butterflies live in regions that match their
own colours. But how do butterflies check that their colour suits the

environment since they are unable to see themselves? How can they
be sure that they are secure? Certainly, they cannot know or

consider any of these. Allah, their Creator, places butterflies in the
most suitable place where they can be secure.

Allah is the "Merciful" and the "Protector", and, as a manifestation
of these attributes, He gives many capabilities to living beings, so that

they can protect themselves from danger. Otherwise, butterflies are
bereft of the wisdom that would make them think that they should

protect themselves. Consequently, they themselves could never develop
a defence mechanism such as camouflage. The One Who has created 111

all these techniques that make life easy is our Lord, the One Who
created the heavens and the earth and everything between them.

The caterpillar, which develops under the protection of the
defence techniques given it by Allah, finally reaches the third phase.

In this phase, it fills its stomach with as many leaves as possible so
that it almost splits apart. In this

third phase, the caterpillar
imprisons itself in a sack and the

metamorphosis begins.
The hard shell that is formed

around the caterpillar in this
phase is called a "chrysalis". In this

shell, it is still and does not eat