Jolly, Green, and Giant - Life on Mt. Makiling

Life-long city dwellers have taken to saying, “You know, back when I was younger, there were hundreds of butterflies here, some even bigger than my hand. Now, they’re all gone because the air is so dirty.”

A butterfly as big as a hand? Even the preserved specimens in collections were no bigger than a person’s palm. There were stories too of dragonflies the size of pencils, with wings shiny as sapphires, and of insects that would stay motionless on a finger because they weren’t afraid of humans. It didn’t seem possible.

But, apparently, it was. In fact, it still is.

"Come into my garden."