Flute flutterby

Witness the poise of Japanese-born, Chicago-based flutist Yukie Ota during the first round of a competition in Denmark as a butterfly lands on her forehead! She was unflapped when a butterfly – identified as a peacock butterfly (Aglais io) – landed in her hair, then settled on her left eyebrow as she performed Pierrre Sancan's Sonatine (VIDEO HERE). Lepidoptera curator Bob Robbins of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., notes that it was strange for the insect to come indoors, but it was likely looking for salty water to drink. He points out, "If you look closely at the video, you can see the butterfly's proboscis — its 'tongue' — out as it crawls across her forehead. It's looking for her perspiration. And she's under lights at a highfalutin competition. I'd be sweating a bit under that pressure." You will be happy to know that Ota has moved on to the next level of competition.

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