“We lost our only child, Matthew, on March 28, 2005. On that day our world around us collapsed, and everything as we knew it came to an abrupt halt. As days turned into weeks, I prayed every day and night for some type of sign from heaven above to let me know that Matthew was okay. “On July 14, 2005, what would have been Matthew’s sixteenth birthday, I laid flowers and placed balloons at his resting place, and I again pleaded for a sign, a message from Matthew. ‘Please, Matthew,’ I said aloud, ‘send me just a little something—I’d like to see a butterfly. ‘Within seconds of these words being said, the most beautiful butterfly I had ever seen landed upon Matthew’s monument . . .” Desma Churchill Butterfly Messengers is a collection of personal stories from people who have had special encounters with butterflies, stories that involve a beautiful butterfly and the passing of a loved one. After hearing so many people describe their encounters with “spiritual” butterflies, Lloyd Hollett, owner of the world-renowned Newfoundland Insectarium, decided to put the stories together in a compilation. This book is the result of his efforts. It is a collection of stories from people throughout Canada and the United States, with the majority coming from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Lloyd Hollett was born in Harbour Buffett, Placentia Bay, and at the age of two moved to the community of Little Harbour East. He attended high school in the nearby town of Arnold’s Cove. After graduating from college with a diploma in Forest Resources Technology in 1977, he started working in St. John’s with the provincial Department of Forestry as a protection technician. In 1984 when the provincial forestry department was relocated to Corner Brook, he moved with his family to Pasadena in western Newfoundland. In 1998 Lloyd co-founded the Newfoundland Insectarium, where he is the owner and director. In addition to operating the Insectarium, he travels extensively throughout Eastern Canada giving school presentations. More recently, his love of Irish and folk music has prompted him to establish Front Row Promotions, organizing performances across Newfoundland for international recording artists. He is married to the former Sandy Frampton and they have three children, Matthew, Kelly, and Adam.

Lloyd Hollett's profile page

"Robert Parsons specializes in marine non-fiction, with more than 200 articles and stories published, along with about twenty books. He knows his stuff and this book is testimony to that."