Lines 1-4

“Lepidopterology” begins by stating that the butterfly was an important creature “in psychology,” which seems to mean the science of psychology but also suggests the human mind in general. The word lepidopterology simply means the study of lepidoptera, which is the order of insects comprising butterflies and moths. The idea that the butterfly has played an important role in the development of human psychology, and the implication that its process of transformation is a metaphor for the mind, will continue to be important throughout the poem. Since the first line begins “For a long time” and is in the past tense, however, Svenbro implies either that the butterfly no longer holds its prominent place in psychology or that its prominence has nothing to do with its caterpillar and pupa stages.

Line 2 suggests that it was because of the butterfly's caterpillar phase and its “difficult sloughing” (which...