Woman Overcomes Her Claustrophobia to Free a Butterfly Trapped Behind Bars Under a Crawlspace

While working outside, a kind woman named Lexi Snyder noticed that a newly emerged mourning cloak butterfly was trapped behind the bars of a crawlspace window. It appears that there was enough space for a cocoon, but not for a butterfly.

I came outside to get some work done. I heard some fluttering and this beautiful butterfly. He found a perfect safe space to make his cocoon, and now he’s too big to get out… I didn’t want him to die struggling. I was so worried for him. 

Concerned about the insect dying alone, Snyder faced her claustrophobia head-on and climbed into the very narrow space to free the trapped yet very defensive butterfly. Snyder managed to coax the butterfly into a container and then set it free.

He did not want me to touch him. He was not thinking, “You’re saving me.” I know he just became a butterfly, right? Yeah. He didn’t know what was going on. …It kind of felt like we were going through the stress together. Neither of us wants to be here right now. Like, let’s just make it easy on the both of us and get out of here. So, I felt like there was a huge sense of relief for both of us, and I overcame my claustrophobia.