I have laughed with one of my coworkers at our off-work behavior after spending endless days in the butterfly garden: We find ourselves chasing after small flying insects even in our cars, lest they be threatening parasites. We keep a watchful eye out for ants, grasshoppers and lizards—all threats to butterflies. And I have repeated these words so often this summer that I find myself thinking them as I drift off to sleep: "Please stay on the path; please don't touch the butterflies...stay on the path...don't touch the butterflies....stay on the path...don't touch the butterflies."

Almost seven months into my stint as a butterfly garden attendant, I have gone from loving the job to liking it. Two reasons for that: 1. The relentless Texas heat. 2. Visitors who forget or ignore the rules, and (ok, 2.5 reasons) 2B: children who compete to see who can "catch" the most butterflies.

2 and 2B make up the minority of visitors, but they what they don't have in numbers, they overcompensate for with intensity. Their behavior is powerful enough to sap all the joy from their visits—and I am sure they think of me in similar terms as I follow them through the garden like a store cop watching for shoplifters. All that's missing is my uniform, badge and shoulder radio.

I don't like being a garden cop any more than they like being followed by one. But my job is to protect the butterflies, whose wings are essentially made of dust and whose legs make toothpicks look robust. This is why, when we see hands hovering or grabbing over the flowers, trying to snatch a butterfly off a bloom, we announce in a voice that's as friendly as possible: "We don't take the butterflies off the plants."

The reaction varies. Some people immediately stop and apologize, often saying they didn't know. Others pretend not to hear and keep at it. Some get mad and walk out.

Here's a positive memory and a lesson learned: A woman with small children brought them into the garden. The children, hypnotized by close-flying butterflies, began reaching for them. Before I could open my mouth, the woman said: "Remember, we don't touch with our hands. We touch with our eyes only." The effect on the children was immediate. They withdrew their hands and walked without grabbing. The woman stayed in control of them throughout their visit. Talking to them about the plants and the butterflies was enjoyable for all.  

Of human behavior, I know these things:

• Correcting adult actions is uncomfortable for other adults.
• Adults who misbehave sometimes pretend not to hear if called out. Children act the same way.
• An enjoyable event often turns sour when someone behaves badly and their behavior is noted.
• Some parents and grandparents depend on strangers to make their children/grandchildren behave.
• And, finally, some adults don't want their children saddled with rules. These are often the most frustrating, because no matter how many times you ask them not to do something, you can bet money that you will find them and /or their children repeating the behavior around the next corner.

I don't know that someone who flouts the simple rules of a butterfly garden will scoff at other, more important, rules of life. But I do have to wonder. As a colleague of mine used to say, "The devil's in the details."