Freed butterfly flies onto face of little boy

The Thompsons of Saint Paul wanted to teach their kids, Gunnar and Harley, about metamorphosis -- the changing of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

Wesley, father to the fledgling botanists, explained that his wife had nurtured the insect, readying it for flight.

Expected to spread its glorious wings and flutter into the wild, the butterfly instead flew right onto Gunnar's nose, prompting hilarity and, for Gunnar, an unexpected up-close view.

While it may have been just a coincidence, we'd like to think that the butterfly was saying goodbye to little Gunnar -- and thanking him for being so gentle -- before flying off.

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