Here’s the Real Reason Why Ree Drummond Loves Butterflies So Much

For as long as I’ve been a fan of Ree Drummond, I’ve had a burning question that, up until recently, remained unanswered. I’ve watched her show, pored over her cookbooks, cooked her recipes, double-tapped her Instagrams, and even worked a stint at The Pioneer Woman Magazine (!!) all while this relentless curiosity loomed over me like a dark cloud: Why does Ree love butterflies so much?

If you haven’t associated Ree with butterflies before, you will now — they’re as much a part of her brand as her warm red hair and floral tunics. Everything that Ree touches seems to have a not-so-hidden butterfly: dish towels, spatulas, porcelain platters, cookware, you name it.

You would think that with all of my Ree exposure over the better part of a decade, the answer to this butterfly quandary would have gracefully fluttered into my lap. But no. It wasn’t until I got a chance to sit down with Ree herself that I learned the beautiful truth.

“I’ve loved them since I was kind of young. I guess they just say life and joy and beauty to me. Everything about what life means to me is wrapped up in how beautiful a butterfly is,” Ree told me.

“There’s a little bit of a faith angle in it, too, with the symbolism of being made new,” she continued. “We lost our Cowboy Pete a couple of years ago. We were at our cemetery where he was buried and a monarch butterfly landed right on his grave and just sort of sat there — of all the places on the ranch for it to land. For me, butterflies always kind of seem to show up at times when I need a little reminder or affirmation.” 

Now I know there’s a whole lot more to Ree’s love of butterflies than first meets the eye.