Containment Class:
euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-9890-1 is currently contained within Site-103, specifically in the Butterfly Chamber (see Special Containment Procedures Addendum). To allow for the safe and timely release of SCP-9890-2, personnel assigned to SCP-9890 must approach the hard, glass enclosure without hesitation. The longer the personnel take to approach it, the greater the chance of appearance of SCP-9890-2-B. Personnel assigned to SCP-9890-1 must be trained, level 2 Xenobotanist professionals in the safe handling of anomalous vegetation.
If there are thunderstorms, heavy rain, or any other extreme weather present, no assigned and/or unassigned personnel may come near SCP-9890-1. These weather events have been known to cause the production of SCP-9890-2-B. The Butterfly Chamber is equipped with automated weather monitoring systems, so when hazardous weather is present, the systems will lock the entrances to the enclosure from personnel. All personnel are required to read the special containment procedures addendum.
Special Containment Procedures Addendum: Access Denied. Please continue.
Description: SCP-9890 is an indestructible angiosperm of unknown taxonomic classification which bears colorful flowers imitating the appearance of Boloria selene, species of butterflies of the family of Nymphalidae. SCP-9890-1 is not motile and is not dangerous. SCP-9890-1 is indestructible. While it can be relocated, it cannot be removed or destroyed. It can be relocated onto any medium, from non-fertile soil to concrete. The Foundation is currently focused on studying its origin, growth, potential medical applications, and the mechanism behind its flower-to-butterfly transformation. Destroying it is not under consideration at this time.
When approached within 1 meter, the flowers of SCP-9890-1 flies out in the form of animate butterflies. The butterflies, species of Boloria selene emerging from SCP-9890-1, are termed SCP-9890-2-A. Studying whether the flowers retain the same biological features as the butterflies is currently impossible, as any organism, object, any state of matter that nears the plant triggers an instant transition from flower to butterflies, preventing pre-contact analysis. These butterflies exhibit typical Nymphalidae behavior, such as fluttering and seeking nectar, but they are incapable of reproduction.
Picture of SCP-9890-2-B, appearance is similar to the Avatha discolor
If SCP-9890-2-A is not released through biological contact, the flower will wither and die within hours. The flower becomes gray after 2 hours. Getting close to it after, the gray flowers transform to dangerous anomalous butterflies called SCP-9890-2-B. These ash-colored moth-like organisms, similar to Avatha discolor, also manifest on SCP-9890-1 during thunderstorms and extreme climates. SCP-9890-2-B is capable of consuming only one prey by extending a long tongue, capturing the victim, secreting corrosive acids, and killing. Following this, the entity falls, combusts and disintegrates. In rare cases, SCP-9890-3’s tongue retracts and delivers acid directly into the brain via the ear canal. Due to this threat, SCP-9890 remains unclassified, pending further analysis. To prevent this, regular interaction is required to maintain the plant’s health by releasing SCP-9890-2-A on a regular basis which prevents formation of SCP-9890-2-B.
When SCP-9890-2-B emerge during severe weather events, particularly thunderstorms, exposure to artificial lights can revert the entity to its SCP-9890-2-A state.
SCP-9890-1 is contained in a special purpose greenhouse known as The Butterfly Chamber at Site-103's secondary building. The organism is placed on a stable, circular pedestal in the middle of the chamber. The termination mechanism is maintained by Active Biological Maintenance (ABM). The ABM are a system of intense tubelight purposed to terminate SCP-9890-2-B. There are sensors under AC(Ascent Conduit), which detects the size of the butterflies (SCP-9890-2-B can detected because it is generally bigger in size). It sends a signal to ABM, which powers on one of the most powerful light systems. ABM is managed by Level 2 Xenobotanists, and the Mobile Task Force Theta-4, or Gardeners.
The Ascent Conduit is used to release mature SCP-9890-2-A instances. This pipe is a big and transparent, air-tight pipeline that emerges through the ceiling of the chamber and goes straight to exterior. Check the conduit after every 12 hours.
Anything that is seen moving in the chamber that is not known to be an authorized personnel is considered a high-risk contagion vector. This may represent the existence of SCP-9890-2-B. Four infrared deterrent rods are placed around the pedestal to provide security. The rods scan the floor, ascent conduit and undercarriage airspace constantly. In case the sensors identify movement of an unauthorized biological object, in particular, one that roams uncontrollably (like SCP-9890-2-B), the rods can instantly disintegrate the target. They do it by a directed, high-intensity thermal pulse to avoid any contamination spread.
Since SCP-9890-1 is indestructible, the thermal pulse cannot harm the shoot or root structure.
You are the flower.
The butterfly watches.
Operation Flowerflies
The Flowerflies team is a nine-member interdisciplinary unit formed in █/██/2000, under the Xenobotany Division Council (XDC) to explore the cultural significance of SCP-9890 and document its history as the "Cursed One" or "Winged Bloom". Their mission, Operation Flowerflies is focused on the abandoned settlement near the retrieval zone to catalog and translate all historical texts related to SCP-9890-1.
The mission is commanded by Dr. Elias Vance, the Captain and senior Xenobotanist. Dr. Vance coordinates all biological research with the XDC. Directly reporting to him is Agent Anya Zima, the Field Security Liaison from MTF Theta-4.
The core research team is divided on the basis of studying the anomaly's biology and its history. Cryptobotanist Dr. Lin Wei, exploring any variations of SCP-9890-2. The field Xenobotanist roles are filled by Dr. Chen Xiu, specializing in horticultural maintenance and environmental controls for the plant, and Dr. Rahul Sharma, who specializes in the bio-toxicity
The archival and translation work is managed by Dr. Kausar Malik, a cultural historian. Dr. Malik is the primary resource for translating and contextualizing the ancient Hindu, Mesopotamian and several texts. Others include Junior Botanists R.A. Patel and Junia Kurosawa.
The anomaly, SCP-9890-1, was initially discovered on 15/██/20██, by Field Agents near an abandoned settlement in the Himalayan foothills (the unnamed "██████ Region"). The plant was initially classified as a relatively low-threat due to its non-anomalous appearance and safe behaviour, unless SCP-9890-2-B was discovered.
In 2011, Flowerflies discovered several reports of SCP-9890 from ██████ █████, this led to the discovery of reports in three different places across the world including that abandoned town (See Addendum 1-3).
To understand, understand the reality beyond comprehension
Addendum #1: First location
In 2011, SCP-9890-1 was discovered by Flowerflies near the abandoned town of ██████ █████, located in a remote forested region. Initial reports described a “living shrine” surrounded by drawings of butteflies on stone. Diaries of residents claimed that during storms, “black butterflies with burning mouths” would emerge and “drag the wicked into the soil.” They found the coordinates of two other locations on a piece of drawing they discovered from one abandoned hut.
Addendum #2: Second location
The statue that stands at the center of the temple, titled “Goddess and the Three Butterflies.”
Recovered scroll fragments from the ruins of a Hellenistic temple near Delphi reference a sanctum known as the “Garden of Winged Souls.” The temple, constructed approximately between 320–280 BCE, was dedicated to the goddess Psychē.
The recovered text describes a courtyard surrounded by flowering vines that would “flutter away when touched,” and warns of a “dark-winged fury” that emerged during storms to punish trespassers who entered the garden without offering tribute. Flowerflies also found a chamber inside the base tile of the statue. It had a folded paper. The greek writing is shared with the Foundation through a *
A coordinate is written on the back of the paper, the second coordinate in the report found from the first location.
*Psyche slept beneath the weight of memory.
Not the soft kind that warms the chest,
but the kind that bruises quietly.
She had loved Eros, the cupid.
He asked her not to look.
She looked.
And Venus made her suffer for it.
Now she lay still,
not dead, not dreaming, just paused.
Until three butterflies came.
One was Eropos, small and pearled, with border white.
One was Pathos, like unto the first,
Yet bore the ache of all sorrow that e’er had name.
And the last was Epithymia, strange of hue and wounded,
The kind of wound one ceaseth to mend.
They circled her,
whispering things no goddess should hear.
“Slay him,” quoth they.
“End the story before it ends you.”
But Psyche stirred,
not with rage, but with clarity.
She spake:
“I broke what I loved,
but I bore the trials.
I was punished,
but I did not become cruel.”
Her words were wind.
Eros flew first, too light to stay.
Pathos followed, too tender to fight.
But Epithymia remained.
“Thou cannot shoo me away,” he said.
“I am not a feeling. I am a man.”
And Psyche saw him.
Not the butterfly, but the boy he had been.
He had loved a woman,
so deeply he begged Cupid for her.
Cupid refused.
Kept her.
Cursed him.
The boy became a butterfly.
The butterfly became a moth.
And the moth, with its cursed tongue,
drank from the hearts of lovers
until nothing sweet remained.
“I was made of love,” he said.
“But denied it.
So I became desire.
And now, so will you.”
Psyche did not weep.
She accepted.
Not the curse,
but the truth.
She would be the goddess of desire.
Not for vengeance.
Not for punishment.
But for every human
who ever wanted
and wasn’t wanted back.
Addendum #3: Third location
On ██/██/2011, Foundation operatives recovered a sealed manuscript from a building built approximately 450 years ago, near ████████ in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The document, written in a pre-classical Sanskrit dialect, was found. The following is a translated excerpt:
Asuras are not slain by weapon,
nor by fire, nor by curse.
He is slain by his own thought,
which turns inward and devours.
Those who think with poison
invite the poison to dwell.
The mind becomes the altar,
and the altar burns.
If the thought is dark,
the darkness will come.
If the darkness is strong,
the body will fall.
But if the body does not fall,
the butterflies will arrive.
They do not speak.
They do not ask.
They will suck the thought from the mind,
as one draws venom from a wound.
They will take what is bitter,
and leave what is hollow like the number zero.
A coordinate on the back written in Hindi numbers, the coordinates lead to…
Special Containment Procedures: A 3 km exclusion perimeter has been established around SCP-9890-3 under the cover designation “Toxic Sinkhole Reserve – No Civilian Entry.” No personnel are to enter the cave physically under any circumstances. All exploration must be conducted through autonomous drones only.
Any civilian approaching the perimeter is to be turned away, and any unauthorized entry is to be treated as a no-return biohazard event.
Description: SCP-9890-3 is a limestone cave system located ██ km from ███████, ██. The interior walls are covered in thousands of butterfly inscriptions, carved in a spiraling, recursive pattern. These carvings show no signs of erosion despite the age of the stone and appear to grow denser deeper inside the system. No tool marks are visible.
Despite normal oxygen levels and no detectable airborne toxins, organic life cannot survive more than ~7 hours inside SCP-9890-3. Any human subject who remains within develops a consistent and predictable progression of symptoms like nausea and sleep deprivation, all ending in death.
Addendum #4: Operation Flowerflies Communication Log, Date: 2012-07-15
Dr. Anya Sharma: (Via secure channel) Command, this is Sharma. We've achieved a partial synthesis of the SCP-9890-2-B neurotoxin analog. The effects are…disturbing. Even at extremely low concentrations, it induces hallucinations with intense paranoia. Subjects report hearing voices and seeing figures that aren't there.
Command (Dr. Elias Thorne): Sharma, confirm analog synthesis is contained and secured. What's the stability profile on the compound? We can't risk a spill.
Dr. Anya Sharma: Containment is nominal, Command. The analog degrades rapidly in sunlight and is neutralized by standard alkaline solutions. However, its aerosolized form presents a significant inhalation hazard. We're recommending Level 4 biohazard protocols for all personnel handling the compound. Furthermore, we have identified specific amino acid sequences within the toxin that bear an uncanny resemblance to known human neurotransmitter receptor sites. It's as if the toxin was designed to target the human brain.
Command (Dr. Elias Thorne): Sharma, that's… concerning. Focus all efforts on identifying the specific receptors targeted and potential countermeasures. We need a complete analysis of the toxin's delivery mechanism and the conditions that trigger SCP-9890-1 to produce it.
Dr. Anya Sharma: Understood, Command. We're also investigating the humming sound reported by Dr. Chen. He said it is made of some complex harmonic patterns embedded within the sound, suggesting manipulation? We're running tests on auditory countermeasures now. End transmission.
Addendum #5: Reconnaissance Log (Site: Delphi Substructure)
Team: “Chiselwings”
Lead: Dr. A. Merrow
Notes Recovered from Helmet Camera - Transcript Begins
00:03 — Tunnel walls are covered in repeating motifs: blooming flowers, butterfly wings, and what may be concentric ripples or radio-wave glyphs. The engravings predate the temple by centuries.
00:07 — Merrow: “These symbols… they are repeating like a pattern, not a story, but they’re meant to be read, not seen.”
00:10 — Unidentified carving discovered: a humanoid figure kneeling, arms raised toward a colossal flower suspended in the sky. Beneath it, in Ancient Greek,
Translation: “You are the flower. The butterfly watches.”
00:11 — Team reports a faint sound: like wind through reeds. There is no airflow.
00:14 — Glyph cluster: three recurring symbols. Merrow labels them:
Symbol A: Rooted figure symbolizing life and growth
Symbol B: Radiating rings symbolizing signal, voice, message
Symbol C: Closed loop symbolizing cycle or return
At the lowest chamber, the team finds a stone statue of the SCP-9890, placed upon another stone pedestal.
Merrow whispers (unprompted): “It bloomed here before us. It will bloom here after.”
End Log.
Addendum #6: Interview Log
Subject: Dr. Merrow (only surviving member of the "Chiselwings")
Condition: Sleep deprivation and mild aphasia
Interviewer: Dr. K. Sorell
Sorell: You were not briefed on any memetic hazards. We need to know what affected you.
Merrow: (soft laughter) A hazard? No. It showed me. That’s all.
Sorell: Who is “it,” Dr. Merrow?
Merrow: Not who. Never who. Roots don’t speak in names. They speak in cycles. Cycles of birth to death and rebirth to death again. Cycles of…
Sorell: *interrupts* You said in your post-mission notes, “We are cultivated.” Cultivated by whom?
Merrow: (voice lowers to whisper) The Gardener. The one who planted the first seed in the dark between suns. It blooms, and then it harvests world after world.
Sorell: This is mythology. Focus, Doctor. What did you hear in that chamber?
Merrow: (eyes unfocused) A signal, coming through the roots. It was not a sound, probably an idea blooming in my head. It asks: “Will you open?”
Sorell: Open to what?
Merrow: (shivering) To understanding, the reality beyond comprehension.
Sorell: What?
Merrow: That the butterflies are not “butterflies.” They are letters. The moths are punctuation. And the world… the world is a page, page of a book called reality.
Sorell: And where is the author?
Merrow: (smiles too widely) Listening. Always listening. Through every petal, root and bloom. We thought this was containment. It’s reception.
[Subject begins screaming. Interview terminated.]
The butterfly then happily flies away,
After drinking the nectar from the flower
Per 
