The Butterfly Collection

The shriek factor was so high on this blog yesterday that I felt I needed to make amends quickly. But, hey, it was Hallowe'en time, how could I resist!

No yeows, eeks, heebie-jeebies, or anything for this post, I hope!

Here is a dried chrysalis, from which a butterfly is about to emerge



A just emerged Monarch butterfly. Its wings were still wet and it was very reluctant to move.


This one got very comfortable on the wall. It is a Common Blue Morpho that is bright blue on the inside and a dull brown on the outside. Check out the 'eyes' that startle would-be predators!


This is one of my favorite butterflies. It has a dove like pattern on its wings and you can see its proboscis clearly! I had identified this one but don't remember the name offhand and I can't find my butterfly identification brochure either!


These are just some of the gorgeous butterflies we've seen over the past couple of years at The Butterfly Pavilion. It's hard to believe that their life span is so short. It can be anywhere from 2-4 days, once they reach adulthood, to about 10-11 months depending on the species and the season. Just imagine, less than a week of adulthood!

15 comments:

Srivalli said...

wow, wow,,beautiful Manisha...butterflies are so cute...nice shots...

amna said...

such lovely shots..

Anita said...

My garden is a butterfly garden in the winter - but only one butterfly lives out its life there - from laying eggs to laying eggs; a plain lime yellow one - the rest just flit by.

Beautiful Manisha ;-) beautiful butterfly.

I love the black one with the dove - indeed how unusual! Is that a chance happening or is the pattern always that?

Rachel said...

Lovely shots! I grew up in a hillstation where every house considered it a privilege to have a garden..During the blooming season, it was a wonderful sight especially with the number of butterflies hovering around..Miss those scenes in the city now!!!

Indian Food Rocks said...

Thanks, Srivalli and Nags

Anita,I want to plant a butterfly garden but then there are lots of things I want to do...

These butterflies have a pattern but it's not always the same. See this picture (not a great one and it was hanging upside down, so I rotated the image for you) that I took on another visit. It's the same species and there is a pattern but it's not identical. I have uploaded the other picture to that album, too, so you can compare the two.


Rachel, you lucky girl! I wonder if you can plant a butterfly garden in your balcony.

bee said...

they are gorgerous, amazing creatures.

musical said...

Ooh! What a treat to the eyes! Butterflies are the nicesst of them all :-D. Some that appear not to have any pattern in day light show elaborate patterns in UV light!

Rina said...

Besutiful Pics

sunita said...

Aren't they pretty...

Sagari said...

wowwwwwwwwwwwww beautiful pics

TheCooker said...

Wow...such beautiful pictures!

Nabeela said...

lovely photos Manisha

Anjali Koli said...

Wow! I think I should visit the butterfly park here in Banerghatta, blr soon. The dove pattern one is superb!

Indian Food Rocks said...

Thanks a lot and I'm glad you enjoyed these pictures! Much better than Rosie and the caterpillar!

Musy, I must ask them about patterns that show in UV light and what the purpose is! I updated the post with more info on the Common Blue Morpho. It's an amazing sight to catch a glimpse of that bright blue as it flutters by!

Anjali, definitely make a trip! It's worth it. I am pretty sure that Medha will remember this and value it much later on in life than she does now.

Cynthia said...

And for this post, you couldn't save us not having to look at the first pic? :)