I saw it all of a
sudden on the floor of my terrace garden as i went about my daily ritual of
watering the 100 odd pots i play fairy god mother to! Being used to chasing
butterflies or rather hopefully waiting for some pretty winged thing to come
visit the plants when i laze around in my terrace, this came as a surprise
because instead of perching on some flower, it was sittting blissfully on the
terrace ground sunbathing. As it remained still for a while, i initially
thought that it was hurt and then noticed a string of hair around it assuming that it might probably be entangled
in it. While wondering what to do and not wanting to miss this golden
opportunity i ran inside to get my camera not to mention feeling a little
guilty about wanting to take pics of a butterfly that was probably in pain or
on the verge death! It was in the same stationary position when i got back. One
of the prettiest guests to have come venturing into my garden, i couldn't help
but feel sad at the thought that it might be hurt.
So i edged a little
closer hoping to unentangle it, just when it took off and landed in a nearby
pile of dried leaves and caterpillar poop i had swept into a corner that
morning. Yes you heard it right, i have had the honor of growing 3 Oleander
Hawk Moth caterpillars the last couple of weeks much to the utter dismay of my
mother as it ate up all the flowers and leaves on the pink Oleander plant. But
that's what caterpillars do right? - Eat, eat and then eat a little more! I
strongly disagree with anyone who calls them ugly wriggly creatures because for
me just watching them grow seemed more of an ennobling experience. Although my
mom did have a fair point, i must say,
my heart did go out to the caterpillars as i knew the leaves would grow
back in time - but now that bit calls for a separate post!
And before i knew it, it lifted off and flew over
to perch beneath a flower basket, i had kept on the wall filled with my bountiful collection of flowers for
the day.
And i continued with my unexpected butterfly chase
of this beautiful creature! From the basket it went over to partially hide
itself inside a yellow Allamanda or Golden Trumpet flower just beside it.
Unfortunately it didn't linger on long enough for me to get a clear shot of it
and what you see below is the best i could do. I know with the complimetary
yellow colors, it would have made a great shot had it lingered a few seconds
longer....
I had just begun to wonder that maybe it did
realize that it was being stalked as it had started to move faster. From there,
it flew down to a potted Jasmine plant and i just couldn't have asked for more!
The fact that it did decide to linger on for sometime gave me an excellent
setting. My prayers of wanting to shoot it with complimentary yellow colors
were answered in a split second for just behind the Jasmine was a pot full of
yellow Sun Roses.
I tried to make the most of it as it bent over
flicking out it's proboscis which is a long elongated appendage or a tubular
organ that protrudes from it's head and goes straight into the flower to suck
nectar. A closer look at the picture below and you'll be able to see the
proboscis.
The shot below gives you a clearer view of the
proboscis. If you notice the first picture, the proboscis appears to be just a
small curvy organ but thicker. However the below picture gives you a fair idea
of how long it can be unfolded to go into the center of the flower to suck
nectar as it get's thinner.
Continuing with the chase, it flew over to a
Butterfly Pea Flower (Clitoria ternatea). My luck definitely seemed to be on a
swing!
From there it was back into the basket containing
the pink hibiscus flowers i had just plucked. Another perfect setting! Never
thought it would be interested in plucked flowers and that too those kept in a
basket!
Going the pink way, it flew over to a pink
bougainvillea in one of the nearby pots. Luckily it did linger on there for a
bit. Never thought that bougainvillea could have any nectar in them. I simply
preferred calling them colored paper flowers. Or maybe it was just looking for
a good spot to lay eggs probably...who knows?. All i cared was for how much
more time i would get to spend with it!!!
Above and below - Experimenting with sunlight while
trying to get a close up shot with the wings half open.
Below: Close up of the wings closed.
And finally it did decide to take it's head out of
the flower.
It gave me one last look
before it flew over to some dried geranium leaves where it lingered on for
awhile and although i couldn't seem to get enough of it, i decided to leave it,
in peace. And then it was gone!
After such a close
encounter it seems only fair to stop referring to this simple beauty as 'It'
and call it by it's actual name - The Pioneer White or African Caper White
(Belenois aurota). Hailing from the family Pieridae that consists primarily of
Yellows and Whites, it is widespread in South Asia and Africa.
Before i sign off, thought i'd introduce you to 2
more home treasures that i was fortunate to see only once and capture.
Common Mormon (Papilio polytes)
Common Mormon with half open wings
Lemon Pansy (Junonia lemonias)
Lemon Pansy with half open wings. Two of best shots i could get before
it flew off!
Looking back, sometimes it feels like our own backyards hold
more treasures than the world out there. All you have to do is have the
patience to look...!
References : Wikipedia
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