It was just another day in the garden, I was tending to my plants when the sun came out and so did the butterflies. The butterflies love to sunbathe on leaves where the rays of the sun fall. They warm their wings for flight first before they get to the business of slurping on nectar.
I am rarely ever able to get this close to butterflies as they sense movement and flyaway even before we get close to them. Today was my lucky day, not only did I get close to this plain tiger butterfly I was also able to see it delve deep into the flower and savor nectar to its full.
Danaus chrysippus commonly called the plain tiger as opposed to the striped version which is called the tiger butterfly is also known as the African Monarch. It is a medium sized butterfly commonly seen around these parts (India).
Even though this guy flew away several times it came back to the same flowers over and over again. I just had to stand there patiently waiting for its return. Many a time I would see it in the flowers around me but the butterfly could hard resist this flower called the butterfly bush.
I tried to take photographs from different angles without moving too much and disturbing this beauty. No matter how many times I see these butterflies in my garden they never fail to fascinate me.
As a child I have caught many butterflies by their wings and perhaps caused damage to them. I didn't understand what I was doing then, it was all a part of the game all children played then. Now I never try to catch them or touch them as I don't want to hurt them in anyway.
This image here gives you a clear picture of its head and body. I love the black and white polka dots it is such a strong contrast to the golden brown wings edged in black with white dots.
Look how deep the anthers go in to draw the nectar. You can enlarge the image to get a clearer view if you so desire. This is the first time I got to see this action so I was fascinated by it.
This is also the season of caterpillars, I haven't seen any around as yet, I remain vigilant. The first plant to be sacrificed would be this butterfly bush which I have placed in strategic spots in my garden. The next on the list would be the kalanchoe blossfeldiana, I have lost many of these plants in the previous years to caterpillars. I need to find a way to protect the kalanchoe from these wrigglers. I need some kind of a net to keep the butterflies away from my kalanchoes. If there is a beauty there is a beast as well.
It's been a fantabulous day for me as I had been able to do some work in the garden while watching the butterflies flit around. Thanks for getting this far, I hope you have a fantabulous Friday as well!