Yh....They love fruits...

This is how we feed them.They love rich nutritious food ...

In this video you can see our Manthalir Salabham (Common Baron)

Kid !!!!!!!!!

After 8 days, Common Mormon (Male) emerged from its chrysalis.

Common Mormon (Papilio Polytes)

Glad to share !!

Haha...he loves me.... :)

Common Mormon (Papilio Polytes)

Common Mormon (Papilio Polytes)

Common Mormon (Papilio Polytes)

Common Mormon (Papilio Polytes)

Stages of pupating - Common Mormon

Look at those changes from the earlier post of this caterpillar. Length of larva shortens during the last days of 5th instar. Gradually the caterpillar comes to rest and becomes pre-pupatory larva. The pupa suspends itself with a silk girdle from the stem.  

Common Mormon caterpillar 

Pre-pupatory larva (Common Mormon) 

Pupa (Common Mormon) 

Pupating video - Time lapse 

🐛

            Common Mormon Caterpillar in its 5th instar..

Common Mormon (Papilio Polytes) Caterpillar

Those colours ....

"Don't waste your time chasing butterflies.Mend your garden and the butterflies will come "    

                                                  - Maria Quintana

Common Emigrant (Lemon Emigrant) with his/her yellowish green wings.. 

Common Emigrant (Catopsilia Pomona)

Common Emigrant (Catopsilia Pomona)

Common Emigrant (Catopsilia Pomona)

 

Common Mime .....

Found 4 larvae of Common Mime at different stages in our Cinnamomum iners.

Common Mime 

Common Mime

Common Mime

Common Mime

New sighting

 Look at that hairy body of our new friend. This skipper, Suffused Snow Flat ( Tagiades Gana) is very similar to Tagiades Japetus and we were confused with them.

Suffused Snow Flat ( Tagiades Gana)

Suffused Snow Flat ( Tagiades Gana) 

In this video you can see the signature leaf cut on the 'Kachil' (Dioscorea sp.) leaves.

Our Kid !!!!!!!!

Common Indian Crow (Arali Salabham)

Most precious day ...

Meet our friend, Common Indian Crow who just got reared from our garden.

Love them, they will love you back !!

Common Indian Crow (Arali Salabham)

Common Indian Crow (Arali Salabham)

             

   

Found Common Wanderer..

Common Wanderer (Malayan Wanderer)

Beauty....🦋

Commom Mormon (Narakakkali)

Count them 🐛 !!

 Babies......

Plain Tiger's larvae

Pushed to Bronze

 " I was the second largest butterfly in India  for the last 88 years, now I'm not. Do you know why ? Golden Birdwing ousts Southern Birdwing to become the largest Butterfly in India. So I'm third.. "

                                      - Blue Mormon

Hi Grey Pansy....

Found an appealing colour combination..

Junonia Atlites (Vayal Salabham)

Junonia Atlites (Vayal Salabham)

What are you looking for ...

 Euploea Core (Common Indian Crow) larva...

One with 'Dalmatian Wings'

 Meet our common visitor, Common Pierrot  (Castalius Rosimon) ...

Common Pierrot (Castalius Rosimon)

Eat, Grow.... Eat, Grow....

Caterpillar of Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) found on our Lemon tree.

Common Mormon Caterpillar  

Common Mormon Caterpillar 

Common Mormon caterpillar

Look at those changes from my last photo of Common Blue Bottle's larvae.

Kid is growing

Chew, Rest, Poo and Repeat...

   

 (Plain Tiger's Caterpillar )

Going to be a pupa soon...

Common Blue Bottle's larvae on our Cinnammomum iners.

Caterpillar of Graphium Sarpedon

Female Baron lays its egg usually underneath the leaf. I found this egg in my Mango leaves which is their host plant.The egg surface is hairy somewhat....

Haha ...

Mmmmmm mmmmmm......
I think he or she loves me....

(Plain Tiger's caterpillar )

Smallest visitor

Spent some time to capture this small one. Tiny grass blue ( Zizula hylax ) or Chinnappulneeli is a species of blue butterfly. Look at those hairy sides.... Their wingspan is 1.5 cm only.

Tiny grass blue (Chinnappulneeli)

Look closely....

Found an egg of Common mormon (Papilio polytes), on our curry leaf plant. One of the common butterflies seen in Kerala and they are very fond of curry leaves.

Pupate Safely

Look at those colours !!!!
Most beautiful caterpillar found in our garden so far.Happy to see Common Mime (Papilio Clytia) caterpillar on their host plant Cinnamomum iners.

Common Mime caterpillar

Our Neighbourhood hill slope

 Here are some pictures of our neighbourhood mentioned in the earlier post.

  

 

We are flying back !!!!

Lime butterfly warming up in sun after emerging from pupa

Hi... I'm back....

No, we are back....
Glad to see you again !!!

To begin with, let me tell you why there has been a gap in our blog posts. As mentioned in an earlier post, our house is on a hillside which was covered with lush greenery when we started the blog. By the end of 2013, realtors flattened our neighborhood by bringing down the hill slope, devastating the entire micro ecosystem. For the butterflies and birds, it must have looked like a barren land devoid of food, foliage and habitat. And they left, without a trace.
And it took 6 to 7 years for the green cover to make a partial come back instilling confidence in our winged friends.

Now, I'm so excited that our kids are back.They are busy laying eggs, eating leaves, growing, molting, becoming pupae and finally stretching their wings out.
"Complete Metamorphosis" !!!
Now, they are happy... so are we...

"What's a butterfly garden without butterflies"  
                                   - Roy Rogers