I have such an abundance of butterflies in my back yard and all over the garden that at times, I find myself walking through clouds of them. And the sight of them always gives me pause. And the life of the butterfly is a mere speck compared to our own. But whilst we take time for granted and feel we can do it, whatever it is, another time, there is no such cognitive thought in the mind of the butterfly. They flit apparently free and free from care, but theirs is a single-minded life.
What we see is in fact their work. And here in Zambia we are blessed with butterflies in most months of the year and in a kaleidoscope of colours. Ethereal and lovely, they always catch the eye. Energetic and lively, they test my co-ordination as I fumble with lenses and try to capture them on camera. While they are feeding on a flower, however, they will be still sometimes, for just one quick camera capture, before they rise up and move to another.
That said I have a lot of blurry butterfly picturesβ¦. The thing is, butterflies are seldom at rest in the prime of their life. They move their wings to help heat them up when it is cold and they take only a second or two to get the nourishment they need from a bloom before flying off in search of another. In this garden there are some species which I see often and usually at certain times of the year. For the past week there has been a large flight of Brown-Veined White butterflies which are common to our garden.
As their name suggests they are white with delicate brown veining on their wings. They particularly love the Duranta Repens which is covered in purple blooms right now. In the winter months, this same species of butterfly can be found in and around the sprawling Pointsettia. And then, as now, often joined by the Common Pansy, which is a bright and beautiful yellow.
Recently we were treated to an amazing and wonderful sight; a myriad of butterflies in great profusion around one wild shrub which grows in the back yard. On closer inspection, we found there were many different species, on a plant, I must admit that I have mostly overlooked.
