Zebra Blue Butterfly

The Zebra Blue (Leptotes plinius), also known as Plumbago Blue, is small-sized butterfly in family Lycaenidae (Gossamer-winged butterflies), found in Pakistan. It has a wingspan of about 28mm (based on single measurement). It's known as "Zebra blue" because its underside has white and brown strips that resemble the zebra strips. The other name "Plumbago Blue" is used because its larva feed on plumbago plant.

Zebra Blue Butterfly (Leptotes plinius) Male

Zebra Blue Butterfly Female

Zebra Blue Butterflies Mating

Common Babbler Nest

The Common Babbler (Turdoides caudata) is an Old World babbler (Family: Timaliidae), found in South Asia. They live in groups and feeding on insects and grain. The breeding season is from March to August. They have two broods per year. The cups like nests are made of grass and roots. They build nests in bushes about 4 to 5 feet above the ground. The greenish blue eggs are laid in a clutch of 3-4 eggs.

Common Babbler Bird Nests

Common Babbler Bird Eggs

Common Babbler Bird Eggs

Common Babbler Bird Chicks

Common Babbler Bird Chicks

Millipede Facts

Millipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment, except for the first segment behind the head which does not have any leg, and the next three segments have only one pair of legs. Young millipedes have only a few pairs of legs. Millipedes have a body that is divided into a head having antennae and a cylindrical or long tube-like trunk. The trunk is segmented. Millipede means "thousand feet", but millipedes actually have between 50 and 150 pairs of legs.

Millipedes are active at night and spend most of their life in moist soil and decaying vegetation. Most of millipedes are nature's recyclers as they eat decaying leaves and other dead plant matter.

Recently I read an article about millipede in India's National Newspaper "The Hindu", which ravels a study undertaken in Madurai. The article says that millipedes are good alternative to earth worms and their presence have positive impact on plants. Weight and disease resistance of plants increases when millipedes are present. Millipedes convert organic waste into component, which is rich in nitrogen, calcium, potassium and phosphorous. Since millipedes possess rich organic nutrients, they are good for soil fertility.

Millipedes Pictures

Small Cabbage White Butterfly

The Small Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) is a common and widespread butterfly in the family Pieridae (Yellows and Whites). It is a medium sized butterfly with wingspan 45mm-50mm. The upperside is creamy white with black tips to the forewings. Males have one and females have two black spots in the center of the forewings. The underside forewing is black speckled at basal and creamy white at center with yellowish tip and having two prominent black spots and one obscure black spot near the tip. The hindwing is yellowish with black speckles.
As you know that the small white butterfly is a pest on cultivated cabbages and other mustard family crops. Today I observed a few female butterflies laying eggs on my recently grown vegetables including cauliflowers, radishes, turnips and mustard green. In the above picture you see a female in action, laying egg on small radish plant. The plants are so small, except cauliflower plants, which I bought from a nursery. I didn't opt to catch and kill the butterflies, rather decided that I will observe the plants and if the damage by the caterpillars cross the limit then, I will spray pesticide. Being a butterfly lover, it will be very difficult situation for me, but hopefully the damage will not cross the limit and this will bring me an opportunity to document the life cycle of the butterfly.

Small White Butterfly

Female Laying Egg

Small Cabbage White Butterfly Male Underside

Small Cabbage White Butterfly Male Upperside

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Find this picture while going through my stock photos and decided to share it with you. I took this picture about two months ago while passing through a street here in my home village. For some people this will be a funny picture and for others a serious picture. It represent some aspects of the lives of a nation, who are kept alive just to cast their vote, nothing more, nothing less. I'm happy that at least these kids find out a way to entertain themselves.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Sorrel Sapphire Butterfly

The Sorrel Sapphire (Heliophorus sena) is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae (Blues family). It's found in hilly areas of Pakistan and I observed it in districts Buner and Haripur so far.

Sorrel Sapphire Butterfly (Heliophorus sena)

Backyard Chickens

Backyard chickens concept is very popular in rural areas of Pakistan. It  not only provides fresh and high quality protein i.e. eggs and meat, but also helps to generate some extra income for families. People prefer to keep indigenous chicken instead of commercial breeds, in spite of their low production. The main reason behind this is that our people prefer using the eggs and meat of  indigenous chickens over commercial breeds and ready to pay more for them. Our poultry experts advocate the use of eggs and meat of commercial breeds from poultry farms, but our people are still not ready for that.

Backyard Chickens

Crimson Speckled Footman Moth

The Crimson speckled footman (Utetheisa pulchella) is a striking colored moth of the family Arctiidae (tiger moths), found in Pakistan. They are very common in the months of September and October. Fore wings white with red and black spots, arranged in a beautiful pattern. Hind wings white having black spots, with black along the margin. Larvae of crimson speckled footman are white with black longitudinal lines and transverse orange spots edged with black, has hair between the segments.

Crimson Speckled Footman (Utetheisa pulchella)

Crimson Speckled Footman (Utetheisa pulchella) Caterpillars/Larvae

Life Cycle Of Common Grass Yellow Butterfly

The Common Grass Yellow or Large Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe) is a small butterfly (wingspan 35-40 mm) in family Pieridae, found in Pakistan. This species is very common in the Autumn (August, September and October).
The upperside of the wings is bright yellow with the fore wing having broadly black excavated border in the apex and termen and hind wing with narrow irregular border. Underside of both wings is yellow with dark brown markings and irregular shaped rings. The female is large and paler than male.
Their larvae feed on plants in the family Fabaceae, however the main host plants in our area are different species of Sesbania.

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Life Cycle

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Male

Female Ovipositing Egg

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Mating Pair

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Eggs

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Egg

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Caterpillar

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Caterpillar

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Pupa

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly Pupa

Newly Emerged Common Grass Yellow Butterfly

Newly Emerged Common Grass Yellow Butterfly