Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket

Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket (Phaneroptera falcata) belong to family Tettigoniidae (Katydids or Bush-crickets), subfamily Phaneropterinae. They are very similar to great green bush-crickets, but have slenderer bodies and longer hind pair of legs. In great green bush-cricket both wings are of the same length, while in the Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket the top wing is shorter. They have very long hind wings almost double the body length.

Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket Male

Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket Female

Pioneer White Butterfly

The Pioneer White (Belenois aurota) is a medium sized butterfly in the Family Pieridae (Yellows and Whites), which is found in South Asia and Africa. In Africa, it is known as the Brown-veined White. It is also known as African Caper White.

Pioneer White Butterfly-Belenois aurota

Dead Pioneer White Butterfly

Cute Pakistani Babies

Cute Pakistani Babies

Indian Myna Bird

Indian Myna (مینا) (Acridotheres tristis) also called Common Myna or Mynah, is a member of the starling family. It is a species of bird native to Asia. It is also known as talking Myna for its ability of learning human speech and is kept as a pet. It has dark brown body with shiny black head and wing plumage, with white wing patches. The beak, bare skin around the eyes and legs are of yellow color. Both sexes are similar, however male has a smaller and more shiny head as compared to female. They generally build their nest in a tree cavity or hole in a wall, however they also build nest in trees. Their nest looks like very similar to house sparrow nest i.e. a jumble of straw, twigs, leaves and grasses. The female lays 4 to 6 bluish-green eggs and raise two broods in one year. The brooding season is from May to August.They feed on a variety of insects, grains and fruits. Some time they also feed on the young ones of other birds.

Indian Myna Bird

Indian Myna Bird

Indian Myna Bird

Indian Myna Bird Nest

Indian Myna Bird Eggs

Baby Indian Myna

Mynah Birds For Sale

Southern Green Stink Bug

Southern Green Stink Bug (Nezara viridula) is a shield shaped bug, belong to family Pentatomidae in the Order Hemiptera, suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs). Adult have an average body length of about 12-13mm. They are considered as pest which damage different crops include cotton, tomato, pecans, pepper, beans and soybeans etc. Their nymphs have very striking colors, as shown in the last picture.

Southern Green Stink Bug

Southern Green Stink Bug Nymph

Ashwagandha-Withania somnifera

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a medicinal plant in Solanaceae or nightshade family, which is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine. In Pakistan it grows wildly on fields sides and uncultivated lands and reach a height of about 5 to 6 feet. Ashwagandha is also known by a number of other names like Indian ginseng, Winter cherry, Ajagandha and Kanaje Hindi etc. In domestic language Pashto it's called Koti lal (Koti=ball, Lal= red), may be because of its red colored round fruit. In Urdu Ashwagandha is called Asgandha or Asgund (اسگند).
I've grown a few Ashwagandha plants at my farmhouse this year. Now the plants are about three months old. I have grown them for personal use and will try to validate it medicinal properties. I'm also interested in growing it commercially, but I will first search for its market.

Ashwagandha-Withania somnifera

Ashwagandha Plant

Ashwagandha Plant

Ashwagandha Plant

Ashwagandha Leaves

Ashwagandha Flower

Ashwagandha Fruits

Ashwagandha Fruits

Ashwagandha Seeds

Ashwagandha Root

Common Castor Butterfly Life Cycle

Common Castor (Ariadne merione), also called Castor Butterfly is an unattractive butterfly and that is why I always ignore it. Some days before I decided to photograph it. Below are the images of different stages of the butterfly.

Egg stage

Common castor butterfly lay individual eggs on the back side of the host plant, castor. The round shaped yellow eggs are covered with spines. They lay a large number of eggs per leaf.

Common Castor Butterfly Eggs

Larva Stage

The common castor butterfly larva feed on castor leave. The green colored caterpillar have dorsal longitudinal brown stripe and two dorsal and two lateral rows of short branched-spines. There is a pair of long, straight branched-spines on the head. The caterpillar turns reddish-brown when mature.

Common Castor Butterfly Larvae (Caterpillars)

Mature Caterpillar

Pre-Pupa Caterpillar

Pupa( Chrysalis) Stage

The chrysalis of common castor is pale green and angular in shape. It's expended wing-cases, a dorsal projection and two small cephalic points. It has a length of about 15mm-20mm. As I was observing the pupa in November (a cold month), it took about 20 days in becoming mature.

Common Castor Butterfly Pupa (Chrysalis)

Mature Pupa (Chrysalis)

Adult Stage

Common Castor (Ariadne merione), is a medium size (wingspan 50mm-60mm) butterfly of the family Nymphalidae (The Brush Footed Butterflies). It has an orange color with brown wavy lines. As larvae feed exclusively on Castor,that is way it's called Common Castor Butterfly. The dry season butterfly has a wider wingspan as compare to wet season. Below are the images of dry season common castor butterfly.

Common Castor Butterfly