Lepidoptery 6

Another brilliant batch of beautiful butterflies (previous episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5):

A Blue Pansy - a different variant from the last one, I think - most of these pics are from a few weeks ago before it got cold, but there are still quite a few of these guys left hanging on even after most of the other species have died off or migrated somewhere warmer:



















A Dark Clouded Yellow:

























A Common Wall:



















A Lime Butterfly - these ones get up to a fairly impressive 10cm wingspan - there were dozens of them enjoying some big red-flowered bushes at a motorway service station on the way to Lahore:



















And another one dreaming wistfully of freedom. Or something. It could be an elegant poetic portrayal of the tragedy of locking up something so beautiful or somesuch, were it not for the fact that the other three sides of the room were open to the fresh air. Stoopid insect:



















A Plain Tiger at our conference in Lahore last month (well, not at the conference, but you know what I mean):



















And from just the other day, apparently still braving the coldness, the grandly titled Queen of Spain Fritillary:

Lepidoptery 4

Time for a few more flutterbies. These are from a few weeks ago now. The cold weather beginning to kick in is causing the different species to disappear one by one.

This fine beastie is an Indian Fritillary, enjoying the flowers just outside our front door:



















As is this one (may even be the same one - there were a few fluttering about):

























And this is a Common Wall (bizarre name! My favourite name is the one called THE LEOPARD - sounds a bit ferocious for a mild-mannered insect - and one of the few that I didn't manage to photograph before it disappeared - maybe next spring...) - apparently a female one:



















And last but not least of today's selection, this is an Indian Tortoiseshell, seen on our walk up Mukshpuri the other week (as was Mrs Wall above).