butterflies

there is a lovely place in pietermaritzburg called 'butterflies for africa' ...

although they are not indigenous butterflies - it was exciting for the boys to see, first-hand, each stage of the life-cycle of the butterfly

they were shown the eggs on the leaves by such an enthusiastic and highly knowledgable guide at the facility

there weren't too many caterpillars the day we were there - but we found a few :o)

however there were lots of examples of the pupa stage, and here our guide shows us some of the pupa in various stages of development.

this one's wings were still damp

we also learnt about the food which attracts them ...

see if you can spot the camouflaged butterfly!

here is a closer look. his wings look exactly like a dried leaf from the outside, but when he opens them they are a brilliant orange. this butterfly is known as the pearl charaxes

we found this beauty in amongst the bird seed :o)

the boys were amazed at how unafraid the butterflies were of us

that was ticklish! :o)

what an amazing feeling!

we will be back!