Before I step into Flyers’ Paradise, here’s a riddle to give your braincells a flying start.

What is a butterfly’s favourite fruit?

-10 if you blink like Betty Boop and say Sugar Plum.

-50 if you say butternut squash.

Why would you?

+100 if you say Berga-moth Oranges.

hehe….

Mayday! Mayday! Braincells Plummeting!

Now that we have been grounded by this blogger’s sense of humour, let’s get back on the trail to the Statue of Unity.

In the last post, I took ye wee folks through the thorn-clad prickly succulent maze en route the tallest statue in the world. In this blog, I will make your hearts soar amidst hoardes of birds and butterflies, adorning the journey to leviathan grandeur.

Ekta Nagar, the town in which the Statue of Unity is situated, is home to many nature-centric activities. Here, we shall see glimpses of a Butterfly Park and the Avian Section of the Ekta Nagar Zoo, while uniting admiration with the hustle for ethical conservation.

Let’s get our wings flappin’.

hehe….

First up, we have the regal Monarch Butterfly basking in the spring sunshine while striking a pose on a wee shrub. They are also called the ‘Tiger Wanderer’, owing to their orange and black colour scheme.

The monarch butterfly is said to be poisonous to predators such as birds. It really brings home the fact that beauty can be deadly and one may ignore the monarch or perhaps think the monarch to be a mere puppet but the monarch is still the ruler and one cannot help but simply bow to the liege.

I was very lucky to get a close-up picture of this butterfly as they are extremely alert and flit away at the slightest disturbance. It takes a good amount of stealth and precision and this blogger was definitely not chasing a butterfly around a park for a single shot for the Gram.

This blogger was simply knocking people over and scrambling in freshly mowed grass to get one clear shot for keepsake purposes.

hehe….

While solving a crime, look not for the dust under the carpet. Search for the carpet instead.

While gathering flowers, look not for the sight of petals. Search for the butterflies instead.

– Yours Truly

If I ever get lucky enough to meet Ms Yours Truly, I’d tell her how similar we really are.

hehe.

So, this picture shows butterflies of all kinds gathering on a branch. When I came across it while strolling through the garden, I thought it is a decoration but then the blue butterfly in the middle opened up and I was literally awestruck because I had never seen so many butterflies gathering. It looks like a scene straight out of a fantasy novel, where the butterflies flit around the princess and adorn the palace walls.

Fun Fact: A group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope.

I love it when the collective noun matches the vibe of the group:)

This picture gives me major Beauty and the Beast vibes. I mean, look at the rose, it is so enchanting. When I visited the butterfly garden, I really wanted a picture of a butterfly on a flower and I got an elegant little Blue Tiger flitting about a rose.

It made the universe align for me.

The next thing on my bucket list was to have a butterfly sit on my hairband, like it does for Giselle in Enchanted and it did happen but no one was able to get a picture.

It did happen.

The camera is but pixels, clouding the truth, blinding the eye.

– Yours Truly.

Yes, Ms Yours Truly, louder for the people at the back.

hehe.

The butterfly garden at Ekta Nagar aims at conservation of the local butterfly species so there’s multiple points that has arrangements for gathering and plenty of flowers for nectar. This is one of the gathering spots and I was lucky enough to get two butterflies resting on the vale, both of them are what entomologists call the crow butterfly.

Right, let’s have a word about the people in charge of naming butterflies. I mean, look at the little baby hanging in the picture above. An entomologist simply looked at it and said, hey, this looks like my avian alarm clock so Imma name it after that and Boom! Crow Butterfly. Apparently butterflies remind entomologist of everything other than kaleidoscopic colour but I think the root of this minomerisation(I have copyrights for that word) goes down to the person who first discovered a butterfly.

I think that person deserves a tribute.

Imma do it through poetry.

The first man that glimpsed,

These fluttering tinselled wings,

Had a Eureka moment and said,

‘Hey, where have I first seen these things?’

They remind me of something I dearly adore,

These spots of colour, these flits, this flutter,

Not coloured glass, not shiny tassles,

I shall name this creature for my beloved butter.

For science has my mind and its windings,

But my talent lies in being a gracious host.

A man with self respect,

Is judged by how he butters his toast.

Disclaimer: This blogger is not responsible for mishaps caused due to choking on one’s toast.

hehe.

Having seen the world through colour tinted glasses, it’s time to look at the skies.

When you do that, you’ll see a pair of eyes staring right back at you.

Birds may not be government surveillance agents but their form of entertainment is humans, clobbering along to get to places while they can just fly over.

This parrot for instance. I saw this little pretty polly, nestled in the shade while getting first hand gossip from the people also resting under the shade of his tree.

I wonder if birds have their own Lady Whistledown. If they do, it is a parrot.

Humans have found a new way to pass their time. Unlike us birds, the wingless wonders find amusement in activities that reek of eternal dullness, like staring at rectangles for hours on end. They also put the rectangles on their ear and talk into it. They call it a ‘Call’. Dear reader, the author of this column calls it a ‘Downfall’.

Welcome to the first episode of Twitterton.

Netflix, I am waiting.

hehe.

Two friends helplessly watch a growing public crowd while their other friends engage in a romantic dance.

I love how this picture is such a meme. I mean the storks on the left are so engrossed in their pose while the other two are just like, ‘Ugh, every damn time. Sorry folks, nothing to see here, just a pair of thirdwheels.’

hehe.

When I first saw these birds in the avian enclosure, I was thrilled because these birds are the ones that are there in the opening scene of The Lion King and if I see anything Lion King related, my heart does a skip.

I love it when Disney comes to life. It’s like reliving the magic again.

This picture reminds me of a lazy Thursday when work has been hard, the weekend is still rather out of reach and one cannot do much but simply exist and live for the moment.

The knob billed ducks and the peahens form such a relatable picture while those watching them yearn to be a knob billed duck or a peahen. No school, no cranky teachers, no moody individuals, just quack and cackle.

All right, work woes apart, I loved the knob billed ducks. They look so unique and the navy tinge on their wings really makes them stand out.

Ducks are interesting creatures. One moment, they paint a picture of quiet reminiscing, the next moment, they are out for your blood.

All in all, the biggest truth of life is in the saying, Be yourself unless you can be a bird. Then, always be a bird.

hehe.

And that is a wrap,

Until Next Time,