Some of the smaller beauties.

And I also have a new dragonfly on my list.

I open the post with this little African Grass Blue (Zizeeria knysna), and it's one of our smallest butterflies that sat on a tiny flower head.

We prefer to sit in a nature setting, when we are out for coffee, and I like to watch both big and small of nature's residents, that appear close to us. Quite often something small will be flying around, and with luck it will take a chair on a flower close to us. Exactly like this little butterfly did, and its size is about 1 CM. They lead a miniature life, that's exactly the same as the big ones, and one can only stare in wonder at how they cope in their little lives.

Here below you can see the curl of its straw like feeding tube, (Proboscis), as it sucks some nectar from the small flower head.

Now this guy below is known as a Friendly Hawker (Zosteraeschna miscula)and I had a long wait to get 3 photos of it, as after each rapid hanging, it would take off to fly around, and eventually it would return to its hanging site on a dry plant stem. I say "hanging" as similar to the other big dragonflies like the emperors, the hawkers also cannot sit, so they hang onto stems to take a breather, or to sleep at night.

The last chance saloon.

This little one below had its last flight, as when I parked our car, and opened the door, I saw it sitting here. It is called a Crimson Speckled Footman (Utetheisa pulchella) and the surprise is that it's not a butterfly, but rather a moth. Thay can also be found in north to southern Europe, and across Asia to Australia. They are day flyers.

So, I picked it up and handed it to my wife to add to her collection. She is always perturbed when I hand her something that died, and I am considering whether to send her to a medical insect resuscitation agency, so that she can learn how to give the butterflies mouth to mouth treatments :)

All living things big and small have to die at some stage, and when one thinks about it, then I wonder what all the rushing around is about in our lives. So many just carry on as if they will last forever, and if only we would start to realize that we are in fact destroying our health with all of the worries and stresses. I am qualified to talk about it, as I have led a long life doing the same, but there comes a time that one has to say enough, is enough. No more.
Just something to think about.

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

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