My motivation for morning walk/run, for some time now, has been the chance of seeing a variety of natural beauty right in my backyard. The track where I walk/run has been surprising me with something new every time (when I quit being lazy and step out that is). For a while now that life is slowed down, I, like many others, have been noticing things around leisurely. The natural world manages to amaze me every single time.

And on each encounter with these beautiful and interesting non-human neighbours, I’m so amazed. Of course, I don’t always know what or who I’m looking at. So after marvelling at them, observing and making mental notes, clicking pictures/videos (if I have my phone with me, most times I don’t have it which is when I make solid mental notes) I turn to Google to read up about it and learn something new and interesting.

So on this particular morning, the walkway and gardens were wet from the previous night’s rain. To cool down after a run, I was walking. On the wet ground near a bush I saw this strikingly coloured butterfly, perhaps mud-puddling. I didn’t know its name at that point – I hardly can identify a few butterflies. Fortunately it stayed on the ground even as I crouched beside it to take a close look.

Called the Commander butterfly (I looked up to find its name later that day) it was a pretty big butterfly with bright reddish brown wings with big white spots in a pattern. This pretty wing design has black border and more black spots and patterns. Now, I’m saying big butterfly (coz to me it is decently big) whereas experts actually call it a medium sized butterfly.

Since I had my phone handy that day, I also clicked a picture. As I moved slightly more closer, it sensed my movement and took off. And after fluttering about for a few minutes, perched itself on the leaf of the nearby bush. It stayed for a very long time, this time, allowing me further observe it at length.

The underside usually has different colours and patterns, I couldn’t get a look at that though. It sat with its wings spread flat on the leaf. I did try to move the camera to capture the underside at one point, as you can see in the video below, but didn’t wish to startle it and make it fly away. Though it was quite windy, it was interesting to see the Commander sitting firmly even as the wind jolted the leaves vigorously – check that in the video, too. Post monsoon months are usually when one can see plenty of butterflies, and it’s no different for the Commander butterfly.

Have you seen the Commander? What is your observation?

Hope to meet the Commander soon again.