Summer of 2009: Mengding 3

Dai people live in warm and wet areas. The climate contributes a lot not only to their wealthy lives, but also to the good environment around their villages. Dai people love nature very much. In old times they live in bamboo houses. Although now they build with bricks and cement, every family still own a yard with their houses. In the yard the plant all kinds of fruits, beans, melons, flowers and trees. Amount the plants fly all kind of butterflies and bees. How I wish I had such a garden!

Now let's see what Dai people have in their garden?

Summer of 2009: Mengding 2

Dongjing Mian Temple is the biggest temple in Mengding. Unlike Guangyun Mian Temple, Dongjing is totally a Dai-styled temple without any Han characteristic. So you won't find gold dragons or stone lions.

On the top of the mountain locates a beautiful white tower.

Summer of 2009: Mengding 1

Mengding（Here）is an small but important village between China and Myanmar. It is 130km away from Cangyuan. My uncle has worked there for ten years when he was young. So we decided to go there to visit some of his old friends.

Sculpture of three Wa people.

The road was constructed alone the Nangun River, and lot of waterfalls was falling from the mountains in rainy season.

It's out!

The cocoon I posted in the last post has died in an accident. However, there was another one hidden in the branches and leaves in the box I used to feed the caterpillars. This one was not emerged until Dec 11 morning. Cool!

Papilio machaon

Caterpillars of Swallowtail

Just now I visited Wind Walker’s blog and found that she has posted something about two lovely caterpillars of swallowtails that she is feeding. This remind of me of my caterpillars. I have found a lot of caterpillars of Papilio machaon, a similar species with Wind Walker’s, on carrot leaves. I tried to feed them but most of them died or escaped from the box. Only one transformed into a cocoon. Here are some photos.

When I first found this charming creature it was crawling on the ground so I didn’t know what its host plant is. I took a cabbage leaf nearby for granted. But the worm refused to eat.