Laos: Home of the Butterfly

I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many butterflies as I have while travelling Laos. I’ve always loved these amazing creatures, and to see so many in one place was such a joy. I didn’t manage to get pictures of them all, but here are some of the ones I did get.

One of the reasons I made Bok’s Banging Butterflies, a mod for Minecraft, was because I love butterflies. As I’ve travelled the world and keep coming across new butterflies, I’ve been adding them to the mod. Laos is probably the best country I’ve been to for butterfly sightings, so here are a few that I managed to take pictures of.

Clipper

There are many of these on the Kuang Si Waterfall, and I managed to get a few decent pictures of them. I feel like it was just one clipper following us as we ascended the falls, but that’s unlikely.

Buckeye

We spotted buckeyes while hiking near the rice paddies in Vang Vieng. These are pretty common butterflies but they’re always nice to see.

I also managed to get a few shots of a buckeye in Vientiane.

Monarch

Probably the most famous of butterflies, I managed to spot some in Vang Vieng.

Mimic

This butterfly is pretending to be a crow butterfly, but you can tell it’s a mimic by the markings at the edge of its wings.

Common Birdwing

I saw this butterfly near the palace in Vientiane and was astounded at how huge it was. It was feeding off the flowers, making it difficult to get a good picture, so I took a video as well.

Blue Moon

I kept seeing this butterfly over and over, but it proved elusive to being photographed. Finally I managed to get a good picture of it in the Buddha Park in Vientiane.