Ma'andi: A spectacular valley of butterflies

From May to July each year, Ma’andi Village in Jinping County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, ushers in a period of rare natural wonders. Hundreds of millions of butterflies gather here, and you can easily get close to butterflies across the village.
 

According to statistics, there exist 12 families of butterfly in China and 11 of them are in Ma’andi, covering more than 200 species. Butterflies usually choose to hide themselves when the temperature drops abruptly. But when it is fine, they can be found everywhere. You can easily feel them if you stretch out a hand.

Ma’andi is called China’s butterfly valley due to its rich species diversity and large population of butterflies. The best time to visit the valley is from May and June when there are most butterfly speices. Later, millions of stichophthalma louisa will gather at certain spots ranging from 900 meters to 1,500 meters above the sea level. In September and October, precious meandrusa sciron can be seen in regions with elevations of 1,300-3,000 meters. 

Source: Jewel-Chase travel; Editor: Wang Shixue