Revisiting the Bukit Brown Cemetery - In Search of the Banded Line Blue

Jan 2013 was my last outing to Bukit Brown Cemetery before this large municipal Chinese cemetery ground was cordoned off for the construction of the Lornie Highway. Since the full completion of the highway in Apr 2019, I have not visited the place until early this month. 

The roads around the area have been changed or diverted quite a bit so it took me awhile to find the old main entrance gate to the cemetery. 

Not far from the main gate, information signage mounted on a makeshift wooden stand have been put up by the Singapore Heritage Society (SSS) with the support of the Ministry of National Development and the National Heritage Board. It is definitely educational and good to have these signage to educate the public about the history of the cemetery and the different cultural rituals or practices associated with tombs. 

More information about the SHS's Wayfinder project (started in October 2017)  on documenting and explaining some of the prominent or special tombs can be found here.  

Indeed, the rich biodiversity attracted hikers and nature photographers to come here to look for rarities before the construction of the highway.

However, I was rather disappointed with the information presented above - it does not provide us a complete and accurate "picture". I think NSS should have also featured the Banded Line Blue (Prosotas lutea sivoca) as its larval host plant and the butterfly can still be found, as of today, at 3 different locations at Bukit Brown.(note: Golden Loyal and Banded Line Blue were spotted in the same year).

 

I was relieved and happy to see, though just one female ovipositing on the host plant (Acacia conccina) on 4 December. With the abundance of the host plants growing at the same site that I discovered this species about 8 years ago, I guess this tiny Blue has been surviving quite well all these years even during the construction period - thanks to the authority or whoever preserving the host plants there.

While searching and waiting for the BLB to appear, I spotted other butterflies visiting some Lantana flowers - they were a Tailed Jay (Graphium agamemnon agamemnon), a Plain Nawab (Polyura hebe plautus) and a Yamfly (Loxura atymnus fuconius).

These were the instinctive snap shots as they were just too fast and uncooperative. 

A long-distance shot of the Plain Nawab and the Yamfly.

This Yamfly was very skittish - no chance of getting closer to it.

I noticed a small lycaenid fluttering at the ground level. Hoping that it could be the BLB, I decided to stalk and chase after it -  but it was a disappointment for me as it turned out to be the Common Line Blue (Prosotas nora superdates). 

About 3 weeks later on 26 Dec, a fellow BC member CA found a small colony of puddling BLB at another site which is somewhere south of the two known locations. 

Thanks to CH for giving me a ride to Bukit Brown on a cool the morning on 27 Dec to look for the BLB.  After some effort of figuring out the "new" location on the Google Map, we finally found one BLB puddling on a dirt track.

Though occasionally it fluttered and disappeared from the ground, perhaps to the canopy.  Quite often it came back again, staying on the moist sandy ground for us to shoot.

There was a large number of larvae of the Maylan Eggfly (Hypolimnas anomala anomala) and pristine adults fluttering in the vicinity of its host plant.

One of those Line Blues caught my attention when it was puddling on a pile of sand. After taking some shots, I noticed that this is a Tailess Line Blue (Prosotas dubiosa lumpura).

Apart from the scenic greenery and many tall trees with climbers engulfing this secluded area,  the site offers us good opportunity of finding and photographing butterflies and perhaps other critters.

 

With the Covid-19 pandemic inflicting losses in life and affecting livelihoods in almost every part of the world,  Year 2020 is disastrous for some and surely unforgettable for everyone. Many countries and regions are still grappling with the increasing number of deaths, severe economic impacts brought about by restrictions of cross-border movement and social interactions. I believe that with wisdom, unity, co-operations and a common goal in mind, mankind will overcome this crisis and win the fight against the pandemic to some extent in Year 2021.    

I wish everyone a happy, fruitful and healthy 2021. 
 

 

My First Outing in 2014

This might be my last visit (on 4 Jan) to Bukit Brown as rows of green zinc hoardings have been erected. Very soon the greenery and some tombstones at this tranquil and quiet cemetery ground will be lost. While strolling alone without a definite location in mind, I noticed a a male Cruiser (Vindula dejone erotella)  hovering around some horse dung on a tarred road not too far from the main gate.

I went to the spot where I found the Banded Lineblue (Prosotas lutea sivoca). Apparently, some maintenance work had been carried out and the host plants of the Banded Lineblue had been cleared also. I stayed there for quite sometime, hopping to find if the Banded Lineblue was still around - it is not difficult to deduce the answer. 

Instead, two small orange skippers kept me busy for a while. This is a Yellow Grass Dart (Taractrocera archias quinta).

I guess this small skipper is the Pothanthus ganda - it  was not as cooperative as the Yellow Grass Dart. 

I explored one of the forested trails and was rewarded with some shots of a not-so-common skipper - The Common Redeye (Matapa aria).

A small but beautiful net-winged beetle caught my attention while it was roaming on a blade of grass. 

Knowing that nobody will be able to repeat the 2 km route that I had walked in Bukit Brown, I hope this map which tracked my movement will remind me of  how I roamed around and explored Bukit Brown.

No New Surpirse @ Bukit Brown

On a fine Saturday afternoon (24 Sept), I decided to drop by the Bukit Brown cemetery ground again. At the main gate, I noticed this rather tame and small cricket resting on a leaf.

At the round-about, this white planthopper flew past me and perched above my eye level. I walked casually towards the location where I found the Banded Line Blue (Prosotas lutea sivoka) last December. Sadly, I could not find a single specimen this time. 

A small lycaenid, this Tailless Line Blue (Prosotas dubiosa lumpura) was fluttering at the ground level. Its momentarily perch on a piece of wood provided me a chance for snapping some shots. 

A mating Malayan Five Ring (Ypthima horsfieldii humei) kept me busy for a short while along a shady and mosquitoes infested forest trail.  

My first sighting of a Common Posy (Drupadia ravindra moorei) at Bukit Brown was at a shady spot along a dirt path.

It was flitting around from leaf to leaf and sun-bathing occasionally.

My final shot of the afternoon was a  robberfly. I noticed that robberflies like to perch on the tip of a leaf looking outwards demonstrated by this particular shot.

Very soon once the construction of a new road commences, I doubt we will be able to visit Bukit Brown as often as we like. So it is important that we should record the fauna and floral species that can be found here before they disappear completely.  

  

From Bukit Brown to Lornie Trail

Very soon hoardings will be erected; construction machinery will move in and access to Bukit Brown - an old burial ground for many eminent pioneers of Singapore will be difficult. I dropped by Bukit Brown again on 26 Jan to check for the status of the Banded Line Blue (Prosotas lutea sivoka). I could only see one female trying to oviposit on the host plants at the same site that I first shot it last December.

I am not sure what is the thing tangling at the tip of the abdoman of this female Babnded Line Blue.

While I was looking for more Banded Line Blue, this small Yellow Grass Dart (Taractrocera archias archias) appeared from no where but it disappeared completely when I tried to adjust my shooting position.     

I managed to take a shot of a female Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya wallacei) this time

At around noon, I went across Lornie Road and turned into Lornie Trail. This time, it was a disappointment at the two spots where I usually saw some butterflies. So I back-tracked and moved towards the MacRitchie Nature Trail.

This alert Knight (Lebadea marttha parkeri)  kept fluttering around me but if finally settled on a high perch.

This was my first sighting of  at least half a dozen Malay Barons (Euthalia monina monina) either flying close to the forest trail or puddling. The polymorphic male seemed to be more common than the female  and this shot shows one of its polymorphic forms, the decorata.

Here is another specimen.

A female Malay Baron was resting on a leaf overlooking the trail. I approached closer to her and took a few shots.

Are there any differences between the female Malay Baron and this butterfly ? Indeed, they look alike. The extent of the white patches and the "/\-shaped" markings on the hindwing distinguish this Malay Viscount ( Tanaecia pelea pelea) from the female Malay Baron.

It was very challenging to take an underside shot of this female Malay Baron - this was a lucky shot while she was flapping her wings. 

This is an underside shot of a male.

The close resemblance between the Malay Viscount and the female Malay Baron was also shown on the  underside wing markings.This is a shot of one of the Malay Viscounts that mingled among the Malay Barons.  

Along a shady trail leading to the main road, I saw two Dark Flat (Tapena thwaitesi bornea) feeding on bird droppings. But they took off when I approached closer to them. Luckily one of them perched on a leaf again .  

Lastly, sharing a shot of a funny-looking bug that I have no idea of what it is. 

Some Critters @ Bukit Brown

I visited  Bukit Brown cemetery a few times in the month of November; each time with the hope of shooting the Banded Line Blue (Prosotas lutea sivoka) which I first discovered it recently. I could see at least one individual fluttering around its larval host plant but I just didn't have the luck to shoot it again.

However, there were some other critters attracted my attention. Thus rather tame Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) climbed up and hung on to a piece of wooden plank peeping at the passers by.

I went closer and took some shots of its elegant posture. 

Another shot when it turned around to look at me,

A pair of colourful beetles was found on a leaf above my eye level - they were performing a kind of mating dance perhaps - I am not sure at all.

They approached closer and seem to "fight" with their antennae. It was a pity that I couldn't take a proper top view shot

Another brown beetle emerged from the underside of this leaf.

A very tiny cricket was looking around to avoid its predators ?

A kind of paper wasp was found performing "acrobatic exercise" on the leaves of  this particular shrub which has lots of thorns on the stems.

I was delighted to see a Common Rose (Pachilopta aristolochiae asteris)  puddling on the damp soil of an open space. A very alert fellow, it flew off whenever I tried to move forward. In fact, I also saw a Common Birdwing flew past me. Unfortunately taking a good in-flight shot is really beyond my photographic skill.       

Lastly, a Common Hedge Blue (Acytolepis puspa lambi) was playing hide-and-seek with me. At last it was attracted to a piece of bird's dropping.