Butterflies of Doi Suthep Pui Part 1

I must thank Antonio (his FB page here) who initiated and organised a Butterfly Expedition trip to Chiang Mai (14 - 21 March) for ButterflyCircle members.  BC blog's article has more details about the trip.

Doi Suthep-pui  National Park is one of the nearest locations for butterfly-watching and photographing around Chiang Mai city.

Our very first stop on a warm morning (15 March) is a rocky spot where the locals like to come here to relax. I was greeted with a tame Common Gem (Poritia hewitsoni tavoyana) resting on the ground.

This skittish Doi Suthep's Ace (Sebastonyma suthepiana) was zipping around the rocks. It took me a great deal of patience and some luck to snap two shots.

There were a few Curetis flitting around the area. This  Bright Sunbeam (C. bulis ) was a more co-operative one.

There were groups of  Hedge Blues puddling on the wet surfaces of the rocks but I didn't bother with them. When this guy, a  Udara dilecta  broke away from the group, I quickly snapped a shot.

Just before we were about to leave the place to head upwards, I noticed this Purple Leaf Blue (Amblypodia anita anita).

The Veined Jay (Graphium chironides chironides) appeared on our second visit to Doi Suthep on 19 March. A skittish fellow which didn't stay long enough for us to take more shots.

The Glassy Tiger (Parantica aglea melanoides ) also liked the to puddle on the rocks.

We saw many Archdukes on all the three occasions. This is a male Common Archduke (Lexias pardalis jadeitina) 

This is a different subspecies from what we can find in the south - his undersides were

I am not sure if this is a female Black-tip Archduke (Lexias diratea).

Her undersides.

There are many look-alike Neptis species - I can't be sure what this is for the time being.

Before we left Chiang Mai on an evening flight on 21 March, we went to Doi Suthep again in the early morning. It was quiet at first but once the air was warmed up, surprises were awaiting for us. A large Thauria aliris intermedia  (The Jungle King) created some excitement among us. 

A Silverline, perhaps the Cigaritis lohita , was quietly enjoyed its "breakfast" on a dry leaf.

This pristine White Punch (Dodona deodata deodata) was on a leaf when I first spotted it not far away from the Silverline.

It came down to puddle and stayed on the ground for a long period of time.

While others were shooting the Punch, I walked towards one end of this rocky terrain. Instinctively, I stopped in front of a rock, looking at Blues were puddlingand scanned  the surrounding. The moment I turned around and I saw a green butterfly on some dry leaves. After taking a long-distance shot, I moved in and snapped a few shots of this rather pristine three-starred female Green Flash (Artipe eryx eryx).

I took a while to get a few shots of  the undersides of the Grey Count (Cynitia lepidea).  

There were a few very alert Grey Counts flitting around and they seemed to like shady places. I managed to take a instinctive shot when it landed in front of me.

I will showcase more shots taken at Doi Suthep in my next blog post.

From Mandai to Bukit Panjang

Singapore's first Prime Minister and the founding father Mr Lee Kuan Yew (1923 - 2015）passed away peacefully in the hospital in the early morning on 23 March. The whole nation was deeply sadden by the loss of a great man and a national treasure.  During the week-long national mourning, more than a million Singaporeans had paid respects and tributes to him.  

Thank you Mr Lee for what you had done for Singapore - your lifelong love for the country, your far-sighted visions for Singapore and the no-nonsense ways of doing the right things right had transformed this city state from a poor nation to an affluent first-world country within a decade.  In particular, thank you Mr Lee for masterminding and making Singapore a nation in a garden - the beauty of the greenery and nature, the clean and sparkling waterways in many parts of the island have made our living environments to be one of the best in the world.  

No words can express the amount of my family's gratitude to Mr Lee. Born in a poor migrant's family, my siblings and I will not be what we are today without the HDB home-ownership scheme,  the education polices and the meritocracy principle that Mr Lee  upheld steadfastly.  

Thank you Mr Lee, we will always remember you. 安息吧，李光耀先生, 我们敬爱的国父。

Let me continue with my account of an outing to Mandai Track 15 on a fine Saturday morning (7 March). Strolling slowly along the quiet biking trail, I could sense that many critters seemed to be still asleep and hiding somewhere out of my sight.

My first shot of the morning was this young male Blue Skimmer (Orthetrum luzonicum) dragonfly perching on a blade of lalang grass. 

I had hiked from Bukit Panjang to Mandai several times without getting lost. However, this was my first time strolling in the opposite direction. Without referring to the GPS location, I made a wrong choice at one of the Y-junctions and ended up at a very peaceful and beautiful reservoir edge - a fruitful wrong turn however. Here, I was presented with a chance to snap some shots of a pristine small lycaenid - the Malayan (Megisba malaya sikkima).

Along a stretch of concrete path running parallel to the expressway, there was a row of blooming Snakeweed (Stachytarpheta indica). A few skippers and butterflies were actively feeding on the flowers. I managed to snap a quick shot of a Chocolate Demon (Ancistroides nigrita maura).

Another skipper, a Detached Dart (Potanthus trachala tytleri) was zipping around and feeding on the flowers. Never remaining still for a little longer, it tested my determination of getting a decent shot. 

There were a lot of Painted Jezebels (Delias hyparete metarete) fluttering at treetop levels at a few locations along the trail. I decided to hang around there, hoping to get a chance shooting this pretty pierid. I was lucky to spot a male resting at a shady corner off the trail. 

I will be featuring most of  my butterflies that I have photographed during the 7-day (15 - 21 March) Butterfly Expedition to Chiang Mai in the next couple of blog posts here.

Two Outings to Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park

On two consecutive Saturday mornings (21 and 28 Feb), I accompanied my two different Secondary school classmates to trek from Bukit Panjang to USR. Though it was a long trek, I didn't have any chance to photograph any critters.

On both occasions I decided to stay a bit longer at USR to look for butterflies and critters. 

A rather pristine Purple Duke (Eulaceura osteria kumana) was displaying an unusual behaviour  -resting on a leaf surface instead of hiding underneath a leaf.  

The Common Posy (Drupadia ravindra moorei) was flitting around from leaf to leaf. I wasn't very keen to chase it but when it perched right in front of me, I instinctively snapped a quick shot.

I am not sure what this bug is - a Sting bug perhaps. It stayed on the edge of a leaf for me to snap a few shots.

My second Common Posy shot was taken on 28 Feb - a common sight and behaviour when it perched on the ants-infested Smilex bracteata.  

A Yamfly (Loxura atymnus fuconius) displayed the same behaviour - a close association with ants. 

A female Horsfield's Baron was loitering around her host plant - the Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum) in the afternoon. 

I was lucky to have her staying on the leaf for a while.

I wonder when USR will be teeming with butterflies and critters again? 

A Quiet Morning @ Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill Park

My last visit to Mount Faber was about one year ago (see here). On 14 Feb, after a quick breakfast at the Seah Im Road hawker centre, I walked leisurely up to the Mount Faber Park along the Marang Trail.

My first shot of the morning was a female Malayan Eggfly (Hypolimnas anomala anaomala) basking in the morning sun at a distance away from me.  This is the only shot I took at Mount Faber Park despite 

I decided to walk over to the Telok Blangah Hill Park (TBHP). After crossing the Henderson Waves bridge, I was presented with a chance to snap this Ciliate Blue (Anthene emolus goberus).

While there were no critters to photograph, I looked out for caterpillars. This is a 5th instar of the Plain Nawab (Polyura hebe platus) resting on the Red Saga leaves (Adenanthera pavonina).

On the same plant, an early instar Plain Nawab caterpillar was wriggling slowly.

Wandering aimlessly at TBHP, I just could not find any critters I wanted to photograph. At a shady corner, I decided to take a few shots of a pair of mating Micropezid Fly (Mimegralla albimana) and called it a day. 

A Long Trek Into the Nature Reserve

Another fine and windy Saturday morning (6 Feb) tempted me to trek into the nature reserve. I walked leisurely from Lornie Trail towards Golf Link Boardwalk, rested at the Jelutong Tower before trekking towards the Riffle Range Link. I decided to turn around to fill up my drinking bottle at the Ranger Station before heading towards the Venus Road carpark. It was a tiring long walk.  

This was the only shot  taken along the Lornie Trail - a kind of tiny froghopper resting on a leaf in the shade.

While strolling on the Golf Link trail, I saw a egret (?) foraging at the edge of the reservoir. I approached it slowly and snapped a record shot. 

It might have noticed my presence when I tried to get closer. I  managed to snap some instinctive shots when it was taking off. What a pity that the wings were overexposed.

From a distance, I noticed a pacific swallow perching on a red metal bar sticking out from the pond on the golf course side.

Finally, I got a chance to take a shot of a critter - an orange skipper, the Lesser Dart (Potanthus omaha omaha). 

It had the tendency to open its wings partially a few seconds after each new perch. 

Along the Riffle Range Link, a male Horsefeld's Baron (Tanaecia iapis puseda) changed perch a few times but it seemed to prefer looking down on me all the time. 

It was my first encounter of a large amount of rapid-flowing water passing through this rather wide drain with many vertical beams. The thundering sounds and the patterns created by the torrential stream of water were simply awesome. 

Never mind that there were no butterflies. Sitting under the shade on some rocks at the reservoir edge, I really enjoyed the solitude and the greenery surrounding the peaceful reservoir - an absolutely refreshing and therapeutic feeling.  

While moving towards the Ranger Station, I met a very cooperative Common Hedge Blue (Acytolepis puspa lambi) puddling on the ground - it was my third butterfly shot of the day.

My fourth shot came shortly after that. A small  lycaenid, restless at first, finally joined the Common Hedge Blue. It took me awhile to take a shot to confirm that it was a Tailless Line Blue (Prosotas dubiosa lumpura).

It started to drizzle when I left the Ranger Station. Luckily, it didn't last long. In fact, the weather wasn't that bad while I was on my way out walking along the Venus Trail but I didn't have a single chance to increase my camera shutter count. 

I hope you were not disappointed with only four butterfly shots in this post.

Tampines Eco Green Park Again

With a home visit to a BC member on 31 Jan in mind in the afternoon, I decided to drop by the Tampines Eco Green Park again in the morning.

As usual it was a great enjoyment to watch many Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) butterflies dancing high and low in the wind, visiting and feeding on flowers in a sunny and windy morning. With the abundance of the Plain Tiger's larval host plant, the Calotropis gigantea growing very well at the south entrance, the Plain Tiger butterfly should be there all year round to welcome us.

I was more interested in shooting this Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus teatus) when I spotted it resting on the tip of a leaf  just above my head.

Quite a number of the lycaenids that I encountered were rather tattered. A worn-out Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus maxentius) was showing off its scintillating blue uppersides in flight but I wasn't keen on snapping more shots.

I haven't got the luck to photograph a pristine Club Silverline (Spindasis syama terana) for a long time. Sorry that I had to ignore you after taking a few shots.

With the presence of the black spot in space 7 of the hindwing, it is easy to identify this as the Pointed Ciliat Blue (Anthene lycaenina miya). A diligent fellow which kept foraging among the String Bush flowers. 

At last I shot a more pristine lycaenid - a Slate Flash (Rapala manea chozeba) which came down to rest after I "disrupted" from its excessive feeding on some some flowers above me.

Another better specimen - this may be a Copper Flash (Rapala pheretima sequeira) which looks rather similar to the the Slate Flash. 

I was curious to find out what this small lycaenid was when it fed on some String Bush flowers high above me. It turned out to be the Tailless Line Blue (Prosotas dubuiosa )

The Dark Glassy Tiger (Parantica agleoides agleoides) was quite abundant too. When it presented a good shooting opportunity for me, I would oblign to shoot it.

A close resemblance to the Black Veined Tiger (Danaus melanippus hegesippus), this white form of the Common Tiger (Danaus genutia genutia) presented me with a good pose for some quick shots.

Here is another shot.

I didn't find many skippers in this outing session. This is the only one - a rather active Telicota species (likely to be the T. besta bina) that I managed to take a few shots. 

This jumper spider was playing hide-and-seek with me - it was about to hide under the leaf.  I was amazed by its ability to sense my movement. 

Today is the second day of a new year on the lunar calender - wishing everyone having a prosperous, fruitful and most importantly good health in the Year of the Goat. 

Especially, I would pray that my wish for Common Rose will come true -  wishing him a speedy and a full recovery from a stroke that he has suffered more than a year ago. 加油 CM，you have made tremendous progress - a slow rehabilitation process but surely you will get better and better.