Lung Kwu Tan (龍鼓灘) & Luk Keng (鹿頸), Hong Kong

Continued from last post.
Our HK friends were not free on 5 and 6 July, so we were on our own to explore two butterfly hunting sites.

This small Tagiades species was my first shot on 5 July at Long Ku Tan. However, it always landed underneath a leaf, making it very difficult for me to snap a good shot. I was puzzled by the absence of the white outer margin of a normal T.  menaka that I used to encountered. 

I went up the steps leading to the Emperor rock (didn't reach the peak this time) and bumped into this Club Silverline (Spindasis syama) and a rather large dark brown skipper that looks like a Boaris farri.

The Falcate Oak Blue (Mahathala ameria) seemed to be quite common at Long Ku Tan as I spotted at least three or four individuals. 

This looks like the Transparent Sixline Blue (Nacaduba kurva)

The Common Gull (Cepora nerissa) came to feed late in the afternoon at a wasteland where the Bidens flowers were abundant. 

On 6 July, we took the East Rail Line to the Fenling Station and transferred to the green mini bus 56k (every 30 min interval) bringing us to its terminal station at Luk Keng village. On our way to the village, I bumped into this Chestnut Angle (Odontoptilum angulatum) on the road side.

Our first shot at the village was the  Papilio protenor (Spangle) feeding gracefully on the flowers.

We had to take cover at a corridor of a block of apartment while waiting for the passing-rain to stop.

Shortly after the rain, we were very lucky to spot the Lethe rohria.

The Bamboo Tree Brown (Lethe europa) and a mating pair of the Common Palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra agina) were seen at the vicinity.

The weather turned very hot after our lunch but the number of butterfly species was rather disappointed. Along a forest trail along a slope, we encountered a group of puddling butterflies on a rotten fruit.

We waited awhile, trying to isolate them. The Commo Duffer (Discophora sondaica) refused to go away after the Archdukes were "reset"

A few male and female Archdukes (Lexias pardalis) were flying low and looking for puddling spots .

An underside shot of a female.

In the late afternoon, while walking down the same slope, I bumped into this Chinese Peacock resting on a leaf surface.

This Lethe confusa was surprisingly tame for me to take a few shots.

A few skippers were zipping around. I had to be patient and observant to track them if they had landed.

This should be a Parnara ganga.

Along a cement road leading to the end of the village, a lonely Common Nawab (Polyura athamas) was seen puddling.

The Bidens flowers growing in the grasslands on both sides of the road attracted quite a number of small skippers; they were flitting amongst the flowers. This is the Jhora Scrub Hopper (Aeromachus jhora ).

A Bush Hopper (Ampittia dioscorides) resting on a blade of grass.

Under the hot afternoon sun this Lemon Pansy (Junonia lemonias) was highly active, visiting different Bidens flowers frequently but without a long perch.

Hong Kong has many butterfly-hunting sites that we did not visit in this trip - we will be back again in the future.