Butterflies of Taiwan Part 1

On two separate flights , CH and I landed at the Taoyuan International airport in the evening of 10 June. Our host picked us up from the airport and headed to Taipei cty centre for a steamboat dinner before checking into hotel. Our first shooting location on 11 June was the 拉拉山. We had to leave our hotel at around 3:30 am to hunt for an endemic lycaenid - the 拉拉山鑽灰蝶 (Horaga rarasana). Many thanks to 晟智and 陳全 who drove us to 拉拉山 and bought breakfast for us. 

We arrived at the mountain park early and took our breakfast outside the gate while waiting for the park to be opened at 7 am. Another 3 km of trekking brought us to a sunlit spot where the rare lycaenid would show up. Anyway, a long distance shot was what I could get on our way back to the gate.

While waiting for our target to appear, I noticed this strange-looking fly hovering on a blade of grass.

I know there are many different species of ladybird  beetles but this one with a pair of  large white eyes was my first collection.

A small robber fly with a long and sharp abdomen.

While loitering around a small patch of open ground, I noticed this 大紅蛺蝶  (Vanessa indica) puddling on a piece of wooden prank. It must be a very common species that the local butterfly photographers ignored it completely.   

I waited for opportunities to snap its upperside shot - this was my only shot.

I am not sure if this is the Neptis soma tayalina (斷線環蛺蝶)- it kept flapping its wings while it was trying to settle on a leaf.

At last it stayed still for a short moment.

There were a  few 流星絹粉蝶 (Aporia agathon moltrechti) zooming around from tree to tree and feeding on flowers at the site.  

The 靛色琉灰蝶 is a different subspecies  from our Common Hedge Blue (Acytolepsis puspa lambi).

紫日灰蝶 is (Heliop ila matsumurae)  a common butterfly in Taiwan.


I managed to take an upperside shot of another individual.

After we left La La Mountain in the early afternoon, we headed back to Taoyuan city along a winding mountain road. Along the way,  晟智 parked the car at the roadside and let us took some shots of these beautiful nymphalidae butterflies which were feeding on the sap of a fallen tree trunk. 

There were a few 燦蛺蝶 (Sephisa chandra androdamas) feeding  the tree trunk. We could not get any closer to this  female as one step forward would land us in the ravine of the mountain.

 The male was more colourful.

I could see this male Chitoria chrysolara  ( 金鎧蛺蝶) from where I stood and it seemed to be at the resting mode for a long period of time.

Apart from butterflies, different species of beetles were attracted to the tree sap too.

After taking some shots, 陳全 showed us other shooting locations nearby. He spotted a (Tongeia hainani) 台灣玄灰蝶.  

Before the above shot was taken, it was trying to mate but somehow they lacked the sexual instinct to get into the correct position - strange !

Take a good look at this beautiful  台灣翠蛺蝶 (Euthalia formosana), what was wrong with it? 

After this, 晟智 brought us to our last shooting location of the day. He suddenly parked his car at the roadside. Guess, what did you see? Yes, a snake was stuck inside a pipe in an embankment of the road. 陳全 was really brave - he pulled it out and I quickly took a few shots.

We finally reached a trail leading to the top of a mountain. Immediately, we noticed a Stichophthalma howqua formosana 箭環蝶-my first shot of a Jungle Queen. 

The undersides of this (大紫蛺蝶) Sasakia chadronda formosana are less attractive then the uppersides - but I could not get a proper shot. 

There were quite a few Symbrenthia hypselis scatinia (花豹盛蛺蝶)along this forest trail.

Its uppersides.

To be continued.

Strolling Along the Rail Corridor

With the relocation of the historic Tanjong Pagar train station to Woodlands in 2011, the 24 km railway tracks running from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands has now become a popular hiking and cycling trail.

Pondering where I should start my morning walk on a fine and breezy Saturday morning (1 June), I decided to take a look at the Bukit Timah Railway Station as it was gazetted as a building for conservation. So this train station marked my starting point of my first visit to the rail corridor.

My first encounter of a butterfly was a Tawny Coster (Acraea violae) which was found flitting around the building and feeding on some wild Asystasia flowers.

Of course, there were many wild flowers on both sides of the trail - this white flower of a climber attracted by attention.

An assassin bug was swaying in the breeze on a leaf. After a quick snap, I moved towards the black iron bridge - one of the prominent landmarks of this railway track.

On this bridge, I was rather fortunate to notice a mating pair of Small Branded Swift (Pelopidas mathias mathias) scooting off from a leaf and landed on the track. A few quick shots were what I could get as there were a few hikers were behind me.

After walking past a short and rather open trail  parallel to the Riffle Range Road and the underneath of the Anak Bukit Flyover, I was greeted with a straight path ahead of me with shade and a lot of wild greenery on both sides of the trail. 

Here, I encountered  quite a number of skippers. A rather shy Contiguous Swift (Polytremis lubricans lubricans) refused to come closer to me despite a few attempts to "reset" is resting position.

However, when it did came closer after sometime, it always opened its wings -  this was my best attempt of taking an upperside shot.













This small orange skipper looks more like a Lesser Dart (Potanthus omaha omaha).

It had a tendency to open its wings fully a few seconds later on  a new perch.

Apart from hikers, there were many cyclists on the trail - usually in a group.

Perhaps it was next to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, there were more butterflies at one particular spot near the Visitor Centre. I noticed from far, a Sunbeam flitting at the ground level. It was skittish but with patience, I was finally able to snap a few shots - a  Malayan Sunbeam (Curetis santana malayica).

I was waiting for it to open its wings fully but this was the best I could get. 

At a waterlogged spot, there were a lot of dragonflies and other bugs. A Common Parasol (Neurothemis fluctuans) displayed an elegant perch on a twig.

The way and the position they perched made it difficult for me to take a good shot of  this small mating pair of damselflies - I am not sure if these are the Shortail (Onychargia atrocyana).

Is this a kind of shield bug? 

An interesting fly (?) with colourful legs - is this rare?

I was excited when this large Great Helen (Papilio iswara iswara) or perhaps Blue Helen (Papilio prexaspes prexaspes) came down at around noon. It was fluttering with high speed on the grass but I just could not take a underside shot to determine its identity with certainty. 

I wandered around at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Visitor Centre (still under renovation) and bumped into a Fivebar Swordtail (Pythysa antiphates itamputi) feeding on some flowers of the Leea indica.

I was very lucky to notice a motionless Malayan Colugo (Cynocephalus variegatus) sleeping high on a big tree trunk 

I finally reached the Railway Mall and had my lunch there. It was a slow and fruitful walk  - indeed, when we slow down our pace and take a closer look at nature, we get to see more things  nature offers us. Let's hope that this railway corridor becomes a permanent green corridor for our hardworking people, young and old and families to come here to exercise, relax and enjoy the wilderness of our nature.

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.