Saturday 16 October 2010

Common Red Flash @ DFNP

I finally got some good shots of the common red flash
today at DFNP. In fact, we had spent the whole afternoon
searching for butterflies out in the hot sun. It was only
when we were about to leave, I met Uncle Loke there.
... ... And that was when the red flash came down to play.

It was about 5pm, so he was also sunbathing. The
upperside of the male is a bright orange-red with a thick
black/brown border on the forewing. There is also
quite a lot of brown dusting on the basal area of the wings.

Red flashes fly at tremendous speeds, zooming around
in wide circles and finally landing on the same perch.
Males are also observed to "dogfight", in which two or
more males will chase each other. What a pity this one did
not open his wings fully.

The underside is a plain buff-grey with a dark post-
discal line edged with white that runs through both the
wings. It has a false head at the tip of the hindwing, with
an eyespot and some metallic blue scales below the eyespot.

The tails are also very flimsy, and wave around wildly
even in the slightest breeze. Uncle Loke and I had quite a
good time shooting this guy.

Here is Uncle Loke hard at work trying to get a decent
shot. It is easy to see him... ... but where is subject? you can
click on the image to enlarge it and try find the butterfly.

Well, I had a great day and I hope I will see him again,
real soon. :)

2 comments:

  1. Crisp & Clear. Wow, I'm fascinated by your shots, as usual. Lovely pics. The butterflies + their background look amazing. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Shawn. It's great to know yer back. :)

    ReplyDelete