Monday 5 August 2013

After the drizzle @ Upper Seletar

Yesterday it drizzled and drizzled. I needed a break from school 
work badly but the weather did not seem to agree with me; neither
did the butterflies. It was only after an hour or so that the sky 
cleared a little, letting some light in. This pristine common faun 
was the first to cross my path.
The common faun is always a familiar sight in our forests, often 
flying very close to ground and disappearing upon landing. While
it may not seem to be a very interesting butterfly due to its drab 
colours and abundance, its eyes are a burst of colour. The upperside,
too, is rather bright, being a rusty orange that flashes as it flies.

The sun finally decided to poke out from behind the clouds. A female
purple duke was fluttering around the ground. At first glance, she 
appeared to be puddling; a behavior not commonly associated with 
females. However it turned out that she was feeding on minerals on the leaves.
I was scouring a hedge line for anything interesting when I noticed 
something resting on a leaf. Longish shape, black, some yellow... 
definitely not a butterfly. It was cicada; a black and golden cicada. 
When it took off, it revealed a yellow abdomen, which it also 
exposes when calling.













The day was certainly getting brighter. I was shocked when a malay
lacewing glided out of the forest and onto the grass. It was unmistakable;
with its stunning combination of metallic black, white and glowing
sunset orange. This one was a male. The female sports a paler orange. 
The malay lacewing was arguably the highlight of the day. It came to
feed on some ixora blooms as well, but it was very active and 
I was unable to get any good shots. The underside is even more 
dazzling, with patterns of golden brown, red, black and white. It 
is one of our most colourful butterflies, and was a joy to watch.














Many other butterflies were seen, but only in glimpses and flashes.
Back to reality, my shots have really deteriated. It's obvious. I bet I'm
just out of practice. While I would love to shoot more, this year was 
destined to be a busy one. While my exams have recently passed, they
are nearly on me again. I think I will cease the self- pity here. Thanks
for reading!

2 comments:

  1. Lovely pictures Bluebottle. I like to see pictures of butterflies from different angles and showing them in context.
    I have often found that some of my best days searching for butterflies started with unpromising weather. I think that means you are in the right place just as the butterflies start to become active.
    I hope your exam results are as expected (or better!)

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  2. Thanks for looking Nick! I very often have plenty of such pictures, but I hardly post them. I guess I should make more of an effort to post them.
    Usually right after the rain the butterflies will be hungry and many will start sunbathing as well to gain warmth. It's all a matter of timing; getting there after the rain and not during! (like I did)

    Haha, Anyway my exams went fine. I'm just trying to be consistent in my schoolwork, and maybe blogging too. ;)

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