Ubin Before the Rain

I would never have known that the blue sky over Pulau Ubin would 
be so short-lived. The rain did more than just pour; it literally 
flooded the air completely. The enormous winds did not help either.
That aside, I'll write about the butterflies I saw before the downpour.
At Butterfly Hill, Pea Blues were numerous and were fluttering around
in full force. Here is a male who was sunbathing on the sandy ground.

Blue Glassy Tigers were about as well, floating from flower to flower.
Their close relative and lookalike, the Dark Glassy Tiger, was just as 
common but I did not manage any pictures.

While the Malayan Birdwing was nowhere to be seen, I was still 
thrilled to see its cousin, the Common Birdwing. The two species 
represent the largely Australasian genus, troides, in Singapore. There
were at least three individuals roaming the hill. Each time one 
passed by the ixora bushes for a sip, we would rapidly fire at them 
in hopes of getting a clear shot. This is the female.

Sometimes our reactions were too slow.

Here is a male. It is smaller than the female, and lacks the black 
spots on the sunny yellow hindwing.

While the rest were busy with the Birdwings, I decided to venture 
into a thick bamboo growth further away. The elusive Bamboo Tree 
Brown was everywhere. Their colour, bouncy flight and habit of 
landing in obscure places made them hard to track. I have always 
been drawn to their lovely patterns. While it is only brown, it is the 
variations in brown I find beautiful.

On my way out, I passed by this male Club Silverline. It liked to 
land under leaves very low down; quite a headache for me! Soon 
it perched on a leaf in some shade.

It was a really enjoyable trip. I had excellent company; the people 
from ButterflyCircle are amazing. The rain will never be able to 
dampen our spirits. ;)