Monday 21 April 2014

The Pale Grass Blue

I would love to do some serious out-in-the-forest shooting but
my examinations are in a mere two week's time. So, I have done
some outside-the-house shooting instead. The roadside grass 
patches have sprouted with weeds lately in the mood swing 
weather. One of them is the vernonia cinerea (the common 
vernonia). Lots of little blues have been fluttering around the 
cheerful flowers.















The Pale Grass Blue is the largest of our three 'grass blues'; small
butterflies that frequent the roadsides. This species was discovered
in Singapore in 2001 and has since become quite the commoner.
They have a weak and fluttering flight and stay close to the ground.
Being common and not very showy, they, along with the other grass 
blues, are often overlooked. 













I think it was a blessing that I couldn't get out in pursuit of 
more exotic butterflies; it let me appreciate the beauty of the
little creatures I so often ignore. It also brought back some 
happy memories I used to pick bunches of common vernonia for 
my mother back when I was... 5? They'd all be wilted by the time 
they got home though. Later on I would stop on the pavement to 
watch the little grass blues go about their lives. It was nice to 
do it all again. (except this time I left the weed picking out) :)

2 comments:

  1. Those are beautiful pictures of the Pale Grass Blue. I agree that little butterflies like these can give great pleasure. I love the African Grass Blue, a distant relative of this butterfly. I have seen it in southern Europe, Mauritius and Tenerife. Although it isn't as flamboyant as many other butterflies it is beautiful when you look at the detail visible on macro photos.

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  2. Thanks Nick! Very often beauty is overlooked. I'm glad to hear that Spring has finally sprung over where you are!

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