Rifle Range again

Today Uncle Khew brought me back to Rifle Range.

Mark and Ms CJ tagged along. The weather was

not favourable, and it was windy and overcast. But it was

just a matter of time before the sun, and the butterflies came

out. There were many blue Jays flying speedily around.

After a few hopeless attempts to shoot the cruizers

and the magpie crows, I decided to check out what else

was flying. To my surprise, a blue helen had come down

to puddle! The blue helen is a rare swallowtail. This was the

first time I actually got to shoot it.

The helen got us all very excited. When it had enough

of feeding and flew off, the magpie crows stayed to tease us.

They were way too skittish for me to shoot. Instead, I settled

for this uncommon pointed ciliate blue.

It was quite a good day out, I must say. That's

all I have to show.

The end.

Harlequins Galore

Today I went out with Uncle Sunny and a few others to

find the beautiful harlequin butterfly. The habitat was a

forest and it was very dark. Just after we entered their patch,

I could see a few flying around. This is the male.

They were all over the place, and stayed close to the ground.

They were not easy to shoot though, as they would keep

tuning around and flitting from leaf to leaf with half open wings.

The females were especially active and skittish. Below is a

female harlequin.

The harlequin is a pretty butterfly from the family

riodinidae. They are rare here, and are also very local.

More often than not, they can be seen hiding in the

deep shade. The male is dark brown above, with an

orange forewing apex ( wing tip ). Underneath, it is brick red

with silvery-blue and black spots.

The female is paler, and there is a large white patch on

the forewing apex. They have hindwings that are slightly

serrated. The blue spots are also more translucent, rather

than metallic. The upperside is similar to the underside, but

darker and lacking the blue spots.

The harlequin butterfly is dependant on an uncommon

host plant. It is very sensitive to its habitat and environment,

making it a rather delicate species. If efforts are not made to

protect the forests that this wonderful creature lives in, it is sad

to know they may soon vanish.

I hope this reminds us to treasure nature's fine creations,

and remember just how fragile they can be.

The end.