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) :)

Butterfly Colours - Yellow

Following the yellow trend: Bright and sunny yellow butterflies are 
the main characteristic of the family pieridae; so much that they 
are collectively known as 'the whites and yellows'. In Singapore, we 
have six species of 'grass yellow'. As the name suggests, they are 
little dots of yellow that flutter around grass. Very often, they can 
be seen flying at the roadside while cars whizz by. Yellow is the 
lightest colour on the colour wheel and is usually a symbol of 
happiness and optimism. It is a highly visible colour and many 
insects use it as an aposematic, or warning, colour to ward 
predators off. In the same way, yellow was used as a 
representation of betrayal in the Renaissance. 

(Left to Right, Top to Bottom)
Anderson's Grass Yellow, Common Birdwing, Forest Grass Yellow, Bush Hopper, Tree Yellow, Lime Butterfly, Chocolate Grass Yellow, Yellow Grass Dart, Three Spot Grass Yellow