A beautiful Papillionidae species - Arisbe antiphates

 I am somewhat flattered with the arrival of the Arisbe antiphates butterfly here.  It was a memorable occasion for me as I watched this slow flying butterfly resting and then flying off over many places in the garden, especially the Butterfly garden area where I first sighted it.  This is the first time on record that this butterfly is seen by me after staying for about 11 years at the park.  It's a beautiful specimen that crossed my path on the 7th of June'17.

Papillionidae - Arisbe antiphates
4 June '17

Let the butterflies roam freely.

 As an eco -defender, the park continues to become home of an endless list of butterflies.  Butterflying waching is indeed a pleasant pastime here.  One thing I noticed is the importance of planting various flowering shrubs,  trees and treelets.  There again these lovely creatures need fly path or flight way..  In the design and planning of the park there must be plenty of landscape spaces allotted to flyways to enable these butterflies flight spaces and visitors to move around safely and fast in order to chase these beauties. Below are more pictures I took of them during the last two - three days.  It's a pleasure to share these flying beauties of nature for the world to see.

Banded Swallowtail

The Banded Swallowtail butterfly is seen sipping the nectar from the flowers of the Yellow Ixora.

Location : Zone C

Butterflies and more butterflies in December

Grass Yellow at Butterfly Garden

Chocolate Grass Yellow ( Eurema sari sodalis) attracted to wild flowers on the garden floor
Location : Butterfly Garden

Common Grass Yellow
|

 The smaller types of butterflies that are often seen at the park belongs to the Grass Yellow variety.  Two distinct species are the Common Grass Yellow and the Chocolate Grass Yellow.  Both have bright yellow wings and are seen abundantly at the park especially at the Butterfly Garden.  The Chocolate Grass Yellow has the characteristic brown apex  on the underside of its forewing. They are attracted to many small flowers on the garden floor and  also to the fragrant Sui-mui flowers (Religiosa wrightia).  The Butterfly Garden is slowly shaping up as more plants are added to its planting list.  Of recent interest is the Letup-Letup plant or the Lesser Bladder Cherry (Physalis minima) which has produced an abundance of edible fruits and tiny pale yellow flowers.

Common Grass Yellow ( Eurema hecabe contubernalis) at the Sui-mui flowers ( Wrightia religiosa)

Letup Letup  plant growing well at the Butterfly Garden (looking south)

Another view of Letup-Letup at the Butterfly Garden (looking east)

Tiny flowers of the Letup-Letup (Physalis minima)

Black-tipped Archduke

Black-tipped Archduke (Lexias dirtea merguia)
Zone C

Underside wings

 While many butterflies are attracted presently to the nectaring plants that flower profusely at the park especially the Eugenia oleina, the very attractive Black-tipped Archduke is seen favouring the rotting fruits like banana skins,on the forest ground.  I find great pleasure observing the bright and luminous blue colours of the Archduke.  This is in contrast to the dull brown underside wings.  This butterfly can be seen scavenging on the forest floor and move about slowly without being unnecessarily alarmed by human presence, thus my ability to get closer pictures of it.

The Blue Tiger drops by

Blue Tiger - a name I give to this butterfly species

White flowers of the Eugenia oleina

 The Blue Tiger drops by at the park this morning.  A rare moment because it has been for more than a year that I have not seen it around.  It is a species of butterfly that I hardly come across in many areas in Sarawak ( or the island of Borneo) whether it be in pictures or in the google stock of images.   Nevertheless, it does appear in the park when the Eugenia oleina tree flowers.  Its sighting today makes my day.  I hope it will visit the park again tomorrow and give me more close-up and personal encounters for photography purpose,  Cheers to the Blue Tiger.

Blue Tiger - front wings tipped with blue-black stripes and hind wings in yellow-black stripes.
Location : Zone C

Its flowering time for the Eugenia oleina trees here.

Up close and personal

Black Tipped Butterfly on damp cement floor
Zone C

Skink on 'Belian' plank.

 In between work I noticed two wildlife close by -  a butterfly and a skink.  I decided to get close and personal with them when I took a brief rest from work later.   The Black Tipped Archduke ( Lexias dirtea merguia) was flying low and moved close to the ground.  When it rested on the damp and littered old cement floor close to where I rested,  it gave me a rare opportunity to get as many pictures I wanted.  The butterfly was in its best form and colours.  On moving to another spot for another brief rest I chanced upon a skink that looked curiously at me.  The skink seemed to be motionless and thus enabled me to get sharper images of it and for stock photography.

Black Tipped Archduke

Skink
Zone C

Add caption

A very commom butterfly at the park - Common Eggfly

Common Eggfly ( Hypolimnas bolina)
Family : Nymphalidae
Location  : Zone B

The Great Eggfly butterfly

Great Eggfly ( Hypolimnas bolina)
Location : Zone C

View of underside 

 Been watching the Great Eggfly (Hypplimnas bolina) and managed to get a few good shots of it.  It was seen at the Blood banana tree (Musa sumatrana) at Zone C sipping nectar from its flowers.  It was seen visiting the flowers in the morning and since it was busy enjoying the nectar it was quite oblivious to being photographed.  The upperside is very colourful and the underside no less attractive with its lace-like patterns.  On many occasions it flew to the ground and settled on the grasses.  A rare coincidence occurred when a mate appeared on the scene and after many attempts the pair finally came together in unison.

Sipping nectar from the banana flowers

Settling on the lawn

The Great Eggfly in copulation

The Blue Pansy butterfly

Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya wallacei)Location : Butterfly Garden, Zone C