AH - Still One Of The Best Places To Visit

Without fail, guided walks at Alexandra Hospital’s Butterfly Trail tend to attract large turnouts every time BIG conducts them there. Sunday, 17th May 2009 was no different.

Common Birdwing by Lena Chow

One of the obvious reasons must be the high probability of seeing a Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae asteris) or a Common Birdwing (Troides helena cerberus) within its vicinity. Participants numbering thirty were seen streaming in just before the appointed meeting time.
Besides Singapore Botanic Gardens, this is the place to visit if one wants to see both of these endangered butterfly species. We were not disappointed on this visit as there were 3 Common Rose and a pair of Common Birdwing butterflies strutting their stuff.  
At the end of the walk, you can tell that it ended really well. Most of the members were tired but happy and chatty. Emails from two participants to us (below) summed it up best:

From    : Chiu San To        : BIG Subject: Thanks To Simon Chan and Gan Cheong Weei, Thanks for a most enlightening walk at Alexandra  Hospital on the morning of 17th May. Would you believe that in 50 years of nature walks  and looking at butterflies, this was the first time I have ever seen a wild  Birdwing in Singapore? You guys were great!

From    : Lena Chow To        : BIG Subject: Butterfly walks Hi Simon & Gan, Many thanks again for your efforts in organising this weekend's walks to T3 & AH... I enjoyed them both, and look forward to the next one at BBNP!

---

Photos from the Butterfly Walk :

A group shot for the record.

Gan : “Look ! A female Orange Emigrant is ovipositing on the Bushy Cassia.”

Gan : “This is the reason why we have some many Chocolate Pansy at AH – an abundance of its larva host plant“
 
There is something for everyone at AH.

Kids : “That’s a termite trail !”

Simon : “That is the black and yellow butterfly you saw just now.”

Blue Glassy Tiger on the flower of Heliotropium shrub by Lena Chow

A male Common Birdwing frozen in flight by KC Tsang.
Shot at f/5.6 1/2500s

 

Butterflies seen at AH

Baron (Euthalia aconthea gurda) Blue Glassy Tiger (Ideopsis vulgaris macrina) Bush Brown species (Mycalesis sp.) Centaur Oak Blue (Arhopala pseudocentaurus nakula) Chestnut Bob (Iambrix salsala salsala) Chocolate Pansy (Junonia hedonia ida) Common Birdwing (Troides helena cerberus) Common Four Ring (Ypthima huebneri) Common Imperial (Cheritra freja frigga) Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus) Common Palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra agina) Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae asteris) Cycad Blue (Chilades pandava pandava) Grass Yellow species (Eurema sp.) Lemon Emigrant (Catopsilia pomona pomona) Leopard (Phalanta phalantha phalantha) Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus malayanus) Mottled Emigrant (Catopsilia pyranthe pyranthe) Orange Emigrant (Catopsilia scylla cornelia) Painted Jezebel (Delias hyparete metarete) Pygmy Grass Blue (Zizula hylax pygmaea)