A Case Of Bad Weather,Too Much Human Activity Or Global Warming?

Butterfly Walk with Simon Chan at Bukit Batok Nature Park on 21 Jun 2009

The morning of 21st June 2009 began well. Amongst the 20-over participants for the Bukit Batok Nature Park butterfly walk, 3 of them were birdwatchers. In their pursuit of birds, these birders would inadvertently ‘bumped’ into some butterflies. For them this was what you might call a ‘Butterfly 101’ course.

“That is the Malay Viscount”

    
While waiting for more members to arrive, we had a surprise visit from a Ciliate Blue. It flew from some bushes on our right and landed on a red scooter. Perching there for a while, it began opening its wings to display it shiny purplish uppersides, a definite confirmation for a male. Females have totally brown uppersides save for bluish wing bases. The proud owner of the scooter must have been very disappointed if he or she only knew what the commotion was all about!

Common Five Ring

The sunny weather turned bad ten minutes into our walk.  To make matters worse, there was some sort of major running event going on. Although ‘deaf’ in human terms, insects especially butterflies can still feel vibrations and air movements created when something moved past. And now we have hundreds of them moving in a long procession. Or could it be due to global warming? Whatever the case, the density of butterflies was very poor.

Malayan  Eggfly

Approaching the exercise area of the park, we spotted 2 Malayan Eggfly butterflies spiraling into the air.  Contrary to what most people believe, this pair were not doing a consummate dance but were trying to outdo each other in the male dominance game.

We were by now nearing the lake. Next to it was a big tree overladen with flowers. Going by the name of Red Trailing Bauhinia (Bauhinia kockiana), it was in full bloom.  Disappointment were etched all over the faces of the participants when not a single butterfly was in sight. The silence was only broken when someone spotted 2 Painted Jezebels, a

Malay Viscount

female and then a male following her, fluttering around. Then out of the blue something brown shot over from the flowers landing on the opposite foliage. It was a one-of-a-kind show stopper and for many a ‘lifer’. A ‘3-star’ species in our guide, this Malay Tailed Judy settled on a leave with wings three-quarters opened in typical Riodininae fashion.

List of species seen during the walk include :

1. Papilio polytes romulus (Common Mormon)
2. Delias hyparete metarete (Painted Jezebel)
3. Leptosia nina malayana (Psyche)
4. Catopsilia pomona pomona (Lemon Emigrant)
5. Eurema hecabe contubernalis (Common Grass Yellow)
6. Elymnias hypermnestra agina (Common Palmfly)
7. Mycalesis sp. (Bush Brown species)
8. Ypthima baldus newboldi (Common Five Ring)
9. Junonia almana javana (Peacock Pansy)
10. Junonia hedonia ida (Chocolate Pansy)
11. Hypolimnas anomala anomala (Malayan Eggfly)
12. Tanaecia pelea pelea (Malay Viscount)
13. Tanaecia iapis puseda (Horsfield's Baron)
14. Polyura hebe plautus (Plain Nawab)
15. Abisara savitri savitri (Malay Tailed Judy)
16. Zizina otis lampa (Lesser Grass Blue)
17. Jamides celeno aelianus (Common Caerulean)
18. Anthene emolus goberus (Ciliate Blue)
19. Eooxylides tharis distanti (Branded Imperial)
20. Iambrix salsala salsala (Chestnut Bob)

Images courtesy of Lena Chow