Tuesday 23 March 2010

Butterflies

Mny species of butterflies have been visiting the garden but they're so difficult to photograph because a) most of the nectar-bearing flowers are waaaaay up in the canopy and b) the butterflies move so rapidly in the warm weather. Although the swallowtails (Papilionidae) and jezebels (Pieridae) are the most obvious species, only the browns (Nymphalidae) usually settle long enough to pose for pictures.

Macleay's swallowtail (Graphium macleayanus)

Blue-banded eggfly (Hypolimnas alimena)

Bordered rustic (Cupha prosope)

Brown ringlet (Hypocysta metirius)

Orange bush-brown (Mycalesis terminus)

Orange bush-brown

Also spotted but not photographed (not yet, anyway):

Swallowtails (Papilionidae)
  • Ambrax swallowtail (Papilio ambrax)
  • Ulysses butterfly (Papilio ulysses)
  • Blue triangle (Graphium sarpedon)
  • Cairns birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion)
Whites (Pieridae)
  • Yellow-bodied jezebel (Delias nysa)
  • Black jezebel (Delias nigrina)
Browns (Nymphalidae)
  • Cruiser (Vindula arsinoe)
  • Wanderer(Danaus plexippus)
Blues (Lycaenidae)
  • More than you can poke a stick at