Pea Blue, Knight

The Pea Blue, Lampides boeticus. A female ovipositing on the hostplant. This butterfly is quite a strong flyer and flies rather rapidly. The uppersides of the female are a pale shining blue with broad brown-black borders.


The Knight, Lebadea martha parkeri, showing its undersides. The Knight is not exactly common and is usually found in forested areas where it frequently perches with outspread wings. This butterfly is also particularly sensitive to camera flashes, making it a challenge to photograph its uppersides, which are beautifully and intricately patterned. The photos below represent some of my attempts to capture this butterfly on film.



The photos were taken at Pasir Ris Park.

The Noblemen

The Malay Viscount, Tanaecia pelea pelea. This is a common forest butterfly, often settling on leaves with wings flat or descending to the forest floor to feed on fallen fruit.


Lexias dirtea merguia, male.


Lexias dirtea merguia, female.


The Archduke, Lexias pardalis dirteana, a male on the forest floor. The only discernible difference between this species and L. dirtea is that the apical topside of the Archduke is orange while that of L. dirtea is black. Both are extremely robust fliers and when disturbed often fly away very rapidly. They are fond of rotting fruit and are frequently found on the ground feeding. The two sexes of both species look very different from each other and may be mistaken for two different species. Common as they are, these butterflies are striking and beautiful, especially the males with their shimmering blues and greens.

Common Rose

Basking in a patch of bright sunlight.


The exquisite Common Rose, Pachliopta aristolochiae asteris. The wings of this butterfly are a wonderful velvety black, and the bright red abdomen and spots on the underside of the hindwings (unfortunately not visible in these shots) present a startlingly beautiful contrast to the otherwise dark butterfly. The Common Rose does not stay still for long, preferring to flutter around smoothly on seemingly trembling wings a few metres above the ground. Its caterpillars feed on Aristolochia tagala and can be found together with those of the Common Birdwing on the same vines.

Those Jewels

These three common species of lycaenids were found at the same patch of yellow creeping daisy in an urban area. Small, common and humble as these butterflies are, they nevertheless possess a delicate beauty seen in their intricate patterns and shimmering colours.


Cycad Blue, Chilades pandava pandava.


A male Lesser Grass Blue, Zizina otis lampa basking in the sunlight. This beautiful male was particularly boisterous, looking for potential mates almost constantly and stopping to rest only for brief periods of time.


Another Lesser Grass Blue.



The Pygmy Grass Blue, Zizula hylax pygmea. This is the smallest butterfly found in the region; it is really tiny, with a forewing length of approximately 5mm or slightly more.

Their scientific names are so colourful

Some Lycaenids of the Central Catchment Area

The Common Hedge Blue, Acytolepis puspa lambi, ovipositing. This butterfly is highly noticeable in flight with its pale shining blue upperside.


The beautiful Common Posy, Drupadia ravindra moorei, in the shady undergrowth. The butterfly had a peculiar habit of returning to the same few leaves to perch for a short while each time.


The Common Caerulean, Jamides celeno aelianus feeding on the flowers of a small tree. The only time this species seems to land for a photographable period of time is when it is feeding. It has beautiful shining pale blue uppersides.


The Common Line Blue, Prosotas nora superdates feeding at a damp spot on the forest floor.

There were quite a few other lycaenid species but I was unfortunately unable to photograph them.

Chocolate Grass Yellow (Eurema sari sodalis)

Chocolate Grass Yellow puddling at the Botanics. This is really actually quite a common butterfly there I think, though it's hard to differentiate it from the Common Grass Yellow, especially in flight. This species tends to fly in more wooded areas though. This particular specimen was as small and dainty as a lycaenid.

At the Alexandra Hospital Butterfly Trail-Part 1

The butterfly trail at the Alexandra Hospital is, in my honest opinion, one of the best places to look for butterflies. The commoner species like the emigrants and bush browns flutter in abundance there, together with rarer species like the Common Birdwing and Common Rose. Ironically. The names, I mean. So many different host plants are planted all together in one area so it is no wonder that this place is a melting pot of butterflies. And of course, moths. An added bonus is that it is one of the easiest butterfly-spotting sites, in that you don't have to trudge around in humid undergrowth just to see fleeting flashes of coloured wings. Here, the butterflies practically fly into your face.

Here is the life cycle of the magnificent Common Birdwing Troides helena cerberus.

These are my first close-up shots of this butterfly in the wild! Thrilling, yes.

The egg. It is rather large, actually, about 2+mm in diameter.

First or second instar caterpillar. Note the red-tipped fleshy spines.

Mid-stage caterpillars. The caterpillars are, as can be seen, wonderfully velvety and fleshy, and they photograph well!

Caterpillar with the orange-red osmeterium everted to deter would-be predators. The osmeterium is a fleshy, forked organ that the caterpillar extrudes when it feels threatened, emitting a putrid odour.

Final instar caterpillar. At this point, the caterpillar is incredibly large.

Larva in pre-pupal stage, hanging via a silk girder to the stem of its host plant.

The beautiful bright green pupa hangs from a stem, camouflaging itself as a leaf surprisingly well despite its bulk.

The resplendent adult butterfly, in this case a female, resting on grass after being relentlessly pursued by a male.