tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21196649132315700882011-12-30T22:39:22.131+08:00Gan's blog on the lepidoptera of Singapore and the surrounding regions<br>Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.comBlogger1231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-40107843748341068762011-12-30T21:53:00.003+08:002011-12-30T22:36:13.228+08:00

Today, my Mrs alerted me to a 'large black butterfly' hovering over above me. I looked up and there is a King Crow (Euploea phaenareta castelnaui) circling over my garden ! The crow must have came from West Coast Park where there are many Pong Pong trees (Cerbera odollam), its larva host plant. It must have been attracted by my Dill plant. On 14 Dec, I spotted a Dark Glassy Tiger (Parantica

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-41222592198056935422011-11-07T21:47:00.002+08:002011-12-29T20:36:05.777+08:00

The species that is found in West Malaysia has been reclassified as Dercas gobrias herodorus. The reason for the change is because D. verhuelli is a continental species and can only be found in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and southern China while D. gobrias is found in found Peninsula Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java. The larva host plant for D. gobrias is Dalbergia benthami, a

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-24477835907822595242011-08-25T00:12:00.001+08:002011-12-29T20:42:44.681+08:00

Continue from Part I We did not have the best of weather this trip as the sky was cloudy most of time. However, we still managed to see many lovely butterflies which sprang into action every time the sun made a brief appearance. 1. Abisara neophron chelina – this species is confined to the highland and is common at Fraser’s Hill. 2. Abisara savitri savitri – This is found at lowland

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-64483966831662672852011-08-07T17:15:00.001+08:002011-12-29T20:43:26.160+08:00

This is my third trip to Fraser’s Hill and I have 3 lifer ! The first is a small white inconspicuous lycaenid. I was trailing an Abisara savitri when I noticed a tiny white ‘moth’ flew out form under a leaf. It has a weak moth-like flight and is about the size of a Lesser Grass Blue butterfly. I ignored it and continued to photograph the Abisara. The white moth then landed in front of me

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-34425104763051341642011-05-07T16:50:00.001+08:002011-12-29T20:38:54.829+08:00

This is my 2nd trip to Fraser’s Hill this year and one of my all time best ! The best because we had the pleasure to feast on the authentic and BEST ‘Mao Shan Wang’ (Gua Musang) durian in Malaysia and I saw many spectacular and rare butterflies out of which 2 are lifer* for me : Graphium empedovana Chilasa paradoxa aenigma -f. eucyana Lamproptera, most likely L. meges. Ixias

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-35674843212338501522010-08-07T10:53:00.001+08:002010-08-07T10:55:42.738+08:00

Last week at Pulau Tinggi,  a Croton plant outside my chalet was infested with mealy bugs.  I noticed some of the mealy bugs were rather big. They were between 5mm to 8mm long. On closer examination, I realised they were not mealy bugs but caterpillars !  In fact I have seem these big ‘mealy bugs’ before and it never occurred to me that they wre butterfly caterpillars. Unlike most butterfly

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-23245546538949485462010-07-13T19:56:00.001+08:002010-07-15T11:54:56.441+08:00

7 Plain Tigers eclosed today – 4 male and 3 female.  3 flew off when I open the container to check on them and the other four were released near One North.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-8250708793321670962010-07-07T23:45:00.001+08:002010-07-08T00:01:52.651+08:00

Continue from Part I .. We saw lots of interesting and rare butterflies.  Below are some butterfly photos from the trip. Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (Troides brookiana albescens), very common at Gopeng and forest reserves in the state of Perak. They can even be seen at Adeline’s Rest House and Villa. Male Malayan Birdwing (Troides amphrysus), not uncommon in the state of Perak, Female Common

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-3644353249196076252010-07-04T16:31:00.001+08:002010-07-07T23:59:26.689+08:00

Last week, a few of us went back to Gopeng for butterfly watching.  We stayed at Adeline’s Rest House and later move over to her ‘new and improved’ Adeline’s Villa. The Rest House consists of wooden huts on stilts. They are simple, rustic and comfortable. That is me taking a rest under our hut. The villa is catered more for those who want to enjoy nature without compromising urban comfort. The

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-217329365596663052010-06-27T16:45:00.001+08:002010-06-27T16:45:23.137+08:00

The Plain Tiger butterfly and butterflies from this genus (Danaus) have a very short life cycle. The time it take from egg to adult is anywhere between 16-21 days ! For Plain Tiger the pupa period is between 5 to 7 days. 1. Two pupae the night before eclosion.  The pupa case is now transparent, showing the color of the upperside of the wings. 2. A newly emerged female drying its wings. 3.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-26206914484251476982010-05-31T23:28:00.001+08:002010-06-15T00:33:02.532+08:00

This morning I noticed the leaves of my Blood Flower (Asclepias  curassavica ) show signs of being eaten by caterpillar. On closer examination, I found Plain Tiger caterpillars on the plant. I checked the plants and counted at least 10 caterpillars !  I decided to collect all the caterpillars and put them in container so that I can ration the leaves and ensure there is sufficient leaves for

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-21579803272951104192010-05-17T21:04:00.001+08:002010-05-19T07:18:52.807+08:00

Last week at around 6pm, I saw a small skipper darting around my garden and eventually landed on a leaf.  Turned out it is a Palm Bob (Suastes gramius) looking for a place to roost.  It stayed on the leaf the over night and left early in the morning. Today when I returned home at 6pm, I found a hawk moth on the stairs !  It is a Macroglossum sitiene.  What a pleasant surprise to be greeted by

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-55571663931053772792010-05-02T14:51:00.000+08:002010-05-06T14:42:48.806+08:00

Yesterday, a female Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus maxentius) came to my garden.   Hopefully I will see Peacock Royal caterpillars on the mistletoe in my garden soon.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-18733898015607537712010-05-01T19:36:00.003+08:002011-12-30T22:39:22.148+08:00

Last update : 30 dec 2011 Butterflies sighted at Gan’s garden on 5th and 6th floor : Papilio demoleus malayanus – Lime Butterfly# : Sep 2008 Zizina otis lampa - Lesser Grass Blue# : Nov 2008 Suastus gremius gremius – Palm Bob : Mar 2009 Delias hyparete metarete - Painted Jezebel# : Mar 2009 Bibasis harisa consobrina - Orange Awlet : Mar 2009 Parantica agleoides agleoides

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-6209235071902156142010-04-30T13:05:00.000+08:002010-05-01T15:10:37.027+08:00

SingPost launched the Butterflies stamp series on Apr 21 2010. This series of stamps consists of four exquisite local butterfly – The Common Birdwing, The Blue Glassy Tiger, The Common Posy and The Tailed Jay. The stamp collection is the result of collaboration between SingPost and and Nature Society (Singapore) Butterfly Interest Group.  Simon and I started working with SingPost on this series

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-72500897826426421332010-04-25T21:34:00.001+08:002010-04-26T19:15:51.051+08:00

The Chestnut Tiger and Chocolate Tiger are common at Fraser’s Hill. The upperside of these 2 species are quite distinct and cannot be mistake for one another. Their underside however, looks very similar in passing and can be mistaken in the field.  The picture below highlights the key differences of the underside of these 2 species.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-6751205342427022592010-04-24T12:05:00.001+08:002010-04-25T08:08:15.273+08:00

A few of us went to Fraser’s Hill in April. The weather at Fraser’s Hill was still cold and misty in the morning. In the evening, the sunset was mesmerizing .. We have a fantastic view of the sunset right from the living room.  Below, Amy is taking photo of the sunset just before dinner was served. We saw lots of butterflies and everyone had a great time taking photo of species which

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-12155660633236877842010-03-30T21:55:00.002+08:002011-12-29T20:44:22.658+08:00

It seems like ages since I last step foot on Fraser’s Hill but my last trip there was actually in November, just 4 months ago. Gosh, I missed the place. This time round I brought along the Sony DSC-TX7 to take panoramic shots of my favorite place. The TX7 is a joy to use and takes spectacular photos with its HDR, Sweep Panorama and 25mm wide angle lens. Misty Morning Full view of our

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-84312094228678051312010-03-26T23:25:00.001+08:002010-03-26T23:26:50.520+08:00

On 9th of March, a Plastingia naga aka Chequered Lancer was spotted inside my trellis. This is butterfly #15 at my garden.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-28347394693123162462010-03-01T23:18:00.000+08:002010-03-26T23:20:32.878+08:00

I just added a trellis to my garden to keep Tillandsia and Hoya and I noticed butterflies are attracted to the trellis. Last week I found a Lemon Emigrant and a Painted Jezebel inside the trellis and a few days ago I saw a Common Palmfly inside. If this continues I am going to have a high rise butterfly enclosure soon I wonder what attracted them ?  Were they seeking shelter from the

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-59231650471479537752010-02-26T17:22:00.001+08:002010-02-26T17:26:01.804+08:00

Early this month I spotted a Small Branded Swift (Pelopidas mathias mathias) basking on the leaf of my Citronella Grass plant (Cymbopogon nardus). I also spotted a Common Palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra agina ) a few days ago. These are species #13 and #14 at my garden !

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-22215587489546098192010-02-02T21:15:00.001+08:002010-02-02T21:20:56.137+08:00

Leopard reared on Flacourtia rukam. Painted Jezebel (PJ) – the pupa on the top is a male - showing it’s white upperside forewings while the one below with black color forewings is a female. A newly emerged PJ drying itself on the leaf of Tillandsia balbisiana.     Another newly emerged PJ drying its wings on Rhipsalis leaf.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-50545003255236908422010-01-29T16:43:00.001+08:002010-02-02T21:19:44.161+08:00

Saw another moth in my garden a few days ago.  This is one of those small moths that I used to ignore.  However since I developed an interest in moths, I now take note of all the moths I find in my garden.  Filodes fulvidorsalis : Crambidae, Spilomelinae

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-40525658695257376272010-01-26T21:20:00.001+08:002010-02-02T21:21:48.465+08:00

See what is lining up at my Mrs nursery : 9 pupae At least 15 final instar cats .. Another 15+ 3rd and 4th instar cats .. and many many newly emerged caterpillars ! I admit defeat ! My only consolation is the cats I rear are more varied and uncommon. ;-) BTW, if anyone is interested is rearing Lime Butterfly or Painted Jezebel caterpillar, just drop me an email to arrange

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-19988958965430210472010-01-23T23:58:00.001+08:002010-01-24T00:14:03.340+08:00

Eggs of the Leopard butterfly Short Banded Sailor Unidentified moth caterpillar

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-23735262783685222962010-01-20T23:36:00.000+08:002010-01-21T00:49:07.328+08:00

The Lime Butterfly have returned and left its babies on our Kaffir Lime plant for my Mrs to care for. Those caterpillars have pupated recently :  and emerged yesterday. Two were perfect and flew off after they dried their wings but one came out deformed :-( My Mrs now has a head start on me for 2010.  Mrs 2 : Gan 0. I am currently rearing 3 caterpillars  – Lepord caterpillars feeding on

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-38155552546869903212010-01-12T22:29:00.001+08:002010-01-20T23:06:14.483+08:00

Yesterday morning while I was watering my plants, I noticed something fast flew past me and landed on a plant. On closer examination, I realized it is a hawk moth !  This is the first hawk moth I have seen in my garden (not counting those I reared). The moth looks familiar, its shape and size are similar to Eupanacra borneensis which I have reared but the markings are different. Dorsal view

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-29410368731682821932010-01-09T13:12:00.001+08:002010-01-12T10:11:17.686+08:00

Today a Cycad Blue (Chilades pandava pandava) flew into my garden on the 6th floor ! This is species #12

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-26995580005315597182010-01-06T23:16:00.001+08:002010-01-06T23:16:56.490+08:00

This morning a Plain Tiger circled around my garden and eventually landed on my Heliotropium indicum bush !  This is the first new species for my garden in 2010 and this is also a species that I wanted to have in my garden.     By now 11 species of butterflies have visited by garden on the 6th floor ! When I moved to my new place about 1.5yrs ago, I wanted my garden to attract butterflies.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-7190886319519469572010-01-03T14:08:00.001+08:002010-01-03T14:08:17.453+08:00

2009 has been a fun packed and exciting year. The NSS Nature Forum is finally up, 2nd print of the butterfly guide is on the way and we have started on a few butterfly trail projects that will come into fruition next year. Of course the part I enjoyed most is my trips to Fraser’s Hill, Gopeng, Maxwell, Thailand and Kota Kinabalu.  Some of the butterfly lifers I observed include : -

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-13859999569622271562009-12-30T01:00:00.000+08:002009-12-30T01:35:45.887+08:00

After 2 days at Maxwell Hill, we headed south to Fraser’s Hill, our favorite highland get away.  Oct-Nov is the 2nd durian season in Malaysia and the road from Maxwell to Fraser’s was lined with stalls selling durians. The durians were dirt cheap, going for RM3-5 each.  We stopped along the road and ate till our heat’s content and ‘ta pao’ some to Frasers.  The durians were soooo good and we

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-9747022843460655442009-12-22T19:05:00.001+08:002009-12-23T10:23:07.418+08:00

Maxwell Hill is the oldest and least developed of all the hill stations in Malaysia. It is about 1250m above sea level and the temperature is about the same as Fraser’s Hill, between 19-25C.  The virgin jungle reserved is supposedly rich in wildlife with 25 species of mammals and more than 200 species of birds recorded at Bukit Larut and around its foothills. Most of us either have not been to

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-25448946874357215132009-12-12T22:28:00.001+08:002009-12-13T22:53:16.047+08:00

I am referring to the milkweed ‘tiger’ butterfly from the Danainae sub-family, specifically the Mangrove Tiger butterfly - Danaus affinis malayanus.  The Mangrove Tiger is an endangered species and is only found at 2 locations in Malaysia – Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) and Kuala Kurau, Perak. I have always wanted to see this butterfly so armed with a GPS, I drove 1.5 hrs from KL to KSNP,

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-64983507959849071922009-12-10T22:49:00.001+08:002009-12-11T17:04:09.555+08:00

I was in Selangor with my family last week. While my family was out shopping, armed with a GPS, I drove to Ulu Yam in search of butterflies.  The last time I was there was about 10 years ago and it was there that I saw my first Banded Peacock (see this post). 10 years later, at the same place, I saw another lifer, The Giant Saturn  - Zeuxidia aurelius aurelius. .   The Giant Saturn is rare and

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-89255878454460705852009-11-15T22:45:00.001+08:002009-11-15T22:45:06.877+08:00

Sometime in May this year, Simon and I saw a male Great Eggfly that is unlike any of the bolina forms described in BMP. It has a submarginal white area on the both side of the hindwings and the the white discal area is missing from both side of the hindwings.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-53989026137495835322009-11-02T19:49:00.001+08:002009-11-02T20:16:23.422+08:00

Last Saturday, a Lemon Emigrant (Catopsilia pomona) was spotted around my garden on the 6th floor. Unfortunately it didn’t stay long enough for me to take a photo. This morning however, a Blue Glassy Tiger (Ideopsis vulgaris) came and stayed for a few hours on my Heliotropium indicum plant. With this 2 new species, the butterfly count in my garden is now in two digits – 10 ! The other

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-63183635927208655682009-11-01T16:15:00.001+08:002009-11-01T16:15:43.186+08:00

Yesterday morning, a female Painted Jezebel come to my garden to lay eggs on the mistletoe (Dendrophthoe pentandra) growing on my Sui Wrightia religiosa I grabbed my camera and managed to video it laying eggs on the mistletoe leaf.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-5623790660207765212009-10-25T20:24:00.001+08:002009-10-25T20:24:14.242+08:00

These are the 30+ caterpillars (a few hidden behind the leaf ) my mrs rescued from the mistletoe plant in my condo. If left on the plant, the caterpillars will most likely perish from the weekly fogging or being removed together with the mistletoe by my condo’s gardener.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-3635243543997140142009-10-17T23:10:00.001+08:002009-10-17T23:10:15.009+08:00

A large moth just landed in my living room ! It is Erebus ephesperis ( we call it Mee Rebus moth ;-D ) from the Noctuidae family.  This is the 3rd largest moth in Singapore, the other 2 being the Atlas moth (Attacas Atlas) and Lyssa moth (Lyssa zampa).

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-11970041336456758312009-10-17T00:37:00.001+08:002009-10-17T00:37:58.880+08:00

Name : Elymnias hypermnestra tinctoria Common Name : Common Palmfly Family : Nymphalidae Subfamily : Satyrinae Larva host plant : Dypsis lutescens (Palmae), Cycas sp(Palmae) In Peninsula Malaysia, the subspecies tinctoria is found in Kedawi while it Thailand, it can be found through out Thailand. In flight, the female of this subspecies can be easily mistaken for Danaus

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-10075485152179216032009-09-29T23:27:00.001+08:002009-09-29T23:27:51.742+08:00

The new NSS Nature forum is now up and running and there is a section dedicated to moths and butterflies. Feel free to sign up and ask any nature related question in the forum.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-88415185491368791882009-09-19T12:57:00.001+08:002009-10-02T10:21:48.617+08:00

Continue from Butterfly trip to northern Thailand Part II – Butterflies Start from Butterfly trip to northern Thailand – Part I Moths We did our mothing at Soppong River Inn, Cave Lodge and a remote hill top. At Soppong River Inn, the power supply was unstable as such we were only able to put up a blended mercury 120W light for a short period. We also setup our moth screen

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-68895226584209223542009-09-17T21:07:00.001+08:002009-09-22T20:45:09.785+08:00

Continue from Part I Many of the butterflies we saw during this trip look familiar yet different because they are of the continental subspecies e.g. The Clipper, The Common Indian Crow. At Tham Lot : Vilma and I taking photo of Symbrenthia lilaea, The Common Jester. Preston and I taking photo of  Penthema darlisa melema - The Three-colored Kaiser. P. darlisa is a large butterfly,

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-26176748524327519942009-09-17T00:42:00.001+08:002009-10-09T11:17:02.428+08:00

Early this month, a few of us from NSS spent 7 days at Pang Mapha district, Mae Hon Son province, Thailand.We took a Silkair flight to Chiang Mai, rented a 4WD and a generator and drove about 5 hours on highway 1095.  We stayed 3 days at Soppong River Inn and 4 days at Cave Lodge, both offer cheap and clean room with fantastic view and great home cook food. I have lots of butterfly lifers as

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-59876090603726903092009-08-22T14:56:00.001+08:002009-08-22T14:56:49.216+08:00

If you come across a Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) around the West Coast Road area, it is very likely one of my wife, Wai Yen’s babies. You see Wai Yen has been rearing and releasing Lime Butterflies for the past 8 months.  It all started with a Limau Purut (Kaffir Lime) plant a friend gave us and a lime plant my daughter grew from seed. Within 2 weeks of having the plants, the Lime

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-4968127622997413422009-08-18T23:58:00.001+08:002009-08-22T13:27:58.203+08:00

Coelites epiminthia (m) - The Straight-banded Cateye. Uncommon, upperside is dull purple, usually found among the undergrowth of the forest. Parides varuna (f) – The Common Batwing , another uncommon butterfly.  Easily recognized by the red color on the underside of its abdomen.

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Bunker Trail is one of the best place in Johor to see the Nymphalidae butterflies from the Limenitidae subfamily, which include the Tanaecia, Euthalia, Dophla, Bassarona and Lexias. Below are some photo of butterflies from this subfamily which I photographed recently.  Enjoy ! Bassarona dunya – The Great Marquis, a big and robust butterfly that is supposedly common in northern part of

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-49675431866188517832009-07-18T00:57:00.001+08:002009-07-18T00:57:23.894+08:00

Gopeng – Fraser’s Hill Trip , Jun 2009 Part 3/3 Sunset at Fraser’s Hill along the new road After Gopeng, we drove to Fraser’s Hill and spent a few days at our ‘home-away-from-home’.  On arrival at the bungalow, the smell of durians greeted us !  Mrs Lim knew we are crazy about durians and have secured 5 local durians for us !  We had the durians after our dinner and breakfast.

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Gopeng – Fraser’s Hill Trip , Jun 2009 Part 2/3  Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing Burara etelka – Great Orange Awlet, my lifer at Gopeng! It is huge, almost twice the size of Orange Awlet. Kallima limborgii – The Leaf Butterfly Faunis kirata – The Broad Striped Faun, one of the more uncommon Faun.   Xanthotaenia busiris – Yellow Barred Yellow Barred caterpillar

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Gopeng – Fraser’s Hill Trip , Jun 2009 Part 1/3 Last month I few of us went to Gopeng and Fraser’s Hill. I wanted to go back to Gopeng to see the Rafflesia since I missed it the last time.  The other excuse for making yet another trip to Gopeng/FH is the promise of free durians by the Gopeng resort owner and bungalow care taker at Fraser’s Hill. I am very pleased with this trip as I finally

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Last Sunday over breakfast at a coffee shop, Simon mentioned he saw a hawk moth at the void deck at Toh Yi drive.  He showed me the photo on his phone and it is a species which I have not seen before.  The moth was eventually identified as as Meganoton nyctiphanes (Walker, 1856), the only species of Meganoton in Singapore and an uncommon hawk moth ! Well done Simon ! The other Meganotons (

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  In April I reared a N. hyas larva which is green in color.  In May I found one which is brown ! Breeding Record [21] Date : 16 May 2009 Name : Neogurelca hyas (Walker, 1856) Family : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802 Location : Along Clementi Road, Singapore Larva host plant : Paederia foetida (Rubiaceae) 19 May 2009 : mid instar larva   25 May 2009 : Pupa 02

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These are some of the moths which came into my house 1 Jun 2009 26 May 2009  24 May 2009 12 Apr 2009 25 Mar 2009

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Breeding Record [17] Date : 08 May 2009 Name : Neogurelca hyas (Walker, 1856) Family : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802 Location : Along Clementi Road Larva host plant : Paederia foetida (Rubiaceae) 14 May 2009 – Final instar larva Larva of Macroglossum sitiene (green) and Neogurelca hyas   17 May 2009 : Pupated 25 May 2009 : Eclosed, 8 days

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Below are a few butterflies I shot today around the Central Catchments area. 1. Sumatran sunbeam (Curetis santana) taking off. 2. Common Snowflat (Tagiades japetus), one of the most common Snowflat in Singapore. 3. Tawny Palmfly (Elymnias panthera), the rarer of the 2 Palmfly in Singapore.  4. Flos anniella, uncommon. 5. Flos apidanus, uncommon.

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During a recent GCS gathering, a GCS member told me she had a big green caterpillar eating her Desert Rose (Adenium obesium) plant, a plant belonging to the Dogbane Family ( Apocynaceae ) She sent me a photo and it turned out the caterpillar is another hawk moth caterpillar, the Oleander Hawk-moth - Daphnis nerii. In Singapore, Oleander Hawk-moth caterpillar is usually found feeding on

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Last week, a GCS member sent me a SMS asking if I am interested in a 3~4” long green caterpillar.  Caterpillar of this size in a garden is most likely that of Hawk moth or Atlas moth.  On probing I found out that it has a tail and was feeding on a plant belonging to Araceae family.  This confirmed it is a Hawk moth caterpillar and most likely that of Eupanacra elegantulus. The member was kind

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-65687777830957236062009-05-17T23:00:00.001+08:002009-05-29T00:24:44.019+08:00

Simon and I conducted 2 butterfly walks for NSS members this weekend. Yesterday we had our inaugural walk at the Changi Airport Terminal 3 Butterfly Garden.  The butterfly garden is inside the transit area thus is accessible only to transit passengers but NSS managed to secure special visitor pass for 60 NSS members to visit the T3 butterfly garden. 3 cheers to NSS-BIG ! and this morning we

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Name   : Pandita sinope sinope Moore 1858 Family  : Nymphalidae Subfamily : Numphalinae Tribe : Limentidini Larva host plant : Rubiaceae Life History Record - 2007 May– Uncaria sp (Rubiaceae) Date         : 1 May 2007

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Name       : Macroglossum sitiene Walker, 1856 Family      : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802 Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839  Tribe        : Macroglossini Harris, 1839 Genus       : Macroglossum Scopoli, 1777 Larva host plant : Paederia foetida (Rubiaceae)   Reference : Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic Life History Record : - Nov 2001 – Paederia foetida (

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Continue from Part 1 Moths We saw lots of colorful and interesting but only one new species of Hawk moth - Cypa decolor decolor. Cypa decolor decolor Antheraea helferi borneensis (m) A very tattered Lamaireia loepoides Two Ambulyx moorei Eudocima homaena (f)   Plutodes malaysiana   Fascellina clausaria and a few others I have not had time to id ..   

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A male Papilio memnon feeding on the nectar of Clerodendrum paniculatum. This is my BEST ever butterfly trip and a very very tough one to beat. It is not that my previous trips were no good. In fact all of my butterfly trips to Malaysia and in particular Fraser’s Hill have been fantastic, I usually get at least a lifer and see many rare butterflies. In May 2007 I had the Green Dragon Tail, Dec

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21-25 Apr 2009, Fraser’s Hill and surrounding areas, Pahang, Malaysiaby Maris Midgley and Gan CWThose in blue are uncommonTrogonoptera brookiana albescens - Raja Brooke's Birdwing Troides amphrysus ruficollis - Malayan Birdwing Papilio demolion demolion - Banded Swallowtail Papilio helenus helenus - Red Helen Papilio memnon agenor - Great Mormon Papilio nephelus sunatus - Black and White Helen

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Name : Idea hypermnestra linteata Common Name : Malayan Tree Nymph Family : Nymphalidae Subfamily : Danainae Larva host plant : Parsonia helicandra (Apocynaceae) Male Female Description I. hypermnestra as compared to I. stolli has more rounded wings and whiter base color.  The species is confined to heavy forest at moderate elevation. The larva is black and

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A few of us went back to Fraser’s Hill in March.  As usual, I saw a few lifers and many magnificent butterflies and moths. We reached FH in the evening, unloaded our luggage and set up the moth screen before we had our dinner. This is Mr Lim preparing our dinner, sweet and sour fish. and Mireille serving up white vine. After dinner, we went to check out the moths.  We had a few big moths

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Continue from Part 1 We did not see any new Saturniid or Sphingid but we saw this very rare moon moth – Actias selene   and this pristine female Cricula sp and other interesting moths : Tanaorhinus malayanus and T. rafflesii Geometrid moth -  Protuliocnemis sp  Corymica sp   Caterpillar of Acherontia lachesis. Beetles locking horns ! Dung beetle taking off A

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Name : Ideopsis gaura perakana Common Name : Smaller Wood Nymph Family : Nymphalidae Subfamily : Danainae Larva host plant : Hoya spp (Asclepiadaceae) FemaleGopeng, Perak, Malaysia, April 2009 Life History Record : 2007/2008, 2009 Date : Nov 2007, Dec 2008 Location : Penang Butterfly Farm Larva host plant : Hoya carnosa

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Name       : Olene sp (Olene mendosa female ?) Family      : Noctuidae Subfamily : Lymnatriinae Larva host plant : Cuphea hyssopifolia (Lythraceae)   Life History Record : - May 2009 – Cuphea hyssopifolia (Lythraceae) Breeding Record [23] Source : Gan’s garden Location : West Coast Road, Singapore Host plant : Cuphea hyssopifolia Last instar larva is

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Name : Neogurelca hyas (Walker, 1856) Family : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802 Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839 Tribe : Macroglossini Harris, 1839 Larva host plant : Paederia foetida (Rubiaceae) Reference : The Sphingidae of Southeast-Asia Life History Record : - Apr 2009 : green color larva (see below), - 8 May 2009 : lime yellow color larva, - 16 May

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4 Apr 2009 Name : Rhinopalpa polynice Common Name : The Wizard Family : Nymphalidae, Nymphalinae, Nymphalini Larva host plant : Poikilopserma suaveolens (Urticaceae) Male - Underside Male : Upperside Reference : - Rhinopalpa polynice - Tree of Life Life History Record Date : 12 Mar 2009 Location : Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia Host Plant :

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I have just published life history records of 3 common Hawk Moths in Singapore.  Click on the photo to find out more about these moths. 1. Pergesa acteus 2. Enpinanga borneensis 3. Eupanacra elegantulus

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Name       : Eupanacra elegantulus (Herrich-Schaeffer, [1856]) Family      : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802 Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839  Tribe        : Macroglossini Harris, 1839 Larva host plant : Alocasia, Diffenbachia, Anthurium, Philodendron Female : Mar 2008 Singapore  Jan 2009 Singapore Male : Mar 2008 Singapore Reference : The Sphingidae of

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Name : Pergesa acteus (Cramer, 1779) Family : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802 Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839 Tribe : Choerocampina Grote & Robinson, 1865 Larva host plant : Alocasia, Caladium Jul 2010, Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia   Reference : The Sphingidae of Southeast-Asia Life History Record : Dec 2006, May 2007, Dec 2008 Date : Dec 2008

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Name       : Enpinanga borneensis (Butler, 1879) Family      : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802 Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839  Tribe        : Macroglossini Harris, 1839 Male Female Larva host plant : Dillenia suffruticosa (Simpoh Air)  Reference : The Sphingidae of Southeast-Asia Life History Record : Mar 2008, Jan 2009 Date : Mar 2008 Source :

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Continue from part I In addition to the Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing, we also saw many magnificent and rare butterflies : 1. Doleschallia bisaltide continentalis (Autumn Leaf) This subspecies is probably a migrant from Thailand and is synonym for Doleschallia bisaltide siamensis.  The other more common subspecies being Doleschallia bisaltide partipa and Doleschallia bisaltide australis (which is

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I have always wanted to visit this place, especially after reading about the Rafflesia and Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing at Ulu Geroh in MNS Naturalist magazine. Finally in mid Mar, 5 of us made our way to Gopeng. During our 2.5 days there we sighted 100+ species of butterflies ! This is definitely a 5-STAR location for butterfly watcher Accommodation We stayed at Rumah Rehat Adeline which is

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These are some of the caterpillars I am rearing as well as those I spotted during my recent butterfly trips : 1. Rhinopalpa polynice – The Wizard More information about The Wizard’s life history can be found here 2. Daphnis nerii - Oleander Hawkmoth   The caterpillar was feeding on Ceylone Jasmine (Tabernaemontana divaricata) from the Apocynaceae family. Another common larva

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12-14 Mar 2009, Ulu Geroh, Gopeng, Perak, Malaysiaby Simon Chan, Gan CW and Richard OngThose in blue are uncommonTrogonoptera brookiana albescens - Raja Brooke's Birdwing Troides amphrysus ruficollis - Malayan Birdwing Troides helena cerberus -Common Birdwing Parides varuna varuna -Common Batwing Pachliopta aristolochiae asteris – Common Rose Papilio helenus helenus - Red Helen Papilio memnon

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Wood Shrimp

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Continue from part 1My other butterfly lifers for this trip are two forms of Great Blue Mime - Chilasa paradoxa aenigma. This butterfly has at least 7 forms which mimic the distasteful Euploea butterflies. 1. Chilasa paradoxa aenigma -f eucyana The rare male form eucyana has the forewing upperside shimmering blue and unmarked. It mimics the male Euploea mulciber (Striped Blue Crow).2. Chilasa

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Name : Netis hylas papaja Common Name : Common Sailor Family : Nymphalidae, Nymphalinae Larva host plant : Name : Urena lobata (Pink Mallow) Family : Malvacea (Hibiscus family) Note : This is also the larva host plant for Rapala iarbus (Common Red Flash) Life History Record Date : 22 Feb 2009 Location : Bunker Trail, Johor, Malaysia Larva host plant : Urena lobata

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Name : Rapala iarbus iarbus Common Name : Common Red Flash Larva Host Plant Name : Urena lobata Common Name : Pink Mallow Family : Malvacea (Hibiscus family) Note : This is also the larva host plant for Neptis hylas papaja (Common Sailor) Life History Record Date : 22 Feb 2009 Location

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The butterfly season starts around March but we are all itching for more butterflies so we took a chance and made a trip to Fraser’s Hill in end Feb. FH has so much to offer - even if we don't get any butterfly or moth, we can still enjoy the cool fresh air, lush greenery and great food.As it turned out, FH did not disappoint us ! Not only did we have great food and lots of fun, we managed to see

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These are some of the caterpillars I have reared recently :1. Eupanacra elegantulus - I received an sms sometime in Jan from a member from a local gardening forum asking if I want a caterpillar that is feeding on her Philodendron.Caterpillar Adult moth2. Cethosia cyane euanthes (Leopard Lacewing) - I received a note from a Zhonghua Primary School parent volunteer asking if I would like to have

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One of the reasons we go to Fraser's Hill is for the moths. Moths are so abundant there that even though Decemeber is not a good time for mothing, the condition was not ideal and the place we stayed did not have a clear view of the forest, we still get very decent catch.On the first night, the air was dry and windy and we did not get many moths.As you can see in the photo above, there were very

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I just came back from our year-end retreat at Fraser's Hill. It is another fantastic trip - nice accommodation, good food, great companion and better than expected butterfly and moth sightings.This time we stayed at the Buona Vista Bungalow, which is located at Girdle Road, more widely known as the Telecom Loop.The bungalow has a lovely garden. I could see sunrise right from my room on the 2nd

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I am very happy today because I have acquired 2 new hawkmoth caterpillars.1. Macroglossum sitiene on Paederia foetidaI found an egg and an early instar caterpillar on a Paederia foetida growing on a railing along a pedestrian walkway. The is the caterpillar of the 'HummingBird' hawkmoth that we usually see during dusk. It has visited my garden many times but I still have not managed to photograph

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-79599645244250539222008-12-12T23:00:00.023+08:002009-02-24T21:33:49.129+08:00

Here are a few of the caterpillars I am rearing ..1. Arhopala pseudocentaurus - Centaur OakblueI found this caterpillar on a Eugenia grandis (aka Jambu Laut or See Apple) tree along a road. The caterpillar was tended by a colony of "Kerengga" ants (Oecophylla smaragdina). The adult emerged 8 days after the caterpillar pupated2. I found this moth caterpillar on my Eugenia jambos ! Unfortunately

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-26447852154633066042008-12-09T22:03:00.013+08:002010-01-06T22:25:08.144+08:00

One of the questions I get asked a lot is "Will buttefly visit my garden on the X floor ?"The answer is - It depends.If a high rise garden is next to a tall tree, wooded area or nature park, there is a good chance that butterflies will visit the garden, that is assuming the garden has something to attract them in the first place. A case in point is my garden on the 6th floor. My apartment is

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-46970800277349430692008-12-06T22:34:00.000+08:002008-12-06T22:59:41.332+08:00

The Batwings and Clubtails are uncommon butterflies in Malaysia and I get excited every time I see one of these lovely papilionidae butterflies.1. Parides (Antrophaneura) varuna (male and female) - Common Batwing.The caterpillar of this butterfly resembles that of the Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae) and feeds on Aristolochia tagala. 2. Parides (Antrophaneura) nox (female)- Malayan Batwing

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-41271368251780310772008-11-30T15:34:00.011+08:002008-11-30T21:11:48.985+08:00

I was in Penang last week and had the opportunity to photograph some exotic caterpillars.1. This is the caterpillar of the Malayan Owl (Neorina lowii). Typical of the caterpillar from the Satyrinae family, it has a pair of processes on the head and anal segment but in the late instar the processes are held close together. 2. This is most likely the caterpillar of the Melanitis phedima. 3. This is

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-45736193888177156782008-11-27T23:45:00.003+08:002009-04-05T20:31:44.149+08:00

The Saturniidae page of my Moths of Fraser's Hill has been posted

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-22850916262567811692008-11-22T16:49:00.011+08:002009-04-05T20:33:45.920+08:00

Over the next few months, I will be setting up a checklist for the butterflies and moths of Fraser's Hill on my ButterflyPals website. The first batch of photos on Sphingidae (Hawk Moths) has been posted here.This will be followed by Saturniidae and Butterfly photos.

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-6261551375622682582008-09-01T22:02:00.016+08:002009-04-04T13:47:47.396+08:00

I will continue from where I left off on Butterflies of Fraser's Hill. Below are more exotic butterflies from Fraser's Hill :1. Derca verhuelli (The Brimstone butterfly)This one is very RARE and to the untrained eyes it looks like just another Pieridae. This is a lifer for me. This is the only species of this genus in Malaysia. 2. Triodes brookiana albescens (Rajah Brooke's Birdwing)This is the

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-87309451171984814242008-08-28T22:00:00.008+08:002008-11-27T06:40:29.629+08:00

The World's First Butterfly Garden in an airport was officially opened today at Changi T3 by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Ministor of State for Finance and Transport.This is the 2nd butterfly garden which the Butterfly Interest Group of NSS has worked on, the first being the Alexandra Hospital Butterfly Trail which was setup in 2002.BIG started collaborating with CAAS in May 2007 on the initial

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-79885861414991648722008-08-21T22:10:00.010+08:002008-08-28T23:37:24.875+08:00

I moved into a new place in July and have been busy in the last one and a half months setting up my new 'garden'. My weekends have been spent shopping for plants and garden accessories, re potting plants and replacing the red clay soil in the planters. It is hard work but rewardingMost people know me as the butterfly man but I am as much into plants as butterflies. In fact my interest in plants

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-705840318862052202008-06-01T23:40:00.026+08:002011-12-29T20:42:08.953+08:00

I am addicted to Fraser's Hill ! The variety of moths and butteflies there are just amazing. My recent trips there yield quite a number of lifers (Yasoda pita, Amblypodia narada, Cyrestis cocles earli f. earli and formosa, Derca verhuelli ...) and many close up shots of rare buttreflies - Pallid Faun, Wizard, Banded Peacock, Rajah Brooke's birdwing .. !I will start by showing you some 'die-die

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-71880761601170824272008-05-31T22:28:00.005+08:002009-04-05T20:32:05.378+08:00

March, April and May are peak seasons for butterflies and I have been out butterflying and mothing non-stop in Malaysia for the past three months. During the last 3 months, I have seen more lifers and rare species than my other outings.Now you know why I have not been blogging for the last 2 months ;-) However, I am going to make up for it by sharing some of the prettiest and rarest butterflies

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-38614627462276558062008-05-11T22:34:00.000+08:002009-05-11T22:34:52.269+08:00

Name : Euthalia adonia pinwilli Common Name : Green Baron Family : Nymphalidae, Nymphalinae Larva host plant : Macrosolen cochinchinensis ( Loranthaceae ) Female Life History Record Date : 17 April 2008 by Wong Wai Yen Location : West Cove Condominium, Singapore. Host Plant : Macrosolen cochinchinensis Caterpillar : Adult : female

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2119664913231570088.post-68370505677890960692008-04-11T22:38:00.000+08:002009-05-11T22:38:48.377+08:00

Name : Drepana fulvata Snellen, 1876, Tijdschr. Family : Drepanidae Subfamily : Drepaninae Reference : The Moth of Borneo, Vol 8, Plate 3 Record : Date : Jan 12 2008 Location : Neo Tiew area Host Plant : Nephelium lappaceum - Rambutan Pupation period : 6 days (7 Dec 2008 - 13 dec 2008)

Green Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599868020519011299noreply@blogger.com0