A fiery skipper butterfly stops to feed on blue heliotrope (Heliotropium amplexicaule) flowers.
Tag Archives: Butterflies and Moths
Passion vine butterfly
I already ran a post for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge on the theme of ‘Orange’ (here, and other responses here). But yesterday, while taking a walk, I came across this passion vine butterfly and thought it fit the theme too well to pass up. The butterfly was feeding on a tasselflower with the blue Pacific as a backdrop.
Sleepy orange butterflies
I came across these two sleepy orange butterflies (Abaeis nicippe) while on a walk. I think the one flying is a male since they’re described as having more sharply defined borders on the wings. If that’s the case, I presume this was some sort of mating activity going on, or at least, being attempted by the male. I didn’t see any response from the other butterfly so don’t know if the attempt was ultimately successful.
Long-tailed blue butterfly
I think this is a long-tailed blue butterfly, otherwise known as the bean butterfly. It’s a pest on beans and peas and also wild legumes. My only question about the identification is that the tail, normally seen where the black spots are, is not visible here. But it’s possible that this butterfly has suffered a bit of damage in that area. Some butterflies look so beaten up that it’s a wonder that they’re able to fly at all.
It’s resting on the flowers of a mamane tree.
Cabbage butterflies not mating
When I first saw these two cabbage butterflies I thought they were mating or about to mate. But I’ve since read that this posture, adopted by the female (identifiable by the two dark spots on each wing), is a signal that she’s already mated and is no longer available. In typical fashion, the male butterfly took a while to get the message before he gave up and left.
Asian swallowtail butterfly
The Asian swallowtail butterfly (Papilio xuthus) is also known as the Chinese yellow swallowtail, and in my butterfly book, the citrus swallowtail. Whatever the name, this is the only swallowtail butterfly found in Hawaii, first sighted in 1971.
I see them mostly when I’m standing at the kitchen window, either preparing food or washing dishes. They seem to sense when I’m otherwise engaged and flutter by scenically. If I grab my camera and rush out, they’re always gone. For whatever reason, I hardly ever see them settle on a plant; they’re always flying.
This one was slightly less flighty than most and obliged by returning to the same plant several times.
Smaller lantana butterfly
The smaller lantana butterfly, also known as the lantana scrub-hairstreak (Strymon bazochii), was introduced to Hawaii in 1902 to control lantana species. I don’t believe it has been terribly successful in that regard, but it has managed to establish itself in Hawaii. At least it hasn’t turned out to be a deadly scourge like the mongoose and several other species. For that we can be grateful.
Lesser grass blue butterflies
The lesser grass blue butterfly (Zizina otis) was first seen in Hawaii on Oahu in 2008 (for an article, or most of an article, about the find, click here). They’re now well established on the Big Island as well.
Lesser grass blues are very small, with a wingspan no more than ¾-inch. With wings folded up they’re the size of a small fingernail. They also fly close to the ground, within a foot or two.
Lately, I’ve been seeing them in large numbers on these blue heliotrope (Heliotropium amplexicaule) flowers. When I say ‘seeing them,’ what I mean is that when I walk past a patch of these flowers, a host of lesser grass blues will flutter up from the flowers, dance around in a tizzy for a few moments, and then settle back down again. When they do this, it’s like blue confetti being thrown (a few inches) into the air.
I’ve tried to capture this image with my camera, but haven’t been able to (and I’ve taken LOTS of photos). The butterflies are so small, I’m tall, and the effect is fleeting. But the top photo gives an idea of what’s going on, with three lesser grass blues homing in on the small blue heliotrope flowers while a fourth has already found a spot.
It wasn’t until I processed the photos at home that I noticed the spider in the second photo. I don’t know what it made of all the butterfly activity. I hope they weren’t its prey.
Graham's Island 