Saturday, June 5, 2010

Two Common Blues @ Toa Payoh Town Park

I have not seen many butterfly species at Toa Payoh Town Park for a long time. It was no exception on 28 May. Fortunately, at least two small permanent residents, abundant at times, are always there to greet me.

A pair of Pale Grass Blues (Zizeeria maha serica) were flitting around the flower head of a kind of sedge. One of them perched on the flower first and shortly after another followed suit. These two butterflies didn't rest in the same vertical plane. As a result, it was a challenge for me to take a good shot of them.
The smaller one was seen flapping its wings at a high speed. I managed to get a shot to show a glimpse of its upperside of the forewing - which looks like a male.
Lesser Grass Blue, 毛眼灰蝶 (Zizina otis lampa) is a small lycaenid which looks quite similar to the Pale Grass Blue. A prominent difference between these two species lies in the submarginal markings on the underside wings. Here is a shot of a mating pair enjoying a quiet and intimate moment when I spotted them.
Individually, these Grass Blue butterflies are not colourful or large enough to be attractive, but when you see them flitting around flowers close to the ground in good numbers, they actually create a dynamic and vibrant scene in the garden.

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