A Wet Day of Butterfly Outing at 上水古洞, Hong Kong

On 28 May, I met up with my usual butterfly-photogaphy enthusiasts at Sheuang Shui (上水) MTR station before hopping onto the green mini bus 51K to 上水古洞 to look for the Polygonia c-aureum (黃鉤蛺蝶 ). After about 20 minutes, we alighted at The Hong Kong Girl Guides Association - Jockey Club Beas River Lodge.

We crossed a river and walked towards  a village. Though it was dirzzling, many of us just continued to hunt for our primary target -  thge Polygonia c-aureum. There was quite a number of them, flitting amongst the wild vegetation, along the river banks.

Without sunshine, they had the tendency to fold up their wings. So getting an upperside shot was not  easy.

I noticed an interesting moment. I guess a male was trying to mate with a female. But appearently, the female was not keen.

The male gave up and  rested with open wings for a few seconds.

The weather was overcast with intermitten rains throughout the whole morning. When the passing rain became heavy, we had to look for "shelters" under big trees. While waiting for the rain to stop under a big banana leaf, I spotted this Banana Skipper (Erionota torus) .

This Discophora sondaica  (鳳眼方環蝶)was also waiting for the rain to stop - it was just a few meters away from me.

 

When there was intermitten sunshine, I could see more butterflies feeding on the Bidens flowers along the roadside. A familiar butterfly to me, the Ypthima baldus (矍眼蝶 ) was busy feeding on the flower,  allowing me to compose some shots.

Usually I have uncertainty identifying an orange skipper - this shot looks like the Telicota bambusae according to Dr Seow from ButterflyCircle .

I got one underside shot before it scooted off  the moment the flashlight was fired.

Another yellow skipper which looks like the T.  bambusae again but it preferred  the yellow wild daisy  flowers instead.

Identifying a brown skipper is very challenging too.  This small guy  could be the Parnara bada.

Many wild flowers, especaially the white Bidens flowers blooming along the Shueng Yue River attracted some butterflies. 

I noticed that this Catopsilia pomona taking a short nap after it had enough nectar from the flowers.

Many photographers were waiting at infront of some rows of Bidens flowers to nail the  Papilio xuthus. This fellow was fair to everyone as it visited different flowers, giving everyone a fair chance to snap a few shots.

In every outing, apart from butterflies, if we look around carefully, it is not difficult to find other critters also. A beetle was foraging on a flower.  

 A planthopper.  
 A beautiful  but common day-flying moth which I have not identified it