Brown Pansy

Description:

Nymphalidae; Nymphalinae; Nymphaliini; Junonia hedonia ida Cramer, 1775. These two butterflies are exactly the same species. Obviously, I mention this because of the differences in their colours. When I took the photos (in the same location and only minutes apart), I assumed that they were different species and thought that I might not be able to identify either one of them because of their tattered condition. However, a close look at some pictures, in Philippine Lepidoptera, showed that the "Brown Pansy" can be dark brown or a much lighter orange/brown. I know that those of us who have a fondness for butterflies do not like to see damaged specimens, but this is a normal part of their lifestyle and I can assure you that these two were flying around with great proficiency. Fortunately, what remains of their markings is enough to enable identification. Wikipedia offers four "common names" for this species - brown pansy, chocolate pansy, brown soldier or chocolate argus.

Habitat:

Spotted in foliage at the side of a narrow track. The area is sparsely populated and mostly covered by remnants of tropical forest.

Notes: