Hewitson's Commander

Description:

Euryphura plautilla, Hewitson’s Commander, is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and western Uganda.

Habitat:

The habitat consists of forests.

Notes:

The occasional passing of butterflies distract my reading under the umbrella tree. This nice brown one really got my attention when it passed more than once- back, forth, overhead, and finally rested on a leaf on the tree. It was strange for a butterfly to be basking by that time of the day, 4pm. Unknown to me, it had other plans. It didn't see any flower on the other side of the tree where it first landed after its recon flight. This was a second attempt. It made its way through the gaps in the leaves just under a branch with a husk of small red flowers. It hung on while its long proboscis worked the nectar. Intelligent butterfly. A small bee wasp soon joined the feast. The butterfly was unwary of my presence, it surely had seen worse. Its battered wings could testify to that. It had the best of the nectar for about an hour and then disappeared. Interestingly, the same butterfly was noticed along the hedge the next morning. I could say that it was having a great getaway in the garden :)