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Project Noah Nature School
Graphium doson
This butterfly struggled through a heavy downpour and finally rests itself on a money plant (Epipremnum aureum). It has lost some color and its wing’s edges are torn. After sitting there in this relaxed position for an hour or so, it hops on a garden balsam plant (Impatiens balsamina) and finally takes off.
Garden next to a pond.
The ‘Common Jay’ is a tropical papilionid butterfly, whose wings are black above with a pale bluish macular band. Both wings have a series of bluish submarginal spots. It is active throughout the day and constantly on the move; it rarely settles down. Its flight is swift and straight. As with other Graphium species, adult doson males adopt the 'filter-feeding' technique - using their long proboscises to continually suck up water from which they extract sodium and other minerals. They constantly pump the water through their bodies, expelling the surplus from the anus, and using it to dissolve further minerals from the ground, which they re-imbibe. When feeding on the ground the wings are normally held erect, but kept constantly quivering. It is common to find that almost all the butterflies in an aggregation face in the same direction - into the wind.
Spotted on Oct 1, 2014
Submitted on Oct 27, 2014
2 Comments
Thank you, catgrin. Liked the article and also the fact that you too are fascinated by insects.
I really like it when pictures tell stories.
Have you ever read the book, "Where Does the Butterfly Go When it Rains?" I read it when I was very young, and it was one of the things that made me appreciate how difficult it is to be an animal that lives with no permanent home. I'm also still fascinated by insects.
Scientific American wrote this article discussing just what it is that butterflies do when it rains - and why.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...