Reuben D And Shimona

Reuben D And Shimona Are ANIMALS!!

Tailed jay

A big butterfly with wingspan of 85-100cm having apple-green spots on its black wing.The tailed jay is a strict forest dwellers but can be found anywhere where there are lots of trees. But it is more native evergreen and wet semi-evergreen forests. The Tailed Jay is active throughout the year but is most abundant where its host/nectar plants(Annona, Polyalthia, Michelia) are found.

The Tailed Jay is a master when it comes to flight which is straight, fast and dashy. The Jay is extremely restless and keeps flying. You are lucky to spot it still. Do not miss the opportunity.  To maximize chances as said in other posts best to approach while basking in the morning.

The egg of the Tailed Jay is greenish-blue in colour and the caterpillar is somewhat spindle shape. The pupa is similar to the Crow's a with a length of about 29mm. 

Common Bushbrow

A medium sized, brown, butterfly with a wingspan of 38-55mm. The Common Bushbrown has has a Spot on its upper side and the underside will vary with season(wit/without the eye-spots ad a white line). The one in the picture has a series of eye-spots enclosed in between the white line and the wing margin. In the dry season the spots are usually not present. The male and female look almost identical when it comes to marking and colouring.

The Bushbrown inhabits almost all enviroments and is found in deciduous, semi-evergreen, to evergreen forests.
This butterfly is averagely difficult to photograph as it is very alert and flies in a very comical up-down fashion going round and round the a shrub so it is difficult to follow for long. My advice would be to capture it from a distance using a zoom lens. 

Common Rose

A large butterfly which measures around 80-110m from tip to tip. it is a black butterfly with a crimson body . You will find large white patches on the underside of its wings. There are also a pattern of red dots on the margins of the hind wings. Both male and female look alike.

The Common Rose has a very gracefull flight. It uses its huge wing just to glide through the air and to steer and balance. It usually flies only 2-3m above the ground while searching for flowering plants.








The Rose is very common in all of India. It is mostly spotted in open areas especially fields. It is also often spotted in the garden and even in the most crowded cities. Early in the morning it is easy to photograph while it basks mostly near tree-tops.

Commander

The Commander is one of my favorite butterflies with a vivd colour and a wingspan of 60-75. Its upperside has brownish-red colour with big snow white dots in a v-shaope. The underside has a grayish-white colour.The Commander is most abundant at water-courses in the moist and dry decidious forests. Teh male and female are similar in appearance.

This buttefly is often seen on pale pebbles or sand where it settles and presses its wings flat. This means that it is eaither basking or feeding. But this butterfly is difficult to apprach as it always keeps its distance. It is easier to approach when it is feeding or basking.
The Commander is a powerful lfier flying swiftly with few wing beats. Still it it flies only in short bouts and never travels far.
The catapiller of the Commander has a very disinctive camofludge feature. It stacks together the its waste and makes its waste look just like itself. The pupa can also be easily mistaken for a dry leaf of its host plant.

Common Leopard

The common leopard, getting its name from the marking on its wings is small butterfly with a wingspan of 35-50. This species are found in small groups and are endemic to the edges of Shola forest and the grasslands of the western ghats. They are also found in the Himalayas. The two pictures were taken on a hot afternoon in a garden at Vengurla(Not In Goa), India. But I have spotted this butterfly in Goa.

 The Common Leopard has black markings on outerside of the wings but has bluish-purple shine on the underside. The shine is more prominent in females.

 The Common Leopard is very easy to photograph coz of its moderate flight speed and the fact that it often settles of branches of small shrubs and avoids shady area. Best time/place to find The Common Leopard will be in the afternoon heat in some open place with shrubs/grass.

 Another interesting fact about the Common Leopard is that it guards its territory. Wile basking it chases of other butterflies with a very high flight speed. This is mostly related to 'perching'-Mate-locating Stratergy.

The Southern Birdwing

This is the largest of all the butterflies in southern India with huge wingspan ranging from 140mm to 190mm. The southern Birdwing in endemic to this part of India and can be easily found in the western ghats.

The Birdwing displays a very impressive coloring- Deep Black at the upper surfaces of its wings and yellow-golden at its hind, with black borders. The female is very similar to the male but can be distinguished by its lesser shine and a row of large triangular spots.

It is difficult to photograph as it usually flies very high among the tree canopies. Easily aprochable when basking early in the morning. Also care should be taken during photography: The Birdwing is very sesitive and will require a zoom lens/camera. Since The Southern Birdwing is an inpalatable species the Roses often mimic them. Its host plants are usually small climbers and creepers.