Photographing Swallowtails

Photographing Swallowtails
Shooting in-flight Papilionidae feeding at flowers

A Lime Butterfly fluttering and balancing itself whilst it feeds on a Lantana flower

Several butterfly species of the Papilionidae family are known for their distinctive flight characteristic - whenever they alight at a flower to feed, the forewings of the butterflies flap rapidly, whilst the hindwings are kept relatively still. Shooting and freezing these butterflies in action can be considered one of the most challenging pursuits in the field of butterfly photography.

A female Common Mormon's proboscis reaching into the flower of Asystasia gangetica

Unlike species of other families which stop and remain momentarily stationary to feed on flowers with their wings folded shut or opened flat, Swallowtails are hence quite challenging to photograph whilst feeding at flowers, due to their constant motion.

A Great Helen balances on Ixora flowers as it feeds

Swallowtails from the Papilionidae family are large and attractive butterflies, although many species do not have tails. Most of the species found in Singapore are relatively common, with the exception of a few. They belong to the genera Papilio, Chilasa, Graphium, Pachliopta and Pathysa (Graphium).

A Blue Helen fluttering and feeding at the flower of a Syzygium tree

Many of the species in the genus Papilio are restless flyers, and when in flight, are extremely challenging to photograph. However, when they alight to feed on flowers, this gives the photographer the best opportunity to get close and take shots of them.

A Common Rose balancing itself whilst feeding on a Pagoda Flower

However, as they are always fluttering and on the move, getting the ideal shot of the butterfly on a flower depends on quick preparation and anticipation, coupled with a combination of skill and luck. The feeding butterfly is always alert for predators, so any sudden movements by the photographer would spook the butterfly off and spoil any further chances of photographing it.

It is always a delight to see a Common Mormon or a Lime Butterfly, with its legs extended, proboscis probing into a flower to drink the nectar, and wings outstretched. However, such shots are often split-second opportunities in butterfly photography. In the field, the photographer has to get into position at a flower and anticipate the next flower that the butterfly is likely to visit, focus on the flower and get ready to re-focus as the butterfly comes into view, and let off a series of shots at the opportune moment.

Freezing the action is where digital SLRs have an advantage; particularly those with a high frame-per-second rate (referred to as fps). The high end DSLRs have a frame rate of anything between 8-12 shots per second. This helps to even the odds of trying to shoot a butterfly that is in flight, constantly moving and alighting at a flower to feed for a fraction of a second.

When tracking a feeding Swallowtail, observe which flowers it prefers to feed on. Often the butterfly tends to do a "circuit", visiting certain favourite flowers and then coming back to the same flowers for another round of nectar. Position yourself at a few preferred flowers and then focus your lens on that flower, keeping watch over the butterfly that is busily feeding nearby. When it comes into view, blast away!

A male Great Mormon feeding at the flower of the Pagoda Flower (Clerodendron sp)

A feeding Swallowtail typically spends less than a second at the flower. The accuracy with which it extends its proboscis and inserts it into the flower and sucks the nectar is quite amazing. It does this whilst balancing itself with its flapping forewings and using its legs to hold on to the flower.

A Great Helen feeds on the flower of Ixora sp.

As the forewings are flapping constantly, try to position yourself in plane with the butterfly's wings to maximise your depth of field. Hold your camera and lens steady, and refrain from any sudden movements that would scare off the feeding butterfly.

Two for the price of one! A male Lime Butterfly courting a female as she feeds on a Lantana flower

For species like the Lime Butterfly, Common and Great Mormon, where the wing flap rate is slower, a shutter speed of at least 1/500s and above would be ideal to freeze the wing movement. In situations like these, it may be necessary to use a higher ISO to ensure that the shutter speeds are maintained so that the flapping wings can be frozen (unless the photographer intentionally wants to feature motion of the wings in his shot)

The fast-flying Tailed Jay feeds at the flowers of a Syzygium tree

The faster flying species like the Tailed Jay, Common Bluebottle, Blue Jay, Banded Swallowtail and so on, often require shutter speeds of 1/800s or more and very fast reflexes on the part of the photographer to nail a good shot.

A Common Bluebottle feeding at the flower of the Bandicoot Cherry (Leea indica). Note the rapid movement of the flapping forewings

These species fly at very high speeds as they move from flower to flower. Frequently, all the frustrated photographer gets, is a fleeting glimpse of the butterfly as it zooms past at breakneck pace.

A female Common Mormon flutters and takes nectar from a Lantana flower

An ideal shot of a Swallowtail, with proboscis extended into a flower, wings frozen in space, with a clean out-of-focus background is a satisfying achievement, and one that is not easy to get. However, if one is patient and persistent, (and with a good dose of luck) it will be a most rewarding experience to photograph an in-flight Swallowtail feeding at a flower.

Now you see me, now you don't! A Tailed Jay zooms past, stops at a Lantana to feed and takes off, all within half a second.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Sunny Chir, Henry Koh, Khew SK & Tan CP

Random Gallery - The Fluffy Tit

Random Butterfly Gallery
02 : The Fluffy Tit (Zeltus amasa maximinianus)

This week's random butterfly features the Fluffy Tit, taken by our 12-year old ButterflyCircle member, Jonathan Soong. The shot, which shows the butterfly feeding on the flower of the Bandicoot Cherry bush (Leea indica), was taken at MacRitchie Reservoir Park last weekend.

Life History of the Malayan Snow Flat

Life History of the Malayan Snow Flat (Tagiades calligana)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Tagiades Hübner, 1819
Species: calligana Butler, 1879
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 36-40mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plant: Dioscorea pyrifolia (Dioscoreaceae).

A Malayan Snow Flat displaying its wing underside.

A male Malayan Snow Flat resting on the side of a plastic container, giving us a view of its underside.

A newly eclosed male Malayan Snow Flat.

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:

Above, the wings are dark brown. On the forewing, there is a white hyaline spot in each of spaces 3,4,5,6,7,8 and 11.  The forewing cell features an elongate upper spot, and in some specimens, a smaller lower spot. Additionally, the female has one spot in space 2. On the hindwing, there is a large white tornal area  with its inner edge reaching vein 6. In this whitened area,  there are black marginal spots at the end of veins 1b, 2 3 and 4, with the one at  vein 1b rather faint and even absent in some specimens. There are additional black post-discal spots in spaces 5 and 6, lying at the edge of the whitened area.   Underneath, the wings are similarly marked as per above but with the  whitened area on the hindwing  extended to the basal area, and with the marginal spot at vein 1b much larger and prominent than that on the upperside.

A newly eclosed female  Malayan Snow Flat.

A female Malayan Snow Flat  resting on the side of a plastic container.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:  
This species is moderately rare in Singapore and its distribution is restricted to the forested areas of the  Central Catchment and Bukit Timah nature reserves. The adults are strong flyers  and are more active in the cooler hours of the day.  As is the case for the other Tagiades species, the adults have the habit of perching on the underside of a leaf between flights, and with its wings opened flat.

A Malayan Snow Flat perching on the underside of a leaf.

Early Stages:
To date only one local host plant, Dioscorea pyrifolia, has been recorded for the Malayan Snow Flat. This plant can be found growing at a few sites within the local nature reserves. It is possible  that  one or more of other Dioscorea spp. present in the nature reserves is/are the larval host for  the Malayan Snow Flat. Further field observations are needed to ascertain this. The caterpillars of the Malayan Snow Flat feed on  leaves of the host plant. When not  feeding, the caterpillars seek  safety and concealment in a leaf shelter formed  by cutting and folding a leaf fragment along the edge of the leaf. 

Local host plant: Dioscorea pyrifolia.

A partially eaten leaf of the host plant with a leaf shelter.

The eggs of the Malayan Snow Flat are laid singly on the petiole of a young leaf  of the host plant. The whitish egg is hemispherical  with surface marked with longitudinal ridges running from the pole to the rim of the base. The egg  is well concealed in a mass of black setae deposited by the mother butterfly.  Each egg has a diameter of about 0.9-1mm.

Two views of an egg of the Malayan Snow Flat.

Two views of a mature egg of the Malayan Snow Flat. Note the polar portion of the egg shell has already been nibbled away.

The egg takes about 3-4 days to hatch. The young caterpillar emerges by eating away the polar  part of the egg shell. The rest of the egg shell is not eaten by the newly hatched which is about 1.8-1.9mm in length. The pale yellowish  body is roughly cylindrical in shape and the head capsule is black in color.

Two views of a  newly hatched caterpillar, length: 1.9mm.

The newly hatched makes its way to the leaf edge to  construct its very first  leaf shelter right away.  It ventures out of the shelter from time to time to feed on the leaf lamina in the vicinity. As the caterpillar grows, the body assumes a strong green to dark green undertone.   After reaching about 3.5mm in about 3 days, the caterpillar moults to the 2nd instar.

Two views of a  1st instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 3.5mm.

The body of the 2nd instar caterpillar is pale  whitish with a green undertone.  The head is black and broadened sideways to two short  tips at the upper end.  The  surface of  the body is dotted with  numerous tiny whitish speckles. This instar lasts about 3  days with the body length reaching about 6.5-7mm.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar,  length: 6.5mm.

A 2nd instar caterpillar mid-way through the construction of its leaf shelter.

The 3rd instar caterpillar closely resembles the 2nd instar caterpillar. The head capsule is still black but broader sideways and with the two raised tips more angled and prominent. The tiny speckles  are whitish to yellowish. This instar takes about 3-4 days to complete with body length reaching about 12mm.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar,  length: 9.5mm.

A late 3rd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult.

The 4th instar caterpillar is little changed  from the  3rd instar in both body markings and coloration.   This instar lasts about 4 days with body length reaching about 21mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, length: 19.5mm.

Two views of a late 4th instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult.

The 5th instar caterpillar has similar body markings as in the 4th instar but the colour of its head changed to a pale shade of reddish brown. The body markings become increasing yellowish as growth proceeds in this instar. The 5th instar lasts for about 8-8.5 days, and the body length reaches up to 30mm.

A newly moulted  5th instar caterpillar, its head capsule still "uncoloured".

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, early  in this stage, length: 21mm.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, later in this stage, length:30mm.

On the last day of 5th instar, the body decolorises  to a very pale shade of yellowish green. The caterpillar ceases feeding and stations within its leaf shelter. The pre-pupatory larva prepares for the pupal phase with a series of silk construction work with the main pieces being a silk girdle across the dorsum of its early abdominal segments, and a short and thickened transverse silk band on the substrate at  its posterior end. Both the dorsal point of the girdle and the transverse band are further secured by vertical/oblique threads to the inner wall of the shelter. Soon the pre-pupatory larva becomes dormant in its leaf shelter. Pupation takes place about 0.5-1 day later.

The pre-pupa and the fresh pupa of a brown form  Malayan Snow Flat caterpillar.

The girdled pupa is secured  with its cremaster attached to the short transverse band on the substrate. It has a short thorax, a rather long abdomen, a pointed rostrum and two small ear-like appendages at the leading edge of the mesothorax. The body is pale beige brown with two large triangular white patches on the side of the mesothorax and first three abdominal segments.  Length of pupae: 20-21mm.

Two views of a pupa of the Malayan Snow Flat.

Frontal and side views of the anterior of a  pupa of the Malayan Snow Flat.

After about 7 days of pupal development, the pupal turns dark. The following day, the adult butterfly emerges from the pupal case.

Two views of a mature pupa of the Malayan Snow Flat.

References:

• The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, The Malayan Nature Society.
• Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 1st Edition, 2006.

Text by Horace Tan, Photos by Tan Ben Jin, Sunny Chir and Horace Tan

Random Gallery - Spotted Judy

Random Butterfly Gallery
01 : The Spotted Judy (Abisara geza niya)


ISO1250 | 1/100s | f/4.5 | Fill-Flash | HandHeld | Canon 1DMkIII | Tamron 180mm

Many members of ButterflyCircle are accomplished photographers in their own right, and this new series will feature random works from various members on a regular basis. On most weekends, members are out in the field, photographing butterflies and always striving to get a better shot that attempts to improve on the previous one.

Members then share their hard work at the ButterflyCircle forums. This series captures some random shots from the forums and features our members' latest works on this Blog. The objective is to share with our readers, recent random butterfly shots whilst we research and prepare the longer weekend articles on this blog.

For the opening shot in this new series, we have a Spotted Judy (Abisara geza niya) taken by Sunny Chir.

Butterfly of the Month - March 2012

Butterfly of the Month - March 2012
The Chocolate Albatross (Appias lyncida vasava)

Around this time two years ago in 2010, the region faced a period of very low rainfall, and Singapore experienced one of its driest months in 140 years, where there was only 6.3 mm of rain for the whole month! Subsequently, just three months later, floods hit Orchard Road, a major shopping belt in Singapore, on 16 Jun 2010, with 100mm of rain inundating the island in just two hours!

Now in 2012, the weather is uncharacteristically wet for the month of March, with heavy rains falling on a few days of every week - often with heavy thunderstorms that brought heavy rainfall all over the island. The meteorological station's radar map below on a typical rainy morning on 14 Mar shows the entire region stretching from the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan across to Singapore, and to large parts of southern Johor in Malaysia blanketed with heavy precipitation.

The flower of the month for March is the Daffodil (Narcissus spp.). The flower is a spring blooming bulb. The traditional Daffodil is a ring of light golden or white petals with a trumpet shaped center of a darker contrasting shade of gold/yellow.

The Daffodil is used prominently for decorating during the Chinese New Year in both China and festivals celebrating this holiday around the world. Daffodils are poisonous and can be harmful or even deadly if eaten.

March is traditionally the start of the butterfly season in parts of peninsula Malaysia and Singapore, where numbers of butterflies typically increase, peaking in May or June. However, with the changes in weather, it is yet to be observed if the butterfly season will be delayed somewhat.

As the numbers of butterflies increase during this time of the year, some species are known to migrate in numbers across parts of Malaysia. Some species of Pieridae, which are not normally resident in Singapore, fly southwards and occasionally make their appearance in the Garden City. One such species, is the Chocolate Albatross (Appias lyncida vasava) our Butterfly of the Month for March 2012.

The Chocolate Albatross is common in Malaysia, and seasonally seen in abundance. On some occasions, we have observed up to 50 or more individuals puddling at damp sandy spots along river banks in the forests. The species is not a resident species in Singapore, but records have shown that the Chocolate Albatross appears in Singapore in some years, only to be totally absent and not sighted at all in other years.

When the butterfly appears (past records indicate that it is almost always observed in the months of March to May of certain years), it can be seen as far south as the Central Catchment forests within the reservoir parks of Upper Seletar, MacRitchie and Lower Peirce. Moreover, several individuals are encountered together, either puddling or flying around flowering plants. In one instance, a female was recorded from the Sime Forest area of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.



The butterfly is skittish, and a fast flyer, like its close relative, the Striped Albatross (Appias libythea olferna), a common species in Singapore. The male Chocolate Albatross is white on the upperside, with dentate black marginal borders on the fore and hind wings.

The hindwing beneath is a rich lemon yellow with a dark brown border on both the fore- and hindwings. In Malaysia, large congregations of the males of this species are often encountered puddling, often in the company of other Pierids, Nymphalids and Papilionids.

Females are much rarer, and typically found feeding at flowers along the forest edge. They appear almost medium grey, as the upperside is heavily black dusted with a few broad white streaks, whilst the underside is grey with the hindwing dusted with yellow, with the veins prominently marked.

Both sexes have been observed to sunbathe with their wings partially opened on the top surfaces of leaves in the early hours of the morning, or on bright sunny days in the late afternoon. Males also sunbathe on nearby bushes especially after a long bout of puddling and have had their fill of nutrients.


Puddling Chocolate Albatrosses.

And as the month of March moves to a close, we end this blog article with a video clip shot by ButterflyCircle member Loke PF, of a congregation of Chocolate Albatrosses, flying in and out of the frame as they puddle and jostle for the best spots to sip their life-sustaining nutrients from the damp sandy bank. This video clip was shot at Fraser's Hill, Malaysia.

Text by Khew SK : Video clip by Loke PF : Photos by Chng CK, Goh LC, Khew SK, Loke PF, Anthony Wong & Benjamin Yam