Upside Down Butterflies Part 2

Upside Down Butterflies Part 2
Peculiar habits of some Butterfly Species


A Common Awl perches upside down on the underside of a palm

In last week's blog article, we featured an interesting and peculiar habit of some species of butterflies. These butterflies have a propensity of perching under a leaf to hide, sometimes with their wings folded upright, others with their wings opened or flapping slowly. Not all butterflies do this, but only a handful and isolated to a few of the butterfly families found in Singapore.

A White Banded Awl on the underside of a leaf

Their reasons for doing so may be common sense - either taking shelter from the heat of the sun, or pelting rain, or even to hide themselves from would-be predators. Even if this is so, then why only these few species? Why don't all butterflies adopt this behaviour? I doubt if these questions can be definitively answered. This is probably one of a myriad of Mother Nature's mysteries. The upside down behaviour is likely to be an evolutionary process of some of these species, carried in their DNA for generations. Each successive generation adopts the identical habits and seems to know what to do without being 'taught' how to do so.

The Riodinidae found in Singapore do not display the under-leaf habit, despite many species in other parts of the world doing so.

We now take a look at the next family of butterflies, continuing from last week's article - the Riodinidae. This family, known as the "Metalmarks", is represented by only 5 species in Singapore. Across the globe, in South America, many of the magnificent metalmarks are well-known to always perch under a leaf, either with their wings opened flat, or folded upright. However, all the 5 Riodinidae species in Singapore are not known to display any under-leaf habits at all. Most of them are usually seen on the top surfaces of leaves, and has a habit of twisting and turning with half-opened wings.

The Sumatran Sunbeam perches upside down quite regularly when observed in the backmangroves of Singapore

Turning our attention next to the Lycaenidae, which is the largest family of butterflies found in Singapore, we observe that of the 2 members of the sub-family Curetinae, one of them - the Sumatran Sunbeam is known to perch on the undersides of leaves with their wings folded upright. Often, their bright white undersides make them very visible when they hang upside down under a leaf. However, the other related species, the Malayan Sunbeam, rarely displays such behaviour.

The Poritinae do not perch under leaves whilst the Miletinae adopt any position just to feed on the excretions of other insects

The other subfamilies, Miletinae and Poritinae, do not display any upside down habits, preferring to stay on the tops of leaves, or in the case of the Miletinae, they adopt whatever convenient posture needed when feeding on the secretions of mealy bugs or aphids. I have not come across any Polyommatinae (the Blues) that perch on the undersides of leaves either.

Both the Silverlines in Singapore display the under-leaf behaviour occasionally

The family Aphnaeinae is represented by two species - the Club and Long Banded Silverlines in Singapore. I have occasionally seen the Silverlines perched on the underside of a leaf. However, this is not a regular behaviour, although we can count the Silverlines as being one of them displaying this under-leaf habit.

Some of the long-tailed Lycaenidae butterflies sometimes hide upside down under a leaf

In the last sub-family, Theclinae, there are one or two species, particularly amongst the long-tailed ones, that occasionally display the habit of perching under a leaf. However, again, this habit is not predominant but only occurs uncommonly from time to time. There have been times when I encounter an individual under a leaf, but they appear to be foraging for something or feeding. Some of the Rapala spp are known to do so. But infrequent are the occasions when I encounter one that is just perched on the underside of a leaf, doing absolutely nothing.  However, in Malaysia, there are certain species of the genus Dacalana and Neomyrina that are typically found perched in the upside down position. These species are not found in Singapore. 

We now move on to the final family, the Hesperiidae or Skippers. Amongst two of the sub-families Coeliadinae and Pyrginae are many species that consistently displays the under-leaf habit. The sub-family Hesperiinae has no known examples of perching under a leaf. We will now feature the species from the Coeliadinae and Pyrginae that regularly perches in an upside down position.

A Brown Awl perches upside down under a leaf

The first group will be the Awls. These species, belonging to the four genera Badamia, Burara, Bibasis and Hasora, are known to be crepuscular (active during the periods of dawn and dusk) in habit. When encountered, they can often be seen to perch upside down on the undersides of foliage usually in the early morning hours before 8 or 9 am, or during the later hours of the day in the deep forest understorey.

Awlets and Awls all upside down

Amongst these, the Brown Awl, Great Orange Awlet, Orange Awlet, Plain Banded Awl, Common Awl, Yellow Banded Awl, Common Banded Awl and White Banded Awl can regularly be observed to perch on the underside of a leaf in forested areas. A few of them can be active during the later hours of the day, like the Yellow Banded Awl and White Banded Awl, but usually in deep forest and hiding in the shade under a leaf.

These robust-bodied skippers are fast-flying and zip rapidly from perch to perch, sometimes even buzzing close to an observer, before settling on the underside of a leaf to hide. I have not come across the sole member of the sub-family, the Orange Tailed Awl, hiding under a leaf, but it is very likely that it also displays this habit.

The final sub-family is the Pyrginae (commonly referred to as the "Flats"). The species of this sub-family tend to open their wings flat (hence the collective name). However, during certain hours of the day, after they are done feeding on flowers, they will fly rapidly and hide upside down under a leaf - still with their wings opened flat. When behaving like this, it is challenging to photograph them, especially when they are perched on a low leaf.

The Flats are also habitual under-leafers, preferring to perch upside down with their wings spread open

Amongst the Flats that have been frequently seen perched under a leaf with their wings opened flat are White Banded Flat, Fulvous Pied Flat, Hieroglyphic Flat, Common Snow Flat, Large Snow Flat, Ultra Snow Flat, Malayan Snow Flat and Chestnut Angle. Whilst there may not be photos of the other species found in Singapore to show that they perch under a leaf, it is most likely that they do. A quite a few of these Pyrginae are very rare. However, their under-leaf behaviour is limited to certain hours of the day when they are not feeding or sunbathing.

A White Banded Flat clings on to the underside of a leaf in its typical upside down perch

And so we complete our observations on this peculiar habit of perching upside down on the underside of a leaf by some butterfly species. Perhaps some researcher will one day discover the purpose of this unique habit that only certain species of butterflies display. Until then, we can just observe and wonder about this under-leaf behaviour amongst these butterflies.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Khew SK, Koh CH, Loh MY, Loke PF, Billy Oh, Nelson Ong, Jonathan Soong and Horace Tan

Upside Down Butterflies - Part 1

Upside Down Butterflies

Upside Down Butterflies
Peculiar habits of some Butterfly Species


A Common Yeoman perches upside down with its wings folded upright

Most regular butterfly watchers will know that the flying speed and style of flying vary amongst the species of butterflies found in Singapore (and elsewhere for that matter). After a time of watching them, a butterfly watcher should be able to tell the difference between the fast-flying Papilionidae like a Tailed Jay or a Banded Swallowtail, always flying as though the devil were at their heels; and the slow, unhurried graceful flight of a Common Tree Nymph.

A Little Maplet peeks from its upside down perch

Besides having their preferred habitats, many butterfly species have unique behavioral adaptations that are interesting and help to narrow down the identification of several species, simply from the way they behave in the field. One such interesting behaviour amongst butterflies, is the peculiar habit of flying and then settling on the underside of a leaf, hanging upside down like a bat.

Anderson's Grass Yellow perches upside down on a grass blade

It is not fully understood why some butterflies do this. Perhaps to hide from a predator? Or is it for some other reason? Not much research has been made to establish why some butterflies rest upside down on the underside of its leaf perch. In most cases, the butterfly just rests on the underside of a leaf and stays there, doing absolutely nothing. There is usually no food source nor is the butterfly engaging in any specific activity. There are some species that oviposit on the underside of a leaf, but here, we are discussing those species that do nothing else except perch on the underside of a leaf.

A male Purple Duke perches upside down.  This species is most often encountered in the nature reserves displaying this under-leaf habit

The "king" of the upside down butterflies should be the Purple Duke (Eulaceura osteria kumana) also known as the Elegant Emperor in some countries. This species is regularly seen displaying the under-leaf habit. When disturbed by any movement, the Purple Duke darts out, flies rapidly and then suddenly stops on the underside of a leaf to perch with its wings folded upright. It will repeat this behaviour again and again.

Purple Duke males (Top and Middle) and female (Bottom) showing their usual upside down perching behaviour

This unique upside down behaviour occurs in both males and females of the Purple Duke. Occasionally, it perches on the top of a leaf and opens its wings flat to sunbathe. But getting a good shot of an open winged Purple Duke is quite challenging, as it usually sunbathes in the early hours of the morning before the sun warms up the environment.

The Papilionidae usually perch on the tops of leaves when they need to rest after flying, like this female Great Helen is doing.  Sightings of them perching under a leaf are extremely rare, if ever!

Going through the families of butterflies, we start at the Papilionidae. I have not come across any species of the Swallowtails and Birdwings in Singapore that displays the perching under-leaf behaviour. Perhaps due to their large size, it would be physically difficult for a Papilionidae to hold on comfortably to the underside of a leaf. The Crows and Tigers of the subfamily Danainae also do not display this behaviour at all.

Different species of the Eurema are often encountered perching in an upside down position on the underside of a leaf

Surprisingly, there are some species of the Pieridae, particularly the Eurema spp. or Grass Yellows, displaying this habit. Although it is not a frequent habit amongst these species, they have quite often been seen to rest on the underside of a leaf with their wings folded upright. This is more often observed when there is a whole group of puddling Grass Yellow butterflies and some will fly off to nearby bushes to rest upside down after feeding.

A Common Grass Yellow clings upside down on the underside of a leaf

However, they are skittish and alert and will fly off elsewhere if disturbed. Unlike the Purple Duke, they may not fly to another upside down perch. Amongst the other Pieridae, I have observed some species of the Catopsilia often referred to as the Emigrants, hiding on the underside of a leaf. However, such sightings are not common.

Although not often seen displaying the under-leaf behaviour, the Jacintha Eggfly (Top) and the Autumn Leaf (Bottom) are sometimes seen hiding upside down on the underside of a leaf

Moving on to the family Nymphalidae, I have not had the chance of observing any of this upside down behaviour amongst the subfamilies Danainae, Satyrinae, Charaxinae Biblidinae and Limenitidinae. Amongst some species of the Nymphalinae, I have come across this under-leaf behaviour in the Autumn Leaf, Malayan Eggfly, Great Eggfly and Jacintha Eggfly. However, the occurrence of such upside down habit is rare and in some cases, the butterfly that I observed was ovipositing or feeding on some sap on the underside of the leaf.

The Cirrochroa species found in Singapore - Malay Yeoman, Banded Yeoman and Common Yeoman are seen to display this upside down perching behaviour at times.  In this photo, a Banded Yeoman clings onto the underside of a leaf with its wings folded upright.

The subfamily that features several species that has the habit of resting on the underside of a leaf is Heliconiinae. In Singapore, all three species of the Cirrochroa spp. usually referred to as the Yeoman butterflies, are often observed to hide on the underside of a leaf with their wings folded upright to rest. Although this behaviour does not happen quite as often as in the Purple Duke, there are more frequent sightings of the Yeoman butterflies displaying this upside down habit. In some observations, the butterfly clung on to the underside of a leaf, but kept opening and closing its wings for a period of time.

The Royal Assyrian is another species that is often encountered perched upside down on the underside of a leaf with its wings folded upright.

Another species in the Heliconiinae family that can be said to often display this under-leaf habit, is the Royal Assyrian (Terinos terpander robertsia). This species is the only representative of the genus in Singapore, but again, it has often been photographed whilst perched on the underside of a leaf with its wings folded upright. In some encounters, the butterfly was in full view although perched on the underside of a leaf, giving reason to wonder if it was doing so to avoid being seen, or for some other reason yet to be discovered.

The Little Maplet has a habit of perching upside down on the underside of a leaf with its wings opened flat.  It flaps its wings slowly and is alert to any intrusion to its hiding place

In the last subfamily of the Nymphalidae, is the sole representative of Cyrestinae in Singapore - the Little Maplet (Chersonesia peraka peraka). This small butterfly is very skittish and has the habit of stopping on the underside of a leaf with its wings opened flat. It then flaps its wings slowly open and close whilst perched in the upside down position. When disturbed, it repeats this behaviour and moves from leaf to leaf, often testing the photographer's patience to the limit!

So, if anyone out there has done specific research on why some butterfly species displays this behaviour of perching upside down like a bat, on the underside of a leaf, please share your views in the comments section below. Or if anyone has other photos of other species displaying this under-leaf behaviour, kindly also share your observations.  The next part of this article will feature species from the Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae species that also display this upside down habit.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Chng CK, Federick Ho, Khew SK, Jonathan Soong, Horace Tan and Anthony Wong

Favourite Nectaring Plants #12

Butterflies' Favourite Nectaring Plants #12
The Elephant's Foot (Elephantopus scaber)

In our 12th article of the Butterflies' Favourite Nectaring Plants series, we feature a rather low profile 'weed' that can be considered quite common where it occurs in Singapore. However, it is not as widespread as many other wild-flowering weeds that butterflies have been known to feed on. This perennial weed, called the Elephant's Foot (Elephantopus scaber) grows wild in open grassy areas, usually under some shade.

A honey bee taking nectar from the flower of the Elephant's Foot

The Elephant's Foot occurs in grasslands, wasteland, roadsides, along fields and in forest borders, an across its range at at elevations even up to 1,500 metres, which makes it a montane species as well! It is a common weed amongst lawns and is usually not welcome in manicured gardens, where it is usually pulled out and thrown away. It has dark green elongated leaves arranged in a rosette at the base.


The Elephant's Foot has many chemicals that are used in traditional medicine for a variety of ailments

Whilst doing research on this humble weed, I found a lot of material regarding the ethnomedicinal uses in various Asian cultures and further research showed that the chemical constituents extracted from various parts of this plant have antibiosis, antivirus, and cytotoxicity qualities. The chemical compounds from the Elephant's Foot used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine is used to treat multiple ailments ranging from headaches, conjunctivitis, eczema, cirrhosis, colds, diarrhea, hepatitis, and bronchitis.


The Elephant's Foot grows its rosette leaves flat and hugs the ground closely


The flowers grow on vertical stems which split into branches, each yielding more flower heads

The Malays believe that since the leaves of the Elephant's Foot lies flat on the ground and resemble the pentacle seal of Solomon, it suppresses the jins and confines them underground. In Indonesian traditional medicine , the plant is believed to be one of the ingredients used to prepare the local concoction of herbs known as "jamu".


Anderson's Grass Yellow feeding on the purplish-pink flower of the Elephant's Foot

The extracts from the leaves of this plant are also used as an aphrodisiac. Interestingly, it is one of several herbal constituents that are mixed to produce drugs that can perk up a male's flagging libido! In this particular advertisement for a natural herbal remedy for men, called Vitroman Powerplus, it is touted to cure erectile dysfunction or impotence! This Thai product uses herbal extracts from Elephant's Foot (Elephantopus scaber), Ginger (Zingiber officianale) and Red Kwao Krua (Butea superba) in combination with other herbs in a secret remedy that is believed to rival Pfizer's Viagra!

Plant Biodata :
Family : Asteraceae (Compositae)
Genus : Elephantopus
Species : scaber
Synonyms : Elephantopus carolinensis, Elephantopus sordidus
Country/Region of Origin : Tropical America, Africa, Asia, Australia
English Common Names : Elephant's Foot, Bull's tongue, Ironweed
Other Local Names : Tutup Bumi, Tapak Sulaiman, Anashovadi, 地胆草, 苦地胆, 鹿耳草(海南)


Hundreds of flowers of the Elephant's Foot blooming at an open grassy site

In Singapore, the Elephant's Foot can be found in open wastelands, grassy patches and fringes of nature reserves. It can also make its way into urban parks and gardens, and into the domestic gardens of landed properties, where it is an unwelcome invader (and treated as such). Where it occurs, it can be very common, often smothering a patch of grass and covering an entire area with its rosette-shaped form and vertical stems which bear its flowers.


A typical rosette form of an Elephant's Foot plant with its long green serrated-edged leaves and green midribs


Elephant's Foot leaves with purple mid-ribs and veins

The leaves range between 5-18 cm long and 2-4 cm wide. They are spatulate (spoon-shaped) or oblanceolate (lance-shaped with the wider end closer to the tip). They are arranged in a rosette-like shape and closely hug the ground. The leaves are a deep forest green in colour and hairy on both the upper and under surfaces. The margins are serrated and uneven. The mid-rib is thick and prominent, and is usually lighter green than the leaves. At times, the veins can be dark purplish in colour.




The flower head of the Elephant's Foot with its boat-shaped bracts

A vertical stem extends out (up to 30-40 cm) where it ends with 3 boat-shaped bracts holding the purple flowers. The stem branches dichotomously (splitting into 2 parts). It is densely covered in stiff, white hairs that are flattened against the stem surface. The compound inflorescence is composed of many capitula (compound flowers composed of 4, purplish or pink florets). The floret is composed of 8-10 mm long petals which form a 4-5 mm long tube.

The fruits are dry, one-seeded achenes about 4mm long and widened at the base. They are elongated, angled and covered in soft hairs. The fruit is attached to a pappus which is composed of 5-6, white bristles. The bristles cling on to animals, birds and humans walking past them and the dispersal of these seeds are believed to be via transmission by this method.

The roots are fibrous and reach down into the soil from the centre of the rosette form, reaching a depth of about 20cm. Propagation is usually by seeds and the plant is robust and can tolerate sandy soil and dry conditions, and is easy to grow.

The pretty purplish-pink flowers of the Elephant's Foot

Due to the diminutive size of the purple flowers, I have only seen the smaller species of butterflies feeding on the flowers. Perhaps it is the depth and physical size of the flowers that may only allow species with shorter and thinner proboscis to reach the nectar within them. I have not seen any of the larger species like the Papilionidae and Nymphalidae feeding on the flowers of the Elephant's Foot.

Examples of the Pieridae known to feed on the flowers of the Elephant's Foot

Amongst the Pieridae, the Eurema species have more often been seen feeding at the flowers. Examples are the Chocolate Grass Yellow, Anderson's Grass Yellow and Common Grass Yellow. I have not come across the larger Pieridae feeding on this plant's flowers. The Psyche (Leptosia nina malayana) another small butterfly, also feeds on the flower of the Elephant's Foot.

Top : Malayan Five Ring and Bottom : Common Four Ring feeding on the flowers of the Elephant's Foot

The Ypthima species often come to the flowers of the Elephant's Foot, and feed greedily on the open flowers. However, trying to photograph butterflies feeding on the flowers of this plant will prove to be a challenge as the flower heads are usually at 20-30cm from the ground, and the butterflies tend to be skittish and fly away at the slightest disturbance of their meal.

Common Caeruleans feeding on the flowers of the Elephant's Foot

Amongst the Lycaenidae, I have seen the Common Caerulaean, Common Hedge Blue and Lesser Grass Blue feeding on the flower of the Elephant's Foot. It is curious as to why there are not more Lycaenidaes that feed on the flowers of this plant. The physical size of the Lycaenidae should theoretically suit this flowering weed, but it is quite rare to see any other species, other than the ones mentioned here, feeding on the flower of the Elephant's Foot.

Examples of small Skippers that feed on the flowers of the Elephant's Foot

For the Hesperiidae, again only the smallest skippers have been seen at the flowers of the Elephant's Foot. Amongst those seen are the Chestnut Bob, Starry Bob, Spotted Grass Dart and Yellow Grass Dart that fly swiftly from flower to flower of the plant, and feeding on the open purple flowers.

The Elephant's Foot flowers appear to only bloom towards noon when the sun is up high in the sky

An interesting point to note about the Elephant's Foot, is that in the early morning hours, the purple flowers are hidden deep inside the flower head. When the sun warms up the environment, usually from 11:30am onwards and towards noon and throughout the afternoon, the purple flowers open up attractively, and this is when the butterflies are most active feeding on the flowers.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Khew SK, Koh CH and Neo TP

Butterflies Favourite Nectaring Plant #11 : Buas-Buas