Butterfly of the Month - August 2020

Butterfly of the Month - August 2020
The Yellow Grass Dart (Taractrocera archias quinta)


A mating pair of Yellow Grass Darts

We are now into August 2020, and the pandemic continues to haunt the world. We are contemplating the "new norm" as our lives have to adapt and evolve to accommodate the way we work, live, learn and play. Today, the term WFH (Work From Home) is immediately understood by everyone, people are familiar with online shopping and ordering food, students have come to terms with attending lectures on online platforms under home-based learning programmes, and so on.

Typical skipper sunbathing pose with the forewings held at an angle and the hindwings opened flat

For those of us who travel around the world, whether for work or leisure, will find that the "new norm" will make travelling by air a very different experience from now on. Just as air travel changed (and inconvenienced everyone) after the 911 attack in the US, the COVID-19 effect will certainly transform the whole aviation industry in the way we travel from place to place in future.

Personal protection equipment on flights, like face masks, will be the standard once inter-country travel restrictions are lifted. As would be temperature checks, health checks, swabbing and a myriad of other unprecedented procedures and processes that will make air travel very inconvenient and probably uncomfortable. The prospects of having to be quarantined for the mandatory 14 days if one is found unwell when reaching the destination country would probably be something that travellers would have to contend with, in future.

Over in Singapore, the battered economy is taking time to heal itself, as the government extended a financial helping hand to businesses severely affected by the pandemic. Those on the front line of the aviation, tourism, F&B, commercial sectors were the hardest hit and needed help most. The migrant workers' crisis that specifically hit Singapore worst, severely affected the built environment sector and had a cascading effect on consultants, suppliers and contractors.

This month, we introduce another skipper from the genus Taractrocera. We earlier featured the Spotted Grass Dart as our April 2020 Butterfly of the Month. Our August 2020 Butterfly of the Month is the other Singapore-extant species from this genus, the Yellow Grass Dart (Taractrocera archias quinta).

A Yellow Grass Dart feeding on the purple flower of the Elephant's Foot weed

A Yellow Grass Dart sunbathes on a blade of grass.  Note the antennae and the lack of the apiculus (hook) that most other skippers have

The Yellow Grass Dart is a new discovery for Singapore, as it was not recorded on the early reference checklists. It was first documented as a new find back in August 2004, and is now featured as our butterfly of the month for August 2020, sixteen years later. The species continued to be regularly observed, mainly within the nature reserves of Singapore, and along the fringes and buffer areas adjacent to the nature reserves, such that it has been confidently considered as an extant species in Singapore.

A Yellow Grass Dart perches on a blade of grass in the early morning hours

The distinctive feature of the Taractrocera genus is the absence of an apiculus (hook) on the antennae that is typical of the Hesperiidae family (Skippers). Of the two species found here, the Spotted Grass Dart was recorded as "not having been taken in the last century (from 1801-1900)". It was considered extinct in Singapore until it was regularly observed again from 1990s till today. The Yellow Grass Dart, however, was only discovered in 2004 and is technically classified as a non-native or exotic species.



The Yellow Grass Dart is a small butterfly, with an average wingspan of between 20-24mm. It resembles the orange-and-black Potanthus species and indeed often found flying in the same localities. Like the Potanthus species, the Yellow Grass Dart has a rapid darting flight but generally keeps at low levels amongst grassy plains where it flies and feeds on wildflowers.


A Yellow Grass Dart feeding on the flower of the Singapore Daisy

The Yellow Grass Dart is dark brown above, with orange spots and streaks on the fore- and hindwings. The orange markings form a continuous streak from the base to the costa of the forewing above. The underside is paler and the orange markings more extensive. The hindwing cilia are not chequered and of the same orange colour as the other markings on the wings.




To all our Singaporean readers, a Happy 55th National Day and here's to many more years of appreciating, watching and photographing Nature's Flying Jewels on our biodiversity-rich little island in the sun!

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Khew SK, Loke PF and Michael Soh

Plushblues of Singapore

The Plushblues of Singapore
Featuring the Flos species in Singapore


A Darky Plushblue perches on some flower buds in the shaded forest understorey

The genus Flos, collectively called the Plushblues, showcases some of the most attractive Lycaenidae species with iridescent ultramarine blue uppersides. Unfortunately, all the species rarely sunbathe with their wings fully opened, and one often only gets a glimpse of its attractive blue uppersides. Globally, there are 15 species of Flos recorded, although some researchers have re-classified at least one species of Arhopala under Flos after studies of its early stages and morphology.

A Plain Plushblue feeds on the sweet secretions on the stem of a Rattlebox weed

A Bifid Plushblue perches on a leaf

There are four Flos species extant in Singapore, and only one can be regularly found in urban parks and gardens. The other three are rare, often encountered singly, and forest-dependent species. They usually prefer the shaded understorey of the forested nature reserves of Singapore. The genus is related to the Arhopala and sometimes found in the same heavily-shaded localities.

A Shining Plushblue perches at the edge of a leaf

The Plushblues are generally skittish and easily spooked. They fly quite rapidly and settle on the top surfaces of leaves to perch with their wings folded upright. The underside of the Plushblues is dark purple brown with cryptic bands and spots on both wings. In some of the species, there is a patch of deep red or crimson at the wing bases.

1. The Plain Plushblue (Flos apidanus saturatus)

The Plain Plushblue is the only Flos species that can be found in urban parks and gardens more often than in the forested areas. It is skittish and flies rapidly amongst the shrubbery. It can sometimes be observed feeding on the sap of stems and branches. It stops to rest on tops of leaves with its wings folded upright.

A male Plain Plushblue shows its ultramarine blue uppersides

A Plain Plushblue feeding on the ripened fruits of the Singapore Rhododendron

The male Plain Plushblue is a deep ultramarine on its uppersides, with a thin forewing border. The female is a shining blue with broad black borders on both wings. The underside is a pale purple brown with dark markings across both wings. In pristine individuals, there is often a deep red patch at the base of both wings. The hindwing bears a stubby white-tipped tail at vein 2 and is toothed at veins 1b and 3. There are pale green iridescent scales at the tornal eyespots on the underside of the hindwing.

2. The Bifid Plushblue (Flos diardi capeta)

A Bifid Plushblue feeding on the ripened fruits of the Singapore Rhododendron

The Bifid Plushblue is mainly found in the forested nature reserves of Singapore, and is not seen in urban gardens. Other than the Plain Plushblue, all the other three species are considered rare and usually occur singly in heavily shaded habitats. It is a strong flyer and alert to movements. It is one of the Plushblues of which the female is more regularly observed to sunbathe with wings opened.

A female Bifid Plushblue opens her wings to sunbathe

A Bifid Plushblue shares the sugars from the ripened fruits of the Singapore Rhododendron with an ant

The male Bifid Plushblue is a dark purple-blue above with thin black borders. The female is a paler purple-blue with broad black borders on both the fore- and hindwings. The underside is cryptic in appearance, with dark brown and pale markings. There is a characteristic "V" shaped costal spot that is not connected to the other brown markings on the hindwing that separates this species from the other Plushblues. There is a white-tipped tail at vein 2 of the hindwing and is toothed at veins 1b and 3. The pale green iridescent scales at the tornal area is more extensive that the other species in the genus.

3. The Shining Plushblue (Flos fulgida singhapura)

A Shining Plushblue perches on a leaf in the shaded understorey in the nature reserves

This 3rd Plushblue has the distinction of bearing the word "Singapore" in Malay in its subspecies name. It is a rare forest-dependent species and prefers the heavily-shaded forest understorey in the nature reserves of Singapore. Also another skittish and rapid-flying species, it tends to prefer to fly closer to the ground and stop on the tops of leaves until disturbed.

A newly-eclosed male Shining Plushblue

A newly-eclosed male Shining Plushblue opens his wings to sunbathe

The Shining Plushblue can easily be distinguished from its other cousins in that it has a shorter stumpy tail at vein 2 of the hindwing, and is correspondingly toothed at veins 1b and 3. It is darker in appearance on the underside, and has a dark brown band stretching from costa to base. The males are deep ultramarine blue on the upperside, whilst females are shining blue with broad black borders.

4. The Darky Plushblue (Flos anniella anniella)

A Darky Plushblue perches at the edge of a leaf

The last Plushblue is considered the rarest of the four, and also prefers heavily-shaded forested habitats in the nature reserves of Singapore. It is the least encountered of the four Plushblues and has the same skittish disposition and rapid flight of its other relatives in the genus. It has been bred on various species of Lithocarpus which is a preferred genus on which the other Flos species (except Flos apidanus) feeds.

The Darky Plushblue is tailless, unlike the other 3 species, but the hindwing is toothed at veins 2 and 3. The upperside of the male is a lustrous violet blue with a thin black border. Females are lighter purple with broad black borders on both wings. The underside is mostly dark purple brown with white edging on the darker brown bands. The apical area is distinctly whitened, whilst the iridescent scaling at the tornal area of the hindwing is the least distinct amongst the four species.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Huang CJ, Khew SK, Loh MY and Horace Tan

Butterfly Photography at Our Local Parks - Kent Ridge Park

Butterfly Photography at Our Local Parks
Featuring : Kent Ridge Park


The Canopy Walk at Kent Ridge Park, surrounded by lush greenery at tree canopy level

On our rambles around Singapore's parks and gardens in search of butterflies, we explore the series of parks that make up the Southern Ridges. Starting from west and moving towards east, the Southern Ridges comprises Kent Ridge Park, Hort Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber Park. All the four parks are connected via walkways and overhead bridges. In this blogpost, we visit the western-most entrance of the Southern Ridges, Kent Ridge Park.

A map of the Southern Ridges parks, comprising Kent Ridge Park, Hort Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber Park.

A larger map of the 47 Ha Kent Ridge Park, stretching from Science Park to Pasir Panjang Road to the southwest boundary of the park

Kent Ridge Park is a wartime historical park, where one of the last battles for Singapore was fought during the Japanese Occupation. A war memorial plaque stands in Kent Ridge Park, erected to honour Lt Adnan Saidi, a lieutenant of the Malay Regiment's 1st Battalion, who died fighting the Japanese in one of the fiercest battles in Singapore in World War II. He led his men in the Battle of Opium Hill (Bukit Chandu), off Pasir Panjang, frustrating the Japanese efforts to take the ridge. He motivated his troops to try and fend off the Japanese, even though they were grossly outnumbered and undersupplied.


The main access road, Vigilante Drive, that leads up to Kent Ridge Park

The main carpark at Kent Ridge Park. Public amenities like rest rooms and drinking fountains are also located at this main area

A large shelter at Kent Ridge Park

Lush vegetation and towering trees are typical at Kent Ridge Park

Access to Kent Ridge Park on the eastern boundary, is via the winding South Buona Vista Road, turning left onto Vigilante Drive, up a steep incline to the ridge. There is a fairly large main carpark of about 40 lots and a smaller one near the entrance along Vigilante Drive. Parking is free. Covering a total area of 47 Ha, Kent Ridge Park features lush natural vegetation, tall mature trees and is rich in biodiversity.




Butterfly Row - a delightful row of butterfly-attracting nectaring plants to watch butterflies!

There are many trails starting from this point, leading in all directions around the ridge and enough biodiversity to satisfy the nature buff and those out for some fresh air and exercise. Just beyond the main carpark and a short walk along the ridge, is a row of butterfly-attracting nectaring plants like Shanghai Beauty (Jatropha integerrima), Snakeweed (Stachytarpheta indica), Red Tree Bush (Leea rubra) and many others.



Pansies and Skippers can be found feeding on the flowers

This "Butterfly Row" is a good place to visit to find butterflies fluttering around and feeding on the nectar from these flowering plants. In the morning hours, one can expect to find several species of skippers flitting from flower to flower, the sun-loving pansies, Chocolate Albatross, Lemon Emigrant and a variety of hill-topping Lycaenidae, if one is lucky.


A Bush Hopper that can be found amongst the grasses at the verge of the pond

A view of the pond at the eastern boundary of Kent Ridge Park

On the eastern side of Kent Ridge Park is a large pond abutting the boundary of Science Park. Starting from the low-point at this pond, there are many meandering footpaths that weave through the vegetation and rising in elevation towards the highest lookout points in the park. There are many dragonflies and damselflies around the pond, and amongst the grasses, species like the Bush Hopper and other skippers flit around.


Wide paths and lush greenery on both sides to cheer the nature lover and fitness enthusiast.  Compare the scale of the joggers with the heights of the trees flanking the path

Expect some steep climbs and lots of staircases! 

But don't worry if you run out of breath!  There are sturdy shelters and stone seats for you to take a break.

Expect lots of staircases and steep climbs as the paths lead from the pond upwards towards the ridge. The paths are either of tarmac or concrete, and are flanked by lush greenery and a variety of plants. Look out for the bird and insect life - there is always something to interest you.


The Scarce Silverstreak is sometimes seen ovipositing at the roadside hedge


The Transparent Sixline Blue can be encountered in the late afternoon, basking in the sun

The Ambon Onyx is occasionally encountered at Kent Ridge Park.  This individual was shot at the vegetation along the ridge

Back up at the main carpark, is a long hedge of Ficus microcarpa. This is the caterpillar host plant of the Scarce Silverstreak (Iraota rochana boswelliana), and if you are at the right place at the right time, you will be able to see the females of this species coming down to lay their eggs on this plant. Do keep a lookout for other Lycaenidae like the Transparent Sixline Blue (Nacaduba kurava nemana) and the occasional Ambon Onyx (Horaga syrinx maenala) amongst the vegetation in this area.



Views of the Pasir Panjang Container Port through the tall vegetation at Kent Ridge Park

Do take in the views of the southern waterfront from the Lookout Points along the ridge. At this point in time, the Pasir Panjang Container Port is still in operation the the views may be marred by these unsightly industrial equipment. In the near future, there are plans to transform this industrial area into the Greater Southern Waterfront with housing, parks, entertainment and commercial areas!


Forest bathing anyone?

Continue your walk westwards towards the Canopy Walk. Along the way, marvel at the towering Tembusu and Casuarina trees flanking the path. It is a tranquil walk and one can truly experience the therapeutic effects of "forest bathing" along this route. Do look out for the Miletinae amongst the shrubbery. Species like the Apefly (Spalgis epius epius) and Pale Mottle (Logania marmorata damis) are sometimes encountered here.


A mating pair of Pale Mottle

At the western end of Kent Ridge Park is the 280m long Canopy Walk - an elevated walkway that was designed to avoid felling any of the mature trees in the area, weaving amongst the tree canopies. The Canopy Walk ends at the wartime museum, Reflections At Bukit Chandu. This area before reaching the Canopy Walk is lined with tall Tembusu trees, offering shade from the hot sun and shelter for birds, butterflies, and a myriad of Mother Nature's creations.


The elevated Canopy Walk, which is one of the key attractions of Kent Ridge Park


The shelter at the mid-point of the Canopy Walk

A view from the Canopy Walk towards the Pasir Panjang Nursery and the city skyline beyond

Looking down at the tree canopies below

Along the Canopy Walk, the visitor can take in breath-taking views of NParks' Pasir Panjang Nursery and the city skyline beyond. From this elevated vantage point, one can look down at the tree canopies below, and also be at eye-level with the treetops of some of the tallest trees in the area. There is also a small shelter mid-way along this elevated walkway to take cover from the hot afternoon sun to enjoy the scenic view.




Some butterfly species that can be found at Kent Ridge Park - Malayan Plum Judy, Dark Brand Bush Brown and Plain Nawab.  

Down below the Canopy Walk, there is also a shaded forested path, where sometimes the Malayan Plum Judy (Abisara saturata kausambioides) can be spotted amongst the low shrubbery. This Riodinidae species usually displays its twist-and-turn behaviour and stops on the uppersurfaces of the vegetation with half-opened wings. Other species like the Dark Brand Bush Brown (Mycalesis mineus macromalayana) and the Plain Nawab (Polyura hebe plautus) may also be spotted here (the last named so, because its caterpillar host plant, the Red Saga, is common at Kent Ridge Park)

How to Get There :

By bus: 92, 92A along Science Park Drive
Alight opposite the Rutherford (Bus Stop ID : 18289) and access Kent Ridge Park via the pond area

Or 200
Alight outside National Leadership Institute, (Bus stop ID: 15099) walk northwards along South Buona Vista Road until Vigilante Drive)

By Car : From South Buona Vista Road. Turn into Vigilante Drive and up the slope to Kent Ridge Park. Parking is free.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Khew SK, Lim CA and Loh MY