Hey ya'll
Being and insect enthusiast, how could pass up the temptation to visit Sentosa's Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom? And since it was in the payment package, I did!
But enough of the "reviews" for now, let's check out the pics.
Location: Sentosa Butterfly Park and Insect GardenCamera: Ixus 750
The little green guy on my hand (closeup here) is a Cairns Birdwing Butterfly!
Famed for their large-beautiful wings, the birdwings were named after their powerful flight which, in the forest, can easily be mistaken for small birds.
Trivia: The Malaysian National Butterfly - Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (which I "hunted" sometime back if you remember) was first discovered in Borneo when Sir Alfred Wallace shot one down after mistaking it for a bird
Like most Birdwing Butterflies, the females are usually bigger though, more modestly coloured than their male counterparts. The above is a picture of a female of the same aforementioned species.
This is thought to help them better evade predators, thus ensuring that more eggs will be laid in the wild, continuing the species.
Trivia: Though coloured in deep shades of brown, the female Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is perhaps the world's biggest butterfly, with wingspans measuring up to eleven inches from tip to tip!
Of course, along with the exotics are more common butterfly species, take for example this Crow Butterfly resting on a leaf. But don't let it's dull coloration loose your interest, this species boasts a resplendant deep-blue sheen on the hidden upper sides of its wings!
Trivia: The Malaysian National Butterfly - Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (which I "hunted" sometime back if you remember) was first discovered in Borneo when Sir Alfred Wallace shot one down after mistaking it for a birdLike most Birdwing Butterflies, the females are usually bigger though, more modestly coloured than their male counterparts. The above is a picture of a female of the same aforementioned species.
This is thought to help them better evade predators, thus ensuring that more eggs will be laid in the wild, continuing the species.
Trivia: Though coloured in deep shades of brown, the female Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is perhaps the world's biggest butterfly, with wingspans measuring up to eleven inches from tip to tip!Of course, along with the exotics are more common butterfly species, take for example this Crow Butterfly resting on a leaf. But don't let it's dull coloration loose your interest, this species boasts a resplendant deep-blue sheen on the hidden upper sides of its wings! Other species present could be found soaking up nutrients around the park's beautiful man-made waterfalls, such as this male Rose Swallowtail
Trivia: Only male butterflies absorb nutrients by waterfalls and river-banks. This activity, usually done in swarms, is known as "puddling".
One of the most abundant species in the park were the Greater Forest Nymph Butterfly.
Though not spectacularly coloured their wings are extremely soft and delicate (even for butterflies!) which gives them a graceful, almost tissue paper-like quality to their flight
These butterflies derive their names from their whimsical like flight patterns and their tendency to fly together in an almost fairy-like dance.
Trivia: It is not true that all butterflies live short lives and die after mating. Indeed, some species have been known to live for up to months at a time!
A Malaysian Lacewing was also spotted in the park premises
These butterflies get their names from the Malaysian Lace (or "Batik) like patterns on the underside of their wings.
And of course there were a few more species, such as this yet-to-be-identified-butterfly which gathered in numbers at the butterfly feeder.
Speaking of which, allow me to share one of my secrets in handling butterflies.
To coax a butterfly on to your hand or finger (as I have done in several pics) simply slick your hand with some sweet liquid of any kind. Next, slowly and gently coax the butterfly to step up onto it by inching your finger towards it's front.
The idea is to get the butterfly to realise that there is food in front of it, which may get it off guard long enough for you to coax it onto your finger and snap a shot.
Note, butterflies taste with their legs so you may want to lightly (if possible) rub your juice stained fingers on it's legs and see if it will step up on to your hand.
If it feeds but is hesitant to step up, let it continue a little longer before trying once again.
Note. butterflies smell with their antannae, so if you are using strong smelling fruits, try wafting a little bit in front of them before proceeding (especially with the more jittery species)
This works for BOTH wild and captive insects.
Which concludes day 2 at the Butterfly Park and Insect Kindgom except...
Trivia: Only male butterflies absorb nutrients by waterfalls and river-banks. This activity, usually done in swarms, is known as "puddling".
One of the most abundant species in the park were the Greater Forest Nymph Butterfly. Though not spectacularly coloured their wings are extremely soft and delicate (even for butterflies!) which gives them a graceful, almost tissue paper-like quality to their flight
These butterflies derive their names from their whimsical like flight patterns and their tendency to fly together in an almost fairy-like dance. Trivia: It is not true that all butterflies live short lives and die after mating. Indeed, some species have been known to live for up to months at a time!
A Malaysian Lacewing was also spotted in the park premisesThese butterflies get their names from the Malaysian Lace (or "Batik) like patterns on the underside of their wings.
And of course there were a few more species, such as this yet-to-be-identified-butterfly which gathered in numbers at the butterfly feeder.Speaking of which, allow me to share one of my secrets in handling butterflies.
To coax a butterfly on to your hand or finger (as I have done in several pics) simply slick your hand with some sweet liquid of any kind. Next, slowly and gently coax the butterfly to step up onto it by inching your finger towards it's front.
The idea is to get the butterfly to realise that there is food in front of it, which may get it off guard long enough for you to coax it onto your finger and snap a shot.
Note, butterflies taste with their legs so you may want to lightly (if possible) rub your juice stained fingers on it's legs and see if it will step up on to your hand.
If it feeds but is hesitant to step up, let it continue a little longer before trying once again.
Note. butterflies smell with their antannae, so if you are using strong smelling fruits, try wafting a little bit in front of them before proceeding (especially with the more jittery species)
This works for BOTH wild and captive insects.
Which concludes day 2 at the Butterfly Park and Insect Kindgom except...
I also got to come face-to-face with a Blue and Gold Macaw!
PEACE OUT
PEACE OUT
