Our last visit to the Dampalit waterfalls in Los Baños, Laguna also showed us lots of beautiful insects. Some of them fly in groups, while others sip minerals from the pathway. However, it is already noon and they are already very active, so difficult to photograph together. Those i showed here are only some of them, a lot we cannot really wait just for a pose! I cannot take their photos as either they are too smart and fast, or I am not really that adept in using the camera. How i wish i have the equipment and the knowledge to at least get their photos, at the moment they just gave their imprints in my mind.
Would you believe that this damselfly is green when the wings are open? [Thank you Caroline Gill, yes it could be a Banded Demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens].
The Common Mapwing, Cyrestis maenalis. It was reported that there are 11 subspecies of this in the Philippines, however this is my first time to see it. There are about 6 individuals we saw there.
Common bluebottles, Graphium sarpedon, puddling on our wet path. There are maybe about ten of them there, but they don't stay near one another on the ground.
This is only my 2nd time to see this butterfly, the first was also near a natural pond. Green Dragontail, Lamproptera meges subsp. decius.
Wont you say they are elegant? I love those long tails, but they are parts of the wings.
Delias henningia
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Andrea!! Those are hot hot butterflies! I love all of them. From all of them shown in your post, I'm only familiar with one. And might I add...there is nothing common about those Mapwings. Excellent post on your butterflies. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYes Kreesh, there's nothing common about those mapwings, nor those blue bottles! I wonder who was the first one to baptize it as that. In fact this is the first time i saw that mapwing, and that blue bottle is seldom seen too!
DeleteI wonder how they fly? Each of them has a different flight pattern....and it's fascinating.
DeleteHi Andrea, If I were near the waterfalls, I probably would not even notice any of the little critters... (I'd be staring at the waterfalls.) BUT--the butterflies are gorgeous ---very different from ours here in the states... That last one especially is AWESOME... Wow!!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
these are gorgeous butterflies. lovely details and colours.
ReplyDeleteWow, so many varieties in just one place. Great capture of those butterflies.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. Can't believe how many were around that muddy area.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
What a wonderful post, Andrea. Your species are different from ours, but your first damselfly reminds me of a demoiselle (you can see mine here). I have always found these ones particularly iridescent and fluttery ... and hard to catch on camera!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Caroline. Yes you're probably right because it says Calopteryx splendens is a Eurasian species, and i saw many variations when i search through your lead. Your post about this is so very informative so are the links, I am sure a lot like me learned a lot from your posts. I am amazed that a damselfly can live in so wide range of habitat, and their larvae wait for about 2 yrs before becoming an adult. How susceptible their species is to predation! Now i am more interested in these damselflies. I envy my companion with a better close-up function, he was able to get a mating pair in that wonderful pose we are familiar with these insects.
DeleteThey are gorgeous insects Andrea!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, reminds me how wonderful mother nature is... to be able to see all these amazingly beautiful butterflies... good effort with the pics, Andrea...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful colours!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job of capturing the colors of these insects. We often see large group butterflies near waterfalls, but I have never gotten a good picture. Thanks for sharing your photos.
ReplyDeleteNothing common about that Mapwing...it's beautiful!
ReplyDeletei haven't seen the green dragontail before--they're beautiful. too bad they have such short life. i learned from a docu in Animal Planet that dragonflies lay their eggs on floating leaves, some even bury their eggs on tree barks to survive the winter. amazing 'no?:p
ReplyDeleteYes Luna, dragonflies have difficult immature stages, they stay as larva for 2 yrs before becoming an adult, very susceptible to predators. So they have to produce lots of eggs to ensure survival of the species.
DeleteOh what beautiful butterflies! I love colors in the Bluebottle. And the Green Dragontails are just so unusual with those beautiful wings. Just lovely.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful butterflies and what a colors! Amazing !
ReplyDeleteLovely captures of these amazing butterflies, Andrea. The second photo is stunning!
ReplyDeleteOMG, these are just fascinatingly beautiful creatures. I've never ever seen them before. You must have been very excited to shoot and keep shooting.
ReplyDeleteYes Maria, i was so excited because most of them i only saw for the first time. How i wish i have a better equipment to capture them. I am sure if you are there, you will be getting better photos.
DeleteThey are all beautiful especially those green dragontails. You did well to photograph them. I find it very difficult to get good shots of butterflies.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea, There was a butterfly in the garden today, the first one that I have seen this spring. It was flitting about so quickly that I could barely tell what color it was, let alone take a picture of it! So, if you ask me, you did wonderfully with these shots. They are all such beautiful insects. That Green Dragontail has such an interesting tail.
ReplyDeleteYes Jennifer, they are really elusive. Sometime I've been chasing them for a half day and i still haven't got a reliable photo. Some of them i always see in our area but i still haven't taken a shot, even just one shot! I still envy the professionals just like those at the Butterflies of Singapore website and Randy Emitt.
DeleteIs the one with the striped wing a butterfly or a moth? Sometimes they look so much alike (to a city girl)! Wonderful pics! Thank you for visiting my blog!
ReplyDeleteBack to tell I'm going to follow you on Networked Blogs -I go there by my artist name Jesh StG:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Emille, I am also living in the big city, haha! They are all butterflies except for the damselflies, not one is a moth!
DeleteWhat unusual butterflies. They are quite beautiful. - Margy
ReplyDeleteLovely butterfly images.
ReplyDeleteJoyce M
Hi Andrea, Thank you for your comment. You want to know where Österlen is situated: - Österlen is the southeast corner of Sweden and a popular destination for visitors. The nearest international airport is Copenhagen. We have four seasons here and I love the dramatic changes. The summer is never too hot here and the daylight in summer is 19 hours. I love the long summer nights here!
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots! These are beautiful butterflies. I love the details and the colors.
Thanks Randi, i asked about Osterlen cause i thought it is in the North near the Arctic. I know about the South part as i stayed for a month in Lund and visited the nearby towns. I replied in your post again.
Deletewonderful pics! may be the waterfall is the best place to stay, if you have so much heat :)
ReplyDeleteYes Tina, haha, if only the waterfalls is near my house, or if going there is not much a hassle i surely will bring my work there!
DeleteWonderful photos of the beautiful butterflies.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
My eyes are "feasting" with these beautiful creatures! We have different butterfly species here.
ReplyDeleteYou did great with your photos. Since I started using my P&S, I take it with me especially when hiking to the waterfalls. Yes I am very prone to accidents, proof of aging, LOL.
Calling by as another Outdoor Wednesday participant, how gorgeous, butterflies never seem to stay still long enough for me to capture them.
ReplyDeleteŚliczne kolorowe motyle, a ten z "ogonkiem" jest uroczy. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteCute colorful butterflies, and that the "tail" is charming. Yours.
It is so nice to see your blog Andrea...I think these are wonderful photos. It is very hard to capture these little guys and they move so fast..So different from ours here in the States, yet they are all related..Thank you for linking up to Nature Notes...Michelle
ReplyDelete