Nathan's Notes

August 15, 2008

Two species of butterflies which will have a strong presence in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing over the next month are the Mottled Emigrant (Catopsilia pyranthe) and the Orange Emigrant (Catopsilia Scylla).  In South East Asia, these are two of the most prevalent species observed.  Despite their small size, both of the Emigrants should be easy to observe while they nectar from the flowers or rest on the leaves of the plants.

July 15, 2008

The Giant Wood Nymph (Idea leuconoe) is one species of butterfly that is almost always in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. Even though they are know by many common names, such as the Tree Nymph, Paper Kite, and Rice Paper Butterfly, they will always be Giant Wood Nymphs at Reiman Gardens. This large black and white butterfly is fun to see because they have such a graceful flight. Giant Wood Nymphs fly in groups, which add to their aerial interest.  Many of the regular visitors to the Butterfly Wing also know the Giant Wood Nymphs to be friendly butterflies. It turns out that the Giant Wood Nymphs are attracted to certain chemical volatiles commonly used in lotions, perfumes, and body washes that cause them to land on the visitors wearing some of those products. On your next visit to the Butterfly Wing, make sure you take some time to observe this amazing butterfly.

June 15, 2008

Over the next few weeks, the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing will be home to the Jazzy Leafwing (Hypna clytemnestra).  This cryptic yet beautiful butterfly may not be an easy find amongst the foliage in the Butterfly Wing, but it is worth the extra effort.  As its name implies, when the wings of this butterfly are closed it resembles a dead leaf.  Since this species’ main defense from predators is their ability to blend in with their surroundings, they are rarely seen with their wings spread unless they are in flight or visiting flowers for nectar.

May 15, 2008

If talking with the butterflies sounds like a fun activity, you may want to stop by the butterfly wing sometime over the next couple of weeks.  Last week from one of our tropical suppliers we received five different species of Cracker Butterflies.  The five species of Crackers the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing received last week which are flying in the wing now are the Grey Cracker (Hamadryas februa), Red Cracker (Hamadryas amphinome), Pale Cracker (Hamadryas arinia), Variable Cracker (Hamadryas feronia), and the Starry Night Cracker (Hamadryas glauconome).  So how does having Cracker Butterflies tie into talking to butterflies?  Well, one of the fascinating traits of the butterflies in the genus Hamadryas is that they have the ability to make an audible sound we as people can hear.  It is believed the “electrical ticking” sound that they create is used as part of their mating ritual and territory defense behaviors.

April 15, 2008

One of the butterflies to keep an eye out for, if you visit the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing this month, is the Chinese Yellow Swallowtail (Papilio xuthus).  The Chinese Yellow Swallowtail, as the name implies is native to China.  This specie of butterfly exhibits a form of seasonal dimorphism, but instead of having a color or pattern difference the seasonal variation is a dramatic variation in size.  The size variation is so dramatic that the spring form can be half the size of the adults found later in the summer.