Butterfly Journal, March 1, 2003

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Butterfly Journal
May and June 2003
Amber Habib

Common Rose

Crimson Rose

Common Lime

Common Mormon

Common Jay

White Orange Tip

Yellow Orange Tip

Pioneer

Common Emigrant

Mottled Emigrant

Plain Tiger

Striped Tiger

Blue Pansy

Mysore, May 24 to June 14: Spent three weeks on the campus of Mysore University. Work kept me occupied most of the time, 6 days a week, so did not get to move around at all. However, behind the Guest House of the Regional Institute of Education, where I put up, there was a wildish green area - varied trees and bushes. Every morning I spent about an hour looking for butterflies here (7:30 to 8:30). A list of what I saw follows:

Swallowtails: Common Rose, Crimson Rose, Common Mormon, Blue Mormon, Common Jay, Tailed Jay
Whites and Yellows: Common Emigrant, Common Grass Yellow, Plain Orange-Tip, White Orange-Tip, Common Gull, Pioneer, Common Jezebel
Rings and Browns: Common Bushbrown, Common Four-Ring, Common Evening Brown, Common Palmfly
Danaids: Plain Tiger, Striped Tiger, Blue Tiger, Common Crow
Nymphalids: Tawny Coster, Lemon Pansy, Yellow Pansy, Blue Pansy, Common Castor, Great Eggfly, Common Sailor, Common Leopard, Common Baron
Blues: Zebra Blue, Common Pierrot, Common Silverline, Gram Blue, Grass Jewel, Lineblue, Silverstreak Blue, Indian Red Flash, Indigo Flash
Skippers: Indian Skipper

Well, these are the names I am sure about. In addition there was a small yellow butterfly, a bit smaller than a Common Grass Yellow, and keeping to low grass. The undersides were a plain unmarked yellow, but the uppersides had a more salmon colour with thick black borders. A Salmon Arab? There was also a kind of Hedge Blue which I haven't been able to identify beyond that. Once I thought I saw a Baronet fly by, but as it was flying I can't make a sure claim. There was also a skipper of the same colours as a Tamil Grass Dart, but a slightly different pattern. Among moths, a kind of Syntomis was very common -- compared to the ones I have seen in Delhi, these had a stouter build and red instead of orange bands.

On a typical morning, the first butterflies to fly about would be the Roses, followed by the various Tigers and the Crows. Around 8 the Jezebels became active, at first flying high around the tree tops, but later coming down to feed on Lantana (and even stopping briefly on Parthenium flowers). The others were mostly seen while napping or basking.

Delhi, June 30: Back in Delhi - to weather that is dusty and hot. Hardly any butterflies to be seen. One surprise: a fresh Common Jay in Model Town!