Autumn Leaf Butterfly

Identification - Doleschallia bisaltide - Autumn Leaf Butterfly.

I went on my normal safari this morning, around 09:00, with great expectations after a dry night and clear, sunny skies. I picked up more shots of yesterday's spiny spider for my collection, to help in identification. But there was little else on offer and what I did get just wasn't up to the mark.

Back at the lab, I was very disappointed and it looked like I would have to blip the spiny spider again, even though it was an improvement. Seeing as it was so sunny and I was already greased up with mozzy repellent, I decided to walk around to the grove for a second safari.

Not a great deal going on, but there were a lot of butterflies and a few dragons around. Got some shots of a huge hopper but the sunlight destroyed those. I took a couple of experimental shots at F40, just to see the depth of field available close up. Plenty of depth but the sharpness was appalling. This is why I always use F8 whenever possible, any deviation is accompanied by a drop off in clarity. This is not a lens I would be prepared to recommend.

I was stalking this butterfly when it took flight and landed on my lens. I tried to get it onto my left hand but it jumped onto my right, which was about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. Still it was nice to study for a couple of minutes. Eventually I got my shot so all was good.

I have photographed this butterfly on a few previous occasions, it has been blipped once while being hunted by a praying mantis 13th Aug 2012, so it is about due for another showing. The top surface was blipped 2nd Nov 2011showing its rich reddish brown coloration. From a distance, possibly a butterfly that would be ignored, but up close, definitely worth admiring.

From an evolution point of view, in flight, the coloration mimics the danaus butterflies like the plain tiger, the equivalent in other countries would be the monarch. These butterflies come from caterpillars that fed on milkweed type plants, rendering both the caterpillars and the butterflies extremely distasteful to predators, making it a good butterfly to mimic. When not flying, its wings are always parked together, allowing it to blend in with the undergrowth.

Dave