Common lime butterfly

in Nature Observer9 days ago

In a corner of the bushes that was no longer uniformly green, I found a beauty that truly captured my attention. It was a beautiful creature that loved to flit about, but this time it wasn't flying; it was still, seemingly basking in the gentle sunlight. Its wings were fully spread, displaying a stunning array of colors. The black blended beautifully with the pure white.

What caught my attention most were the two orange spots adorned with black and blue at the tips of its wings, resembling a pair of eyes ready to survey the world. These orange spots weren't just for beautifying its wings; they were also a weapon for defense against enemy attack.

This beautiful creature was the common lime butterfly. A medium-sized, uniquely patterned butterfly from the Papilionidae family, this butterfly is one that's very easy to spot, especially in gardens filled with colorful flowers. However, I found it not in a flower garden, but in the wild bushes.

Although it's known as a butterfly that's easy to find, seeing it perch with its wings spread like this is something that's rare. This butterfly prefers to fly and hover in the air. There's one interesting activity to watch from this butterfly: when it wants to perch and suck nectar. Before perching on a flower, it dances in the air, precisely above the petals of the flower it wants to perch on. Perhaps it wants to first ensure whether the flower is safe or not to stop by. And I love the way the butterfly does it.

Latin namePapilio demoleus
Observation date13 Feb, 2026
Camera usedrealme 7 Pro
Photographers@reachdreams
LocationAceh, Indonesia
Link to original community

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/338388078

LatitudeLongitudeMap
4.69513596.7493993https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=4.695135&mlon=96.7493993
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Thank you

Yesterday I came across a similar one on the path, but I couldn't photograph it because it got away. Congratulations on these excellent photos you've shared with us!

Glad to hear you've seen it in person. Hopefully, someday you'll get a chance to photograph it. Thank you.

Thank you!



This post has been shared on Reddit by @rabino7515, @blueoctopus through the HivePosh initiative.

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 9 days ago Reveal Comment