Tag: nature
Pure Under-Wing / Catocala Pura 猫尾蛾 (Family Noctuidae, Nocturnal Moths)
Among the most mysterious and beautiful of all moths are the Catocalas or Under-wings. These moths rarely come to light, but can be trapped by putting out a sweet bait of mashed bananas, stale beer and molasses on logs and trunks of trees in a forest or woods. This bait should be put out just before dusk. Then, when you come with a flashlight to the bait, you will often be rewarded by seeing underwings sipping daintily around the border of the bait. Some even become half-drunk with the delicious mixture and stagger about when they try to fly!
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The Sonora Blue 索诺拉蓝/ Philotes Sonorensis 红斑青小灰蝶 (Family Lycaenidae, Blues, Coppers and Hairstreaks)
This is the only little blue butterfly we have with such bright red spots on the blue wings. This gives this butterfly one of the best disguises against enemies. Watch one of these little blues as it wings its way through a meadow. You see the bright reddish-pink spots on its wings flashing in the sunlight like dots of fire. Then the butterfly lights on a leaf or stem and folds its wings over its back. Even if you actually see this happen it is hard to believe in such a sudden change. Where there was a dashing, brilliantly colored butterfly a moment before, now is only a drab little creature, almost invisible among the plants where it has lit. What an excellent bit of camouflage!
The “89” 89蝶 / 88蝶和數字蝶- Diaethria Clymena 红涡蛱蝶 (Family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies)
The shining metallic bands of silvery green or blue on the upper side of the wings of the “89” shimmer in the sunlight like mirrors, catching and dazzling the eye so that when the butterfly closes its wings and drops into the shadows it seems to suddenly disappear. It is not a strong flier and is fairly easily caught, particularly when it joins its companions at some wet place on the road or some piece of dung or manure dropped by an animal. Surely nothing so lights up a forest trail through the jungle as to see these scintillating little beauties flashing here an there under your feet. They almost invariably fly close to the ground and seek safety in the undergrowth instead of in swift or high flight.
Pearly Eye 珍珠眼蝴蝶 (Family Satyridae, Wood Nymphs)
In the woods and woods edges of eastern North America from Quebec to Manitoba and south to Florida and Texas roams the Pearly Eye. Yet it is found in queer little colonies, sometimes miles apart, with none others in between. In such places each jealous male chooses a tree trunk he considers his own alone and chases all other males, and often other insects too, away. Sometimes two males will fight each other for a minute or more, flying up against each other like fighting roosters, the one who is knocked down most often finally flying away. This is called the “territorial instinct,” common also among birds and some animals.
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