Flying Flowers

Appreciating the beautiful butterflies of Singapore ... and understanding that they too have 'their place' in nature's wondrous web of life, of which we humans are a part. An article compiled by Steven Neo, Betty L Khoo and Andrew Tay.
All Photos by Steven Neo unless otherwise stated.

The sight of butterflies flitting and feeding from flower to flower is something that urban Singaporeans can still appreciate in our parks, the Botanic Gardens and nature reserves. But probably few make the connection between the worm-like fat caterpillar that chews up the leaves of plants and the gorgeous butterfly with its exquisitely delicate wings.

Yes, the butterfly was once that worm-like caterpillar! It is one insect that undergoes a complete metamorphosis—changing from egg (ovum) to caterpillar (larva) and changing again from caterpillar to chrysalis (pupa) and finally the adult (imago) emerges—the glorious butterfly. The appearance and habits of the insect in each of these stages is completely different.

Those who have watched a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis say it's a breathtaking sight. Just before the emergence of the adult, the pupa case becomes transparent to reveal the butterfly within. When the time comes for the butterfly to emerge, it forces its body fluid into its head and thorax, causing them to swell and split the pupa case. The adult then gradually wriggles out, head first.

The butterfly is revealed in all its glory but its wings are still soft, damp and folded. Gradually, as fluid is pumped into the wing veins, the wings then unfold and begin to dry. The butterfly begins to test its wings, opening and closing them several times before making its maiden flight. Where would it go? This depends on where it hatched, its food source and its habitat.

Butterflies are insects and they belong to a distinctive order known as Lepidoptera. Their closest relative is the moth (which is generally a duller creature) but bees, beetles and wasps are also their insect relatives. And they have features similar to these other insects. Butterflies, like all other insects, plants and animals, are important in the survival of all living things as they are part of the complex food web. There is now a small but growing number of people who are aware of the need to conserve all flora and fauna, not only for the preservation of species numbers, but for the survival of the human species too. Which brings us back to food sources and natural habitats of butterflies which, like it is for all other creatures in urbanised Singapore, has rapidly dwindled.

But there is one consolation. Some butterfly species have adapted well to the trees and shrubs found in our parks and even beside our roads. One butterfly, most commonly seen weaving among wayside trees is the Painted Jezebel (Delias hyparete metarete). It is able to live in this urban greenery because it breeds on the semi-parasitic Loranthus plant, found on the branches of our wayside trees.

But most butterfly species are still found in our forest reserves. This is because the forests have still got the majority of plant species that butterflies depend on for food and for breeding. Even so, many species have been lost to rapid development that have encroached on nature areas.

Butterfly watchers should take note that butterflies found in the forests are generally of two types; sun-loving forms found among tree tops or clearings and ground and bottom-inhabiting forms that feed on rotting fruit or other matter. Butterflies seen in habitats such as parks, gardens, scrubland and wooded areas (the latter two now increasingly scarce), are those that love bright sunlight and are most active during midday. Abandoned farmland with a mixed growth of low shrubs (still found on Pulau Ubin), attract many of these butterflies.

Mangrove swamps are home to several unique species but with the paltry pockets of swamp left, these species are hardly to be found. An exception is the King Crow (Euploea phaenareta castelnaui) which has adapted to breeding on the introduced Pong Pong Tree (Cerbera odollam).

The two stages, caterpillar and adult, feed on different things, thus reducing competition for food among their own kind. The most common food for adult butterflies is nectar from flowers but they also feed on other things. Many forest butterflies feed on rotting fruits while some also feast on sweet sap. A few butterfly species use their proboscis to suck up fluid from animal dung, urine, sweat and even dead animals.

Naturally it is not just loss of habitats that threatens the butterfly, but also its many predators; and to survive from egg to adult requires many strategies, some highly sophisticated! One strategy is camouflage while another is mimicry. Some non-poisonous species will mimic the appearance and even flight style of a poisonous one that is avoided by its predators.

Butterfly lovers say that they appreciate this unique insect not merely for its exquisite form and colours but also for its graceful motions and its fine art of surviving!

So, for those who have only admired the butterfly that has been caught, killed, pinned and framed, know that the real thing is many more times more wondrous. Here are some butterflies caught only on camera!