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Great report and lovely shots Philzoid I was disappointed that you didn't find a three tailed Swallowtail though

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:I was disappointed that you didn't find a three tailed Swallowtail though

So was I . However, I have seen some black and white ones with their tails between their legs, but they weren't swallwtails
Seriously nature does not do asymmetry but it got me wondering so I googled it and lo and behold, the Three-tailed Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio pilumnus ... with three tails on each hindwing or course (but plenty of potential permutations there) .

16th Feb 2014 Wisley
Picking the best day weather-wise me and my girls arrived at Wisley for a 10:15 entry to the glasshouse. This time to avoid camera squabbles I brought along my camcorder as well as the panasonic and clunky but trusty EOS1100D /Tamron combination.
Although I've made this trip many times before I don't think I've ever experienced the 'furnace blast' from going through the upstairs entrance used for pre-booked timed entrance ticket holders ... arghh.. the heat the heat . Had it not been for the need to rescue a grounded and wet Scarlet Peacock (a less fortunate one got trampled on) we'd have been downstairs in a flash to acclimatise around the exit area which was noticeably a few degrees cooler. As I was sweating buckets I heard someone say "you know in the Philippines, the temperatures like this all the time" How could anyone put up with this heat and humidity. Of course we wouldn't be walking around there, dressed up for an English winter. And anyway, once I get into the butterflies no amount of heat and humidity puts me off . The Scarlet Peacock was a newcomer for me this season as were the Autumn Leaf butterflies. I've only ever managed one open-wing shot of this species, but my youngest, going her own way managed to get one (without telling me ). It was perched over the pond hence the less than ideal angle but very pleasing all the same. The closed wing examples I encountered, seemed to be of two forms; one which was darker and well marked and the other lighter coloured and less heavily marked. Another first for this season was the Scarlet Mormon. Although some consider butterfly houses to be like zoos there is nothing artificial about the butterflies themselves and I love coming to Wisley to watch and photograph them . However on this occasion I felt the variety was somewhat lacking on the previous two years. Main regulars like Pale Owl; Great and Yellow Mormon; Common Morpho; Clipper; Malachite Great Eggfly; and Paper kite were present but some of the other 'staples' I still haven't seen yet or only in ones or twos. Species such as: Emerald Swallowtail; Blue-banded (Achilles) Morpho; The Lacewings (Cethosia species); Glasswings (many people were enquiring about these); White Morphos; Indian Leafwing (Kallima, only one seen so far); African (Mocker) Swallowtail (one); Pink rose (one); Zebra Longwing (one); with Tailed Jay and Golden Birdwing (rhadamantus) still to put in an appearance .

However there have been some pluses . Up on previous years: King Swallowtails and Giant Orange-tip, with newcomers Yellow Helens (and now Red Helens Guy) and the beautiful and charismatic Narrow Green-banded Swallowtail (Papilio nireus). Later on just before leaving I met fellow UKB member Lee Hurrell. Lee must've been a lucky charm because soon after his arrival things seemed to pick up. A Mexican Bluewing had been sat with wings clamped up for nearly 3 hours suddenly decided to open up . A Papilio nirues went mud-puddling and wasn't moving away for anything . So I stayed on for another half hour …. and I don’t think the girls minded Phil

I'm sure you're right about the Helens, Phil. I was just being lazy before when I lumped everything as red helens (helenus) - I'd forgotten that yellow helens (nephelus) existed. When I was in India, on both occasions, I also called everything helenus, but there, in the wild, I never saw one stop, so I had more of an excuse.

I've since checked, and photographed both species in the Papiliorama (and updated my butterfly house guide, too).

Great photos!

Guy

Nice to see you Phil, lovely photos.

I have a few worth posting from those displaying some resemblance of colour. Nice to know I was right next to you when those last few were taken!

Best wishes,

Lee

Apologies for late reply. The kids are off school and I've taken them out to Marwell zoo (got a mountain of photos to sort )

I'm not entirely sure I am correct about the Helens Guy. Like the Mormons group there seems to be variation and tropical butterflies are a huge subject beyond my scope. Its made all the more difficult because you don't know where the butterflies originate from (the staff all say Costa Rica ) which if true is it because they come through a 'distributor' (many inc Mormons and Helens are Asian species). Another thing you notice in the BH is courtship flights with male Mormons pursuing Helens. Do they cross breed and if so are some of those on display hybrids

Pleased to hear you got some good photos Lee. I shall look out for them on your PD somewhere around August

Philzoid wrote: ....Its made all the more difficult because you don't know where the butterflies originate from (the staff all say Costa Rica )

According to an information board in the glasshouse, the butterflies come from a breeding farm in Belize (see my earlier post in this thread viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7342&sid=dbac848392 ... e31#p80428
Presumably, the original stock was collected world-wide.

Mike

Philzoid wrote: Pleased to hear you got some good photos Lee. I shall look out for them on your PD somewhere around August

I will try and do better than that, Phil

Best wishes,

Lee

MikeOxon wrote:

Philzoid wrote: ....Its made all the more difficult because you don't know where the butterflies originate from (the staff all say Costa Rica )

According to an information board in the glasshouse, the butterflies come from a breeding farm in Belize (see my earlier post in this thread viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7342&sid=dbac848392 ... e31#p80428
Presumably, the original stock was collected world-wide.

Mike

I should've paid more attention to what the board was saying (but was too distracted by the Cydno Longwing dwarfing the Morpho) .

Lee Hurrell wrote:I will try and do better than that, Phil

No worries Lee whenever you can . I don't have a PD (although at times I would like one) simply because I know wouldn't be able to keep up with it.

More great shots Philzoid - especially the Autumn Leaf and the mud puddling nierus I know what you mean about not being sure of the identification of the Red Helens I struggled with them last year from Bristol Zoo Still I'm sure it'll get sorted soon

Have a goodun

Wurzel

ps - were there butterflies in the tropical house at Marwell (near the Gibbons and the Fossa)?

Wurzel wrote:More great shots Philzoid - especially the Autumn Leaf and the mud puddling nierus

Thanks Wurzel . The sunny weather helped with the photography.

Wurzel wrote:ps - were there butterflies in the tropical house at Marwell (near the Gibbons and the Fossa)?

No butterflies in the tropical house . Plenty of lush vegetation but lacking in animal life ... plenty more can be made of that house imo.

Overall though Marwell was an excellent day out

21.02.14
Another trip on Friday to Wisley, without the kids. This time they didn't want to come, perhaps because they'd been worn out on the previous day traipsing around Marwell zoo, or perhaps unlike their father they'd grown tired of butterfly houses , who knows. Mind you it might've been something to do with having a friend around for a sleep-over

Despite my lack of charges there were busloads of bairns and mums at Wisley (and there was me thinking the popularity was waning). Big crowds are not ideal but overall it was a good day. The only problem was the mist sprays which were going full pelt leaving fine droplets everywhere and dimming the light which didn't help me with the photography. Most pics were taken at max ISO with slower than ideal shutter speeds leading to blurred grainy pictures. Nevertheless there was new stuff to see. I have two possible themes for this post but I think it is best to pick up from my comments from the last one about the the lack of many of the old favourites. A few of the no-shows species listed can now be crossed of the list.
To start with there were a few Glasswings about, grabbing lots of attention when spotted . Despite their small size and see-through wings, looking out for the apical white flashes when on the wing helps you get your eye in. However they can certainly baffle a toddler even with an adult pointing out "its there, there" .

Glasswings belong to the family Nymphalidae subfamily Ithomiinae and are found in the neotropics. The species at Wisley is listed as Greta oto but there are many species of similar looking Glasswings and several in the genus Greta so there is a possibility that it could be another species. From my observations it seemed most Glasswings will take to the wing for a minute or so before perching somewhere, usually on a leaf. However one individual I watched would land on a leaf for a split second then bounce off as if it had just got hot feet. The process would be repeated over an over with the butterfly landing around 1 to 2 feet from its previous point rather than move around in the same vicinity. I assumed it may be 'tasting' the leaves looking for a suitable one to lay an egg. However it didn't just stick to one type of plant . I continued to watch it but in the end it didn't settle nor did it set off another one already perched as it touched down next to it . Not like a Small Copper then . Another old favourite, the Common Mormon was out in reasonable numbers but all but one that I saw were females. Usually it is the male butterflies which arrive first. Another favourite, (but only a singleton seen) was a Cethosia species: Cethosia cyane, the Leopard Lacewing (I think) which caused some I.D debate last year. Other species seen in previous years have been Red (Cethosia biblis sp.) and Malay (Cethosia hypsea) Lacewings. Hopefully there's more Cethosia to come . I regular favourite I've yet ot see this year is the Blue-banded (Achilles) Morpho . However the large White Morpho (Morpho polyphemus) was now on show. Finally, not a regular but something to keep me excited and snapping away was a nectaring Cydno Longwing . I only spotted him at 04:30 so while the Wisley bell for 'abandon ship' rang out I made sure I was the last one off. The selection of heliconids have been better than usual this year, so I may do a post on them later

Phil

Another splendid series of photos, Phil. That first Scarlet Peacock really captures 'rainforest' feel. I've not seen a White Morpho, so perhaps another visit is needed

Mike

MikeOxon wrote:Another splendid series of photos, Phil. That first Scarlet Peacock really captures 'rainforest' feel.

Thanks for your comments Mike . The rainforest feel is quite by accident as I look for any picture I can get rather than try and put it in context with its environment. The Owl butterfly is probably the best species for that type of shot as it is often found resting in shadier spots on the trunks of the banana plants and such.

MikeOxon wrote:I've not seen a White Morpho, so perhaps another visit is needed

I usually put in six or more visits a season and always find it worth it .. but there again I'm fortunate enough to live not too far away. Apologies if you are already aware of this but If you do decide on another visit it is a good idea to pre-book a timed entry ticket on the RHS Wisley website. It's worked well for me this year (but I have my doubts on how it will pan out next year when more people cotton on ).

Phil

Another great report and lovely shots Philzoid especially the White Morpho Is your Mexican Bluewave a male - as I have a few shots of what I believe to be Myscelia ethusa which has fewer bands on the fore wing (I'd include a pic but I'm saving the post in case we get a cold spell like last year )?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:Is your Mexican Bluewave a male - as I have a few shots of what I believe to be Myscelia ethusa which has fewer bands on the fore wing (I'd include a pic but I'm saving the post in case we get a cold spell like last year )?

I assumed it was a male but I've had to go and look it up … and I think (as its not entirely clear) it could be a male based on the blue submarginal band extending further up the forewing (replaced by white spots in the female) .

It's worth checking yours again as there are a few similar looking Myscelia species (I had M. cyaniris last year at Wisley) http://butterfliesofamerica.com/t/Myscelia_a.htm Also, keep an eye out for the new celebration at this year's World cup, the "Mexican wing"

It was back to Wisley for another session of butterfly observation and photography . The immediate entry from a pre-booked ticket was something that I was thankful for after observing the way the queue's were being badly handled (low density of people inside with those outside being made to wait).
Anyway the session proved to be a less fruitful one as there were no new releases. In fact one of the staff told me there had been two 'batches' of pupae and most of the emergents from second one had already been released in early February .
Last week I was optimistic that more Cethosia would be around plus the arrival of show-stoppers like Golden Birdwing and Emerald Swallowtail. On display were more Common Mormons this time more males and unlike the previous week, predominantly the non-mimetic cyrus forms (Papilio polytes romulus (tailed) and alphenor (without tails) There were also plenty of Malachites and scores of Owls including around a half dozen of the Automedon Giant variety. This butterfly in flight shows a deep purple on its dorsal side but unlike its Caligo cousin it never rests with its wings open . Little glimpses of this purple can be seen if there are wing tears or the butterfly rests with its wings clasped asymmetrically. The underside whilst interesting in its own right does not have the large owl like eye and feather patterning of the Caligo. Surprisingly not many visitors spot it as a different species . Other species I was hoping to see the numbers pick up but didn't were the African (Mocker) Swallowtail Papilio dardanus, a (female only) Batesian mimic of distasteful Danainae sp. and Indian Leafwing, Kallima paralekta. However a surprise find was this Autumn Leaf after being 'off the menu' for a couple of weeks. Despite the omissions there were also some improvements this year. Apart from the Helens and Papilio nireus, 2014 has been good for heliconids in my opinion . I've built up a collection of variable quality photos with a view to getting their ID's but this has proved more dificult than anticipated and I've now come to the conclusion that it is a task beyond me . Each species has many sub-species taking on many phenotypic forms and it appears they freely interbreed. Much of the articles about them concentrate of genetics of wing pattern mimicry which is a dream for geneticists but a nightmare for us mere mortals . Last year Wurzel did an excellent article in his PD where he explained about Mullerian mimicry centred around the heliconius melpomene / erato group viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5040&start=580.
Like him I found difficulty in separating these two co-mimics melpomene and erato (Postman and Small Postman) basing the evidence on underside characteristics quoted in Wikipedia. The number of red dots (3 in melpomene and 4 in erato) and the hindwing cream flash of erato reaching the hind wing margin is far from conclusive. Some have four dots but a short cream flash whereas others have less visible dots and a longer flash. Therefore the names I've put to my pictures are best guesses. If anyone reading knows better please feel free to comment.
In this and in previous years Wisley have listed the Postman with a picture of a butterfly with hind wing rays (see picture below taken at Butterfly World, Preston Park Stockton). However the few examples I've seen previously have been with an red forewing flash and a cream yellow streak (melpomene ssp. rosina) This year a new Postman / Small Postman group has appeared. These have a red-forewing flash and a white saw-tooth edged hindwing fringe. The wings have a navy blue sheen. I've labelled these as erato possibly melpomene Yet another this year had a 'piano-keys' fringe, possibly ssp cyrbia The 2014 Wisley erato cyrbia underside looks similar to last year's Preston Park below which I think are hybrids Next post moves to a different heliconid group, which has been a big feature this year at Wisley, the Cydno Longwing (+ hybrid?)

Phil

Another very interesting and informative post, Phil

Mike

Not sure my pictures are getting better but thanks for your kind comments Mike . Sorry for the delay in the follow-up.

Part 2
The Cydno Longwing is not listed despite an extension to the spotter guide to accommodate new species. Ironically last year's guide failed to cover much of what was on display. This year's guide was reversal to some degree: more species purported than seen. Anyway, Cydno follows last year's trend. Only one was seen last year (exciting sighting as it was then see pics 1 & 2) but this year there were plenty on show . And as I have visited frequently over the course of the event I get the impression that these heliconids (heliconians?) species are better adapted than some to the butterfly house environment and are relatively long lived (like the Caligo Owls) with the same individuals encountered over the weeks (just a bit tattier). Other species such as the Giant Orange-tip, Autumn Leaf and Clipper appear but are soon gone.

Heliconius cydno has many sub-species with different wing pattern forms. The sub-species seen at Wisley is I believe is galanthus but anyone knows better please correct. Also like erato and melpomene the Cydno group has a Mullerian co-mimic in Heliconius sapho. Like other co-mimic one of the pairs belongs in a pupal mating clade, in this case spaho whereas cydno is found in the non-pupal mating clade (not mentioned in part one:- erato = pupal mating; melpomene non-pupal mating). The following web-site shows the evolutionary tree and separate clade groups.
http://tolweb.org/Heliconius/72231 One of my cydnos may have been sapho (no forewing dark blue-sheen seen from any angle) and the white band profile looked different . However the underside hind-wing did have red-brown stripes indicative of cydno. Heliconius charithonia or Zebra Longwing. Only one example seen this year at Wisley, similar to previous years, a regular occurrence but not in any number. Charithonia does not exhibit extreme differences in colour forms but like other heliconids the butterfly is distasteful and has a co-mimic is the false Zebra Longwing Heliconius athis. Charithonia belongs to the pupal mating clade whereas athis does not. All pictures were taken in 2013 Edit: I've just noticed that my 2013 cydno, white fore-wing flash is slightly different to the one on the 2014 specimens. The non-blue 'sapho' example matches those of the 2014 cydno examples .... and three more species still to come in part 3, gulp

Part 3
Actually four species . Seems a bit pointless now that the Wisley event is over for another year, but I've started so I'll finish ...
This is a bit of a rushed job to cover the last four in this section. The first is one that has appeared at Wisley over the last two events, Heliconius hecale. Oddly enough the picture on the spotter guide does not look like the butterflies above: but this time I'm going to hold back from saying that Wisley have it wrong . The picture actually looks more like is Heliconius ismenius, Tiger Longwing; Tiger-striped Longwing or Ismenius Tiger. Heliconius hecale is also named Tiger Longwing (just to confuse the issue) and when you look on the net for images of it, a significant proportion show insects very similar to ismenius. This includes the website of the link in part 2. I've scanned through this website's species pictures and have not found one which looks like the hecale pictured above . It did show others which looked more like ismenius, primarily orange yellow and black but with subtle differences. From what I've seen I'm now assuming that the red rust and black coloured hecale is again, just one sub-species of many which are predominantly orange, yellow and black.

So bearing this in mind I had to be careful when concluding the orange yellow and black butterflies flying amongst the hecale this year were actually Heliconius ismenius.Heliconius ismenius, was a lovely little butterfly to watch feeding as it thrust its proboscis into the tubular blue flowers right up to its eyes. Another one seen basking on a stone lacked the hindwing stripe. I think this is H.ismenius ssp.clarescens. Wiki describes a batesian mimic of H. ismenius called Melinaea lilis messatis or mimic tigerwing. However it later describes it as a "pierid" implying it is a palatable species. However others describe it as belong to the Brushfoots (Nymphalidae), sub-family danainae tribe ithomiini (clearwings) which would make it a distasteful species

Continuing on the Tiger-striped theme another heliconid seen last year was Dryadula phaetusa Orange Tiger or Orange-banded Heliconian. This species is a Batesian mimic as it wears the colouration of more unpalatable species. The final heliconid is an early stage hybrid (I think) of melpomene or erato and cydno. The species Heliconius heurippa is thought to have evolved from crosses between melpomene and cydno, a product of hybrid speciation where the hybrid offspring are a species that is reproductively isolated from the parent species. To finish off another orange glasshouse inhabitant. Fortunately the heliconids have nothing to fear. Phil