Great Orange Tip (Hebomoia glaucippe, 鶴頂粉蝶) is the largest Pieridae in Hong Kong. It has a strong and swift flight, always flies high above the ground and rarely stops. Its distinctive feature is the large orange patches on the forewings. I spotted this Great Orange Tip in the Hong Kong Park on 28 April and took a few shots of it.
Every year around April the only registered Old and Valuable Tree (OVT) of its species in Hong Kong, the Pink and White Shower Tree (cassia javanica var. indochinensis, 節果決明 ) at the ‘Murray’, a former government building turned Hotel, is beginning to bloom and the green treetop gradually turns into a sea of pink and white.
The species is also known as Java Cassia, Pink Shower, Apple Blossom Tree and Rainbow Shower Tree. A splendid tall and old tree, with beautiful pinnate green leaves, which open up to cascading clusters of pink to pale pink and creamy white flowers. One will never forget it once having an encounter with it. Many Hong Kong people as well as visitors, come here to admire its beauty every year.
This Purple and Gold Flitter (Zographetus satwa, 黃裳腫脈弄蝶) was spotted in the Hong Kong Park on 20 April.
It is assessed as a rare species in Hong Kong according to the Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department. They occur from July to October.
The Parathyma sulpitia, commonly known as the Five-dot Sergeant Butterfly (殘鍔線蛺蝶), is of the Nymphalidae Family.
This Five-dot Sergeant was spotted in the Hong Kong Park on 11 April this year.
They are Widely distributed in woodland area throughout Hong Kong from February to December.
This beautiful Shan Nawab (Polyura nepenthes, 忘憂尾蛺蝶) was spotted in the Hong Kong Park last Thursday (22 April). It was found sipping water from a crack on the ground. It was relatively large in size with white creamy colour and black margins on the forewings.
This uncommon species is a new record in Hong Kong and are distributed in Cloudy Hill, Shing Mun, Tai Po Kau, Lai Chi Wo, Pak Sha O and Lantau Island. They can usually found near streams and prefer rotten fruits, sap from trees and animal dungs.
This Common Archduke (Lexias pardalis, 小豹律蛺蝶) was spotted fluttering swiftly around the Rose Garden in the Shing Mun Valley Park this afternoon. I was lucky to have taken a few pictures of it when it was puddling on the grass before it flew away. This female Archduke’ dorsal wing surfaces are drab brown in color, with small yellowish white spots and its antennae tips are yellow orange.
This is said to be a rare butterfly species in Hong Kong which can sometimes be sighted on shaded trails such as Tai O, Shui Hau and Sha Lo Wan in Lantau Island.
Chinese daffodil (水仙花), also known as Chinese sacred lilies, narcissi, are one of the most auspicious flowers around that symbolize good luck and fortune according to Chinese culture. They have a well-formed flower with a tidy white perianth and a deep yellow cup. Five to ten flowers open on each stem. They have a subtle honey fragrance when blossoming at New Years’ time. They are a traditional part of the celebration of the Chinese New Year.
If you happen to be in the Hong Kong Park this week, you probably can spot Red-base Jezebels fluttering around these Chinese daffodils that are potted in the water pond. Though this medium size species can be seen all year round in Hong Kong, Red-base Jezebel are more often seen in the winter.
The Papilio protenor (Papilio protenor, 藍鳳蝶) is commonly known as the Spangle, a swallowtail butterfly of the Papilionidae Family.
The male Spangle is a velvety indigo-blue black, duller on the fore wing than on the hind wing. The female is similar in color, however slightly lighter in shade with no indigo on the fore wing. These large size butterflies are very common in Hong Kong and can be seen all year round. They are similar to male Great Mormon, but Spangle has more elongated hindwings.
This Spangle was spotted in the Hong Kong Park today.
This elegant Fork-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga christinae, 叉尾太陽鳥) was spotted today in the Hong Kong Park. It hangs on a Red-vein Chinese Lantern (紋瓣懸鈴花) sipping nectar from the flower. This is the second time I met a Fork-tailed Sunbird.
It was said that honey bees are disappearing not only in Hong Kong, but also around the globe, at an alarming rate, for overuse of pesticides, diseases and habitat losses. May be it is true as I walked up the Hong Kong Park this morning, I could only found one or two bees buzzing around the flowers. We should do more to protect our environment before it is too late. Here are a few pictures I took this morning in the Hong Kong Park.
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea, 小葵花鳳頭鸚鵡), which is an introduced species, has a white plumage with yellow or orange crest and can be seen in major parks and Mid-Levels on Hong Kong Island.
In fact a large flock of them can be seen on treetops along the Bowen Drive and Bowen Road, Mid-levels every early morning as they are flying from canopy to canopy making a very loud noise.
This Yellow-crested Cockatoo was seen in the Hong Kong Park a few days ago as it was sitting on a branch sun-bathing.
The Fork-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga christinae, 叉尾太陽鳥), a resident, is commonly found in woodland and major urban parks in Hong Kong. The male has a metallic blue-green head, dark crimson throat and upper breast as well as decurved bill.
This Fork-tailed Sunbird (Male) was spotted yesterday morning (23 Feb. 2020) in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens which is the oldest park in the territory.
The Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonica, 暗綠繡眼鳥) is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. A resident with bright green upperparts, yellow throat and vent with a prominent white eyering. It can be commonly seen in woodland and urban parks in Hong Kong.
They sip the nectar and eat the insects they find among the petals and twigs. Frequently travel in vocal and active flocks.
These photos were taken yesterday (23 Feb. 2020) near the Cotton Tree Drive inside Hong Kong Park which is a great place for viewing flowers and watching birds. I found them moving in swift bouncing flight through the canopy of the Cotton Tree.
Indian Fritillary (Argyreus hyperbius, 斐豹蛺蝶) is a common butterfly in the nymphalid family. It has an orange body and distinctively marked orange wings with black spots (hyomonmeans “panther pattern”). The white and black patterns on the underside are subtle and beautiful and the aerodynamic shape of the wings is quite special. This Indian Fritillary was spotted in the Wetland Park, Hong Kong on 29 June 2019.
Pale Grass Blue (Pseudozizeeria mah, 酢漿灰蝶) is one of the most common butterflies in the Hong Kong parks. It is a small butterfly that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. It usually stays close to the ground. Its larval food plant, Lavender Sorrel (Oxalis debilis. 紅花酢漿草), is also a common herb in Hong Kong. This Pale Grass Blue was spotted yesterday morning in the Hong Kong Park.
