White Dragontail (Lamproptera curius 燕鳳蝶) is the smallest swallowtail in the whole Papilionidae family. The wings are black with white median band coupled with a large transparent area towards the margin of the forewings. It has a very long tail on each of its hindwing, which give the butterfly its highly distinctive appearance.  

It flies swiftly and restlessly like a tiny dragonfly in flight surrounding its host plants.

It was the first time I came across such a gorgeous creature a few weeks ago when I visited the Fung Yuen, which is a forested ravine behind the village of Fung Yuen Tai Po.  Fung Yuen (鳳園) was listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1980, as an important breeding site for some butterflies of conservation value. 

The Common Sergeant Butterfly (Athyma perius 玄洙帶蛺蝶) is a medium-sized insect in the Nymphalidae family.

The male Common Sergeant Butterfly has black wings with white markings. The undersides of its wings are yellow with white markings edged with black.

This Common Sergeant was spotted in the Hong Kong Park on 2 June 2019.

The lemon pansy (Junonia lemonias 蛇眼蛺蝶) is a common nymphalid butterfly found in Hong Kong.

It is brown with numerous eyespots as well as black and lemon-yellow spots and lines on the upperside of the wings. The underside is a dull brown, with a number of wavy lines and spots in varying shades of brown and black. There is also an eyespot on the lower side of the forewing. 

This Lemon Pansy was spotted in the Hong Kong Park on 2 June 2019.

The Common Jay (Graphium doson 木蘭青鳳蝶 ) is medium in size. It can be seen in spring, summer and autumn and is common and widely distributed in Hong Kong.  The wings are black with a broad bluish-green macular band, making it comparatively easy to be observed. 

Markings on its wings, which look similar to Common Bluebottle, are however more numerous and fragmented.

This Common Jay was encountered yesterday morning in the Hong Kong Park.

The Gram Blue (Euchrysops cnejus 棕灰蝶又名白尾小灰蝶、白尾灰蝶、雞豆蝶) is a small butterfly that belongs to the Blues family.

On the upperside, the male is pale purple and with tornal spots in the hindwing crowned in orange. The female has a brown border on both wings and is pale shining blue in the basal area, and its hindwing has spots. On the underside, both sexes are pale buff with a series of spots, all pale brown and white-bordered. In the hindwing, there are three black basal spots, one black costal spot, two orange-crowned tornal spots.

In these few days we can find Gram Blues in groups of 3 to 4 numbers fluttering on flowering plants in the Hong Kong Park. This beautiful Gram Blue was spotted yesterday inside the park.

The Tree Flitter (Hyarotis adrastus praba 希弄蝶) has an irregular white fascia on the underside of the hindwing. There are 3 apical spots on the forewings. The wings are dark brown in colour . The antenna has a white patch below the apicus – a distinct feature of this genus.

This Tree Flitter was spotted sipping nectar from the flower of a Panama Rose in the Hong Kong Park this morning.

Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites 波紋眼蛺蝶) usually appears around the reed marsh in Hong Kong in summer.  The upper sides of its wings are pale brown with a row of distinctive orange eye spots. 

This Grey Pansy which is a rare visitor in the Hong Kong Park, was spotted enjoying a sunbath near the fish pond this morning.

This Mottled Emigrant (Catopsilia pyranthe 梨花遷粉蝶) was spotted in the Shing Mun Valley Park, Tai Wo Hau, Kowloon this morning.

The Mottled Emigrant, which is medium in size, can be seen all year round in Hong Kong.

The upper wing surfaces of Mottled Emigrant are greenish white, while the lower wing surfaces are yellow with light brown wavy patterns. They are very active and are swift flyers. 

The Five-bar Swordtails (Pathysa antiphates 綠鳳蝶 ) are remarkable for the very long, slender and tapering tail on the hindwing, resembling a long sword. They are forest butterflies and are very swift on the wing, with an erratic flight. The species is creamy white above, with a series of black transverse stripes in the costal area of the forewing. On the underside, the basal half of the hindwing is green, with black stripes and spots. The butterfly has a wingspan of 40 – 45 mm.

I saw this beautiful butterfly sucking water from a pond in the Hong Kong Park a few days ago. It was reported that some people had found this butterfly urinating from time to time when sucking water.

The Common Rose ( Pachliopta aristolochiae  紅珠鳳蝶) is a swallowtail butterfly belonging to the genus Pachliopta, the roses, or red-bodied swallowtails.

With a wingspan of 9.0 – 10.0 cm the Common Rose is black with white and red spots. Hind wings have tails. Its striking red body and the bright red marks on the wings make it stand out not only in its environment but also in the swallowtail family. The pretty colouration is a warning sign which indicates “poison” to its predators.

This common rose was spotted yesterday morning in the Hong Kong Park.

The common Mormon ( Papilio polytes 玉帶鳳蝶 ), is a common species of swallowtail butterfly and is one of the most common butterflies found in Hong Kong parks. It usually flies around nectar food plants such as Lantana. Its black hindwings consist of a white band made up of white spots, making it distinctive among other butterflies.

The male common Mormon is a dark-coloured swallow-tailed butterfly. The upper forewing has a series of white spots decreasing in size towards the apex. The upper hindwing has a complete discal band of elongated white spots.  

This common Mormon was encountered last month in the Hong Kong Park.