Another common butterfly, the Common Gull ( Cepora nerissa 黑脈園粉蝶) photographed in the Hong Kong Park today. This is a small to medium-sized butterfly,  which belongs to the Pieridae family (Yellows and Whites).

The Common Gull is white on the upperside with black wing margins and yellow with black markings on the underside. The colours are bright in the wet season form and dull in the dry season form. 

Today – 1 May 2019 – is a holiday in Hong Kong for Labour Day. It is a warm and sunny morning in the Hong Kong Park.  As usual, many shutter bugs flock to the small garden near the waterlily pond where butterflies flutter around over the flowering plants. Once a butterfly stops on a flower sipping nectar, there comes suddenly a continuous burst of shutter release clicking sound and people are thrilled when they caught it digitally. 

We may be lucky to see a few rare species of butterflies showing up today.

A Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus 金 裳 鳳 蝶 ), which is one of the largest butterflies in Hong Kong, is spotted flying around the tree tops. Their wingspan can be as wide as 16 cm, They are listed as butterflies of local conservation concern.

While taking pictures in the Hong Lok Park, Fanling this morning, a beautiful dragonfly – Variegated Flutterer (Rhyothemis variegata arria 斑麗翅蜻) was spotted standing at the tip of a grass.  It is a distinctive dragonfly in Hong Kong. Its forewings and hindwings have a distinct black and yellow pattern. Sometimes it is mistaken as a butterfly as it flies like a butterfly. 

Paris Peacock (Papilio paris 巴黎翠鳳蝶) is a large butterfly of the Papilionidae Family. The uppersides of its wings are black and its hindwings are characterized by patches of metallic blue scales, which glows under the sun and they have long black tails on their hindwings.

I spotted this Paris Peacock in the Hong Kong Park a few days ago.

The Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio Xuthus 柑橘鳳蝶) is a mid-sized, pale yellow, prominently-tailed butterfly. It has a wingspan of 45 to 55 mm. Its normal color pattern consists of a black pattern on a yellow background. The butterfly is a rare species in Hong Kong.

This butterfly was spotted on a sunny morning in the Hong Kong Park on 18 March this month.

The Graphium Agamemnon is commonly known as the Tailed Jay (統帥青鳳蝶).  This butterfly also goes by the names Green-Spotted Triangle, Tailed Green Jay, or the Green Triangle. It has black wings which are speckled with fine green spots.  Being a strong and restless flyer,  it is so active that it flutters its wings constantly when visiting flowers.

I spotted this Tailed Jay in the Hong Kong Park on 18 March. When it is perched on a leaf against the sun, one will be amazed to see the green colored patches on its wings becomes transparent.

The male Great Egg-fly (Hypolimnas bolina 幻紫斑蛺蝶) has black wings decorated with eye-catching metallic blue patches in the middle. It flies swiftly and is strongly territorial.

This graceful Great Egg-fly also called Blue Moon butterflies dances in the garden with elegant dress in the Hong Kong Park yesterday.

The Indian Cabbage White (Pieris canidia 東方菜粉蝶), a medium size butterfly, is common and can be seen all year round in Hong Kong. The wings of Indian Cabbage White are mainly white, while the wing tips and surfaces are decorated with black patches. It is a slow flyer, and one of the commonest butterflies in Hong Kong.

This Indian Cabbage White was encountered in the Hong Kong Park on the 16th of this month.

The Common Jester (Symbrenthia lilaea, 散紋盛蛺蝶), a brightly-coloured butterfly with three horizontal orange bands on the upper side of its wings, while the underside is yellow with brown blotches, was spotted on a sunny morning in the Hong Kong Park on 17^th of this month.  It is usually seen in forests usually basking on leaves near the ground or found feeding on nectar from flowers. This butterfly can be easily found in Hong Kong.

This Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon 青鳳蝶) was spotted in the Bowen Road Park this afternoon. Its wingspan is about 70 to 85 mm. They occur from February to November and are widely distributed throughout Hong Kong.

The most distinctive feature of Common Bluebottle is the turquoise band across its wings, which can be seen even from a distance.

As it tends to fly swiftly among flowers, I found it difficult to take a photo of it.  I had waited quite a bit before I took this picture of it, which is not very sharp.

Rustic Butterfly, (Cupha erymanthis erymanthis, 黃襟蛺蝶) a yellowish brown butterfly with white and dark brown markings was spotted this Wednesday in the Hong Kong Park and somewhere near the Wanchai Gap Road next to Bowen Road Garden this afternoon.
This kind of butterfly is widely distributed throughout Hong Kong and can be found in all types of forests and is active throughout the year. 

The Restricted Demon (曲紋袖弄蝶) is approximately 4 cm long when fully grown. Its wings are dark brown to black, with a white spot near the trailing end. It is easily mistaken as a moth due to its greyish brown appearance.

I encountered one of these butterflies in the Hong Kong Park yesterday morning and another at Bowen Road Garden, Mid-Levels today.

Walking along Bowen Road at the Mid-Levels around 1 o’clock this afternoon, I spotted this Common Mapwing (Cyrestis thyodamas chinensis, 網絲蛺蝶), which is a butterfly with a marking that makes a false head.  They are noted for their attractive patterns of fine lines and their short-tailed hindwings with wingspan ranging from 45 to 55mm.

Below are some pictures taken there.