Location: Laos
February 29, 2012
Recently our friend and neighbor Carol handed us a CD with some butterfly photos taken on a trip to Southeast Asia. Carol did not provide any details. This lovely Common Bluebottle, Graphium sarpedon, is a member of the Swallowtail family and it is puddling. We identified the Common Bluebottle on Butterfly Circle. Often butterflies congregate in large numbers around moist areas to drink mineral rich fluids from mud puddles and damp sandy areas. We will try to get more information from Carol. After reading a bit more on Butterfly Circle, we learned: “Habitat & habits : The males of this species can often be found feeding on roadside seepages or urine-tainted sand. Occasionally, more than eight butterflies can be found congregated on one spot. This swift-flying butterfly is common in the nature reserves. In flight, one normally catches a glimpse of its blue wings. Females are rarer, but often encountered when she tries to oviposit in areas where the host plants grow in abundance.”
Common Bluebottle
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for identifying the butterfly!
The River Ou in Laos was where the riverside photos were taken. We were between Muang La and Luang Prabang.
The caterpillar suspended across a very large open space was probably on a low mountain near a temple near Muang La, Laos.
The other photos were near the Queen’s Garden in a mountainous area near Chiang Rai or Chiang Saen in Thailand.
Where is the butterfly site you are hosting?
Carol
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