The Rustic is rather common in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The fast flying adults can be frequently seen flying around shrubs and bushes found alongside various trekking trails in the nature reserve. However, on the wing, one can easily confuse it with Banded Yeoman (Cirrochroa orissa orissa). The restless adults make it rather difficult to photograph them in the field. Rare opportunities to do so only arise when they stop briefly to visit flowers or to puddle on wet ground.

Above, the Rustic’s forewing is orange brown in the basal area and black at the apical area with several subapical spots lying within; in between there is a broad pale yellowish discal patch containing three or four dark brown spots in spaces 2, 3 and 4.The local host plant found in the Central Catchment Reserve, Flacourtia rukam, is a small evergreen tree with thorny stems and branches.

Read all about it at the Butterflies of Singapore BLOG.

Pulau Langkawi is an island resort towards the northwestern coast of West Malaysia, and is under the state of Kedah.  The main island is about 320 sq km is just slightly less than half the size of Singapore island.  But put together all the islands in this archipelago and the total land mass is over 475 sq km.  The islands have very good biodiversity and many of the parks have been conserved as geo-parks to showcase the wide diversity of flora and fauna.

Referred to by Corbet & Pendlebury as Kedawi (the area bounded by Kedah, Perlis and Langkawi), the northern part of Malaysia features also species from southern Thailand, and indeed many subspecies that are unique to the area.  ButterflyCircle members Sunny, Ellen Bobby and Khew made a short 3 day trip to this northern island to check out the butterfly biodiversity, and even in the 3 short days, observed over a 100 species of butterflies of varying rarity.  A new taxon was discovered and verified by Dr Laurence Kirton as new to Malaysia.

Read all about it on the Butterflies of Singapore BLOG.