Seasons of butterflies ....

[Rustic]

Was discussing with LBS today in office about the seasonal appearance of butterflies. we know that most butterflies evolved from eggs to caterpillar ... all the way to adult butterflies. the whole cycle is probably a matter of 3-6 weeks from the egg to the death of adult butterflies.

so the question: where do the butterflies "hide" during the "off-season". do they hibernate? just curious what actually happen during the "off-season".

[Commander]

Was discussing with LBS today in office about the seasonal appearance of butterflies. we know that most butterflies evolved from eggs to caterpillar ... all the way to adult butterflies. the whole cycle is probably a matter of 3-6 weeks from the egg to the death of adult butterflies.

so the question: where do the butterflies "hide" during the "off-season". do they hibernate? just curious what actually happen during the "off-season".

The tropical and equatorial butterflies don't hibernate like their cousins in temperate countries. The "seasonal" appearance is more of a phenomenon related to a breakout in numbers.

There are many reasons why there a suddenly large numbers around. One may be the absence of predators during certain months of the year, and vice versa, when they are "off-season".

The numbers go up and down, depending on the availability of host plants as well. For example, during a dry season, the host plants may die off or grow slower. The butts then respond with laying fewer eggs, or even if they do, the cats eat themselves to death if they run out of food. Then during a wet season, the plants suddenly grow in abundance, triggering off a response in the butts where they lay more eggs, or where there is more food, more cats make it to adulthood.

The web of life is very complex, and there are also other theories that may be expounded - e.g. sudden increase in parasitic wasps that kill off many cats, or when the opposite happens where the parasitic wasps are themselves killed of by some virus, and that triggers more butts cos more cats make it to adulthood without getting parasited.

And so on.... and so on.... :stupid:

[Green Baron]

thanks for the clarifications.

we thought in a "small area" like AH, where could the ME be hidding ... it seems that the LE has replaced them. Even in Science Park, we have not seen any ME for weeks .... but LE instead. :)
ME is actually not common in Singapore due to the rarity of its host plant Cassia alata. LE is more common because its host plants are planted all over Singapore (and AH).

The MEs in AH are not hiding. The AH ME population goes through the natural cycle of explosion and reduction due to their short life span and their dependency on a single mid-size Cassia alata at AH !

[Commander]

In theory, it will mean it is possible that entire species be eliminated if there is no host plants available locally? :sweat:

Probably more than just theory. Even more so if the plant is rare to start off with, and a vulnerable plant which is super-sensitive to development (or requires a certain habitat to thrive). Once the plant is gone, so will the butt... There's also probably a correlation there - common weeds/host plants - common butts. In some cases, like for example the Grass Yellows, they are able to adapt to different species of host plants as alternatives.

[Sky Blue]

In theory, it will mean it is possible that entire species be eliminated if there is no host plants available locally? :sweat:

yes, thats y animal species reduce/extinct after deforest.