The native Brush Cherry (Szygium australe) in my garden is just opening its buds.
Somehow the word went straight out into the butterfly world, for within a day of this happening, a certain species suddenly appeared to claim those flowers.
I counted around 35 of these butterflies just on the sides I could see. They weren’t my usual Wanderer butterfly, so out came the butterfly book.
What they are (I think) is Klug’s Xenica (Geitoneura klugi klugi, a member of the Nymphalinae family, sub-family Satyrinae). If I’m right, it’s a quaint semantic coincidence, as the species of this sub-family is also known as the brush-footed butterfly.
Different meanings of ‘brush’ — but the brush-footed butterfly loves the Brush Cherry blossoms!
Hi Gaye, Denis & DWG,
Glad we know what it is too. Wish it were back to cool weather here.
Absolutely beautiful!! The Brush Cherry bush is spectacular within itself, but with all those butterflies on board..would not have been able to leave it!!! Cold and dreary in my part of the world today!!
Do have lots of birds looking for food..Thanks for making my morning brighter!!! DWG
Hi Sharyn
So glad you have ID’d this Butterfly. Hundreds of them have turned up in Robbo in the last few days.
Many thanks.
Nice linking of names.
Cheers
Denis
Hello Sharyn,
what a treat the butterflies and blossoms make – a garden, like the bush, is always serving up delightful surprises.
Cheers,
Gaye