Flowering Trees: Red Silk Cotton Tree (शाल्मली / शेवर)

Flower of Red cotton silk tree

A large dark red/ magenta colored flower of "silk cotton tree" attracts every nature wanderer during summer trails. There exists a very similar species, white flowers is the sole difference. Flower with five petals blooms during spring months (January to March), while tree losses all its leaves as many other tree do. Many birds like drongo, jungle babbler, common crow etc. feed on the flowers. 


This native tree can grow up-to 30 m. Thorns on the stem and branches is its characteristic ID. Tree is largely famous as it bears its relation with a famous festival of Holi. In Konkan region, the decorated tree, decorated with Mango leaves and flowers, is worshiped.  Tree is then burnt in the night and Holi is celebrated. The availability of this tree is larger and confidently its leafless during the same month when Holi is celebrated. The fruits appear in the month of April may and has fiber inside. Often seen them flying with the hot summer winds. Fibers are used in the pillows by villagers. Wood is light and makes it use in building structures used in water. 

Quick Facts:

Common Name: Red Silk Cotton Tree (Sanskrit: शाल्मली / Marathi: शेवर)

Botanical Name: Bombax ceiba

Family: Baobab

Flowers: Large, red/magenta colored with 5 petals

Location on campus: All over academic area and hill side, a common tree.

Jungle Babbler feeding on Red Cotton Silk Tree

Common Baron (Euthalia aconthea)

Common baron is a common medium sized graceful butterfly. Brown in color, female and male differs slightly on upper wings. Female has prominent white spots on upper-side. Species can be confused with chocolate pansy.  Female is seen quite often basking on the big leaf. Having large abdomen, powers it a powerful flight. To find a baron male is a rare treat to the eyes. Male can be found near wet patches, puddling during noon time. Egg is laid singly, preferred LHP is cashew-nut. Egg is domed shape, green in color and has spines all over it. Caterpillar rests on upper side of the leaf, aligned with the mid-rib. Its spiny and looks like thin lines of the leaf. Even being on the upper side of the leaf, camouflage protects it. When grown enough, it forms a pupa below the leaf. Its attached to the leaf with "cremaster". Pupa is often parasitized  by chalcid wasps [1]. 

Front and side view of common baron egg on cashew-nut leaf

Quick Facts:
Name: Common Baron
Scientific Name: Euthalia aconthea
Wingspan : 50 to 60 mm
Host plant: Mango, cashew-nut

Baron cat on cashew=nut leaf

Pupa

Female basking

Cashew-nut tree, with fruit and flowers

Mango tree, Mangifera Indica

Indian Sunbeam (Curetis thetis)

Indian Sunbeam female, recently ecloded

Fresh egg of Indian sunbeam on Derris scandens

         Indian sunbeam, share a "not common" status with some other butterflies on the campus. Mostly spotted on the lake side, due to unprecedented availability of its LHP, an evergreen climber named Jewel Vine (Derris scandens). Thanks Mr. Haneesh for identification. Sunbeam caterpillars were also found on the Pongamia pinnata (करंज), a pea family tree better known for bio-diesel extraction source. Teh tree also hosts for several other butterflies e.g. Common Banded Awl. Many eggs and caterpillars were observed at same time on both these plants . Caterpillar normally resides at the edge of the branch and prefers to eat fresh leaves. Due to its excellent camouflage technique it look like a part of leaf, it can remain unnoticed. Two horn-like structure on its rare part of the body is a special and noticeable feature.

            Indian sunbeam male and female have distinct UP. Male is bright orange and female with most of the part dull dark brown (Chocolate) colored with small white marking on upper-wing. According to Krushnmegh kunte's "Butterflies of Peninsular India", Males are much more frequently seen. However our observation inside the campus is other way round. Females were spotted often, specially near the host plants. Once female was spotted on bamboo tree sap. Just once Male was seen mud-puddling. Male and female both were shot on that same day behind the H-5/H-9 hostels besides the compound wall. Otherwise, one very few occasions male is seen that too in the flight.  Indian sunbeam is frequently found when we toured SGNP, yeoor, Nagla nad Tungareshwar WLS. There are two other subspecies, angled and toothed sunbeam, both spotted by us in Tungareshwar WLS. These two posses subtle deviation from Indian sunbeam and none of them are spotted in the campus. 

Quick Facts:

Name: Indian Sunbeam

Scientific Name: Curtis thetis

Wingspan: 40-50 mm

ID marks: Different UP . Male has orange and female Dark-brown UP wings.

Host plant: Pongamia pinnata, Derris scandens

Curetis thetis egg laying on Derris scandens

Indian Sunbeam Male

Female UP

Note the horn like body-part

Caterpillar, another view

Fresh pupa

Markings are developed on 4th day

Just before eclosion

Indian Sunbeam female on bamboo tree sap

Red Pierrot - Lifecycle

Fresh specimen of Red Pierrot

One of the common butterfly on the campus for entire year. A tiny and unmistakable butterfly with very weak flight. Its with black and white body except for the lower portion on hind wings are red. Its very common around its host plant - Bryophyllum calycinum, a useful medicinal plant. In the medical garden behind hostel-3, plenty of Bryophyllum is planted.Plant grows few feets and remains green thorugh out the year. Butterfly is mostly seen nectoring on the small flowers and favorite one is Amaranth ( मख़मल).  

Caterpillar inside leaf, black sphere like is excreta

Mating pair, sexes are alike 

The female lays egg underside of the leaf and one at a time. After hatching, caterpillar bores into the leaf. As leaves of the bryophyllum are thick enough to host it, caterpillar can remain inside the leaf till pupation.  When eatable part of the leaf is finished, caterpillar shift to some other. Caterpillar of these species is easiest find, although hidden inside the leaf. When it bores in between the two epidermal layers of leaf, it fills it with its excreta. Searching for the black pouches filled with excreta may lead tot the caterpillar. Caterpillar is flat as it leaves inside the leaf. Its light yellow in color with white hairs on the body.Caterpillar comes out of the leaf at tht time of pupation. Normally pupa is approx 10 mm long and is formed on or under the leaf. Key characteristic is the numerous black dots  all over the pupa. In field, UN wing photograph of red pierrot while nectoring can easily be shot. Getting UP wing shot, with full open wings is very difficult. It is observed that this species open their wings completely in the afternoon, which is the right time to get UP shot. 

Quick Facts:

Botanical Name: Talicada nyseus

Wing span: 30-35 mm

Key ID: Black and white body with orange fill on tail side.

Habits: Weak flyer, common around host plant.

 

Egg laying Red Pierrot

Red Pierrot nectoring on Amaranthus

Stages in Red Pierrot Life Cycle

Bryophillum buds

Bryophillum plant, LHP of red 

Pierrot

Blue Oakleaf

  

Blue Oakleaf - Open wing position

    Blue Oakleaf is an unusual shaped butterfly, known for its unparallel camaflouge technique. When closed, the wings of the oakleaf simulates shape of a dry leaf. Seating position , normally on trunk or branch of the tree, adds drama to it and looks as if a leaf of the tree. Blue Oakleaf settles in such position, blends with tree structure and makes it a challenging to find it out when one was not tracking it.

Quick Facts:

Common Name : South Indian Blue Oakleaf

Latin Name: Kallima Horsfieldii

Typical Wingspan : 85 to 120 mm
Geographical Distribution : Mumbai, Nashik towards south.
Status: Locally Common

Different individuals of Blue Oakleaf
showcasing variety and uniqueness of patterns

    However in flight, this beauty is easy to identify. Flashy blue, quick but erratic flight and large wingspan features makes it easy for ID. In IIT campus, this insect was abundant soon after rainy season. A sure shot sighting on a bamboo tree sap in hill side area. On every visit, we were able to spot at least 2-3 specimens. However, any other activity by it like mating, egg laying, courtship etc was never observed by us. Surprisingly, oakleaf population seemed declined in February. Not a single specimen was sited.

As far as geographical distribution is concerned, This  specie is restricted to South India, hence named, and is not yet recorded in North India. Likely upper boundaries are Mumbai and Nashik.

  Most interesting fact about this species is its under-wing pattern. According to Winter Blyth, no two oakleaf bare similar under-wing pattern, making every individual unique. A collage of different specimens recorded in and around Mumbai will suffice this fact.