Bluebottles Madness

This is one of the most intense puddling (butterfly term for gathering on a moist spot) of the Bluebottle butterflies I have ever seen (Graphium sarpedon). The day started slow as the sky was not promising with an overcast sky but as I tracked on, setting my fruit bait, the sky cleared and an intense midday sun brings out this dizzying image on the sandy floor of a forest track...These butterflies are strong and fast flyers and are usually very nervous on the sandbanks, making them quite difficult to photograh but this particular moment, it was overwhelming to say the least...

Winged denizens of Bukit Telaga (4)

Subsequent trips to Bukit Telaga yielded more results from the forest:

A Common Evening Brown (dark form) resting on a Tapak Harimau leaf in the shades.

The Common Eggfly on the tarmac's edge under a hot morning sun...

Opened wings reveals the insects sex: a male.

A female Archduke, Lexias dirtea merguia on a pile of leaf litter. I actually tried to bait the butterflies the day before with ripened bananas but the wild animals (I suspect wild pigs or monkeys) outwitted me and had their bounty on the fruits. However, a single banana skin was left behind and that was enough to draw out quite a few nice butterflies...

An excellent specimen of the male Archduke...

A tiny Chersonesia spp. butterfly on the sandbank...

A Three-bar Helen, Papilio helenus helenus.

A Common Three Ring butterfly on the leaves of a Lantana bush.

A Malayan Owl butterfly attracted by the rotting banana skin.

A strange looking cicada. Their cries are harbinger of the impending dry season in my childhood days. Not sure if these guys can still predict the weather...

The forest canopy through my lenses...

The dry spell brought out some colours to the canopy

Sentosa Restaurant in Raub

Last week, we had dinner at Sentosa because our favourite was not open. This restaurant sits right in town center, next to the field. The wooden building used to be a clubhouse in the olden days, then turned into a taska (kindergarten) and finally now a restaurant. Sentosa was once in the small town of Benta, about 20 plus kilometres from Raub. Some changes in development and road straightening between Raub and Kuala Lipis, Benta got "cut off" from the mainstream traffic flow and I reckon it must have affected their business. The owners moved the restaurant to Raub a few years back and it stayed put till now. The restaurant is a halal restaurant - no pork and alcohol served. Testament to its popularity and staying power: rows of photos of dignitaries (including the Sultan of Pahang, the current PM Najib and ministers, celebrities) adorn its rustic plank wall...

 The peculiar form of its entrance, like an old-fashioned Malay house "anjung".

 High wooden ceiling...

 The Sultan of Pahang came-a-calling...

 We had a portion of steamed Krai (Puntius daruphani). The restaurant used to sell freshly caught Malaysian riverine fishes from the Lipis-Jelai river that included Patin Buah, Krai, Tenggalan, Temoleh, Tapah, Baung, Jelawat and Kelah. Due to pollution and habitat destruction, we can only be contented to be having farmed river fish these days (raised in cages along the river) like Krai, Patin buah and Tenggalan. Occasionally, some local fishermen bring in their catch and the restaurant will have it on their special menu. That having said, this restaurant still makes the best steamed fish dish in town, and in many ways better than many restaurants that I have had fish in KL.

If you ever chance by real river patin fish (Pangasius pangasius),  here are some tips to verify if you have the real McCoy or Mickey Mouse: the cooked fish belly must never have "mud" smell. In fact, it should exude an aroma of fermented figs and "kesum" on its belly wall - something which only wild fishes can have compared to farmed fishes. Another tell tale sign - look at the fins: river Patins stay mainly in mid-stream in swift currents and wild fishes should have very large tail fin in comparison to its body mass, like a well worked athlete. Farmed fish, like urban folks who lack exercises, will have visibly smaller fins. The oily layer on its belly has white translucent fat instead of the usual disgusting yellow fat that you would see on Patin fish bought from supermarkets and wet markets (these patins are of Thai origin but farmed in Malaysia with fish pellets and loads of other things unimaginable)

Best Kangkong Belacan in town.

Even better - Petai Sambal Ikan Bilis (Sting beans in anchovy spicy sauce). The beans are cooked to perfection and the anchovies crispy. Loved it.

The restaurant is not exactly the cheapest one in town and if you're ever ordering steamed river fish (or prawns), which is their speciality, do bring along enough cash...otherwise, enjoy your great meal.

Butterflies of Lata Lembik (1)

It has bee awhile since I last visited Lata lembik (like almost 2 years) due to the neglect of the place but I was pleasantly surprised by its "makeover" by a private resort doing their activities there. The good thing that came out of it, the place is much cleaner, safer and well maintained. The bad thing is that they now demand entrance fee into a public area (I think it is wrong to charge people to enter public domain - a recreational forest DO NOT belong to any private resort even if they have decided to open their operations there. The worst part is, they are now starting to dredge certain parts of the river to make it "suitable' for their activities and damaging the natural eco system can be a concern, regardless of its economic impact to the local communities. Besides, the recreational forest sits on an Orang Asli land (Semai tribe) and beside the Semai girl receptionist that I noticed the 3 times I was there, no other Orang Asli were employed - meaning to say that the developpement never actually benefited the locals (the facilities are operated by a resort from a nearby area in Cheroh, Raub). I hope the relevant local authorities are aware of the situation and the operators have the necessary permits before anything "grave" happens and blames start flying (the operators propose flying fox, white water rafting and absailing). 

Well, worries aside, I was actually there to try my new camera on my favourite subject: butterflies. This site is actually one of the remaining sites where the Common Birdwing is common (no longer a common butterfly in the wild, maybe one day we will have to rename the Common Birdwing to the Uncommon Birdwing)  and I have yet to capture a good shot of it... Here are the results nevertherless...

The Grass Demon, a tiny skipper butterfly.

A very nervous subject, the Royal Assyrian, Terinos terpander. This butterfly has a restless movement and seldom stay put for more than a few seconds.

Euripus nyctelius euploeoides

The Commander, Moduza procris milonia

View of the "updated" albeit commercialized Lata Lembik...hope it won't be another disaster like Lata Jarum- used, abused and later abandonned to die a natural death (so déjà vu in Malaysia) .

A tiny danaid butterfly - Euploe eunice

Athyama spp.

A resting Chocolate Albatross, Appias lyncida vasava

Tent for rent at RM 50 a day...

The Common Mormon, Papilio polytes romulus

A Banded Peacock, Papilio palinurus palinurus

Winged Denizens of Bukit Telaga (3)

The last week of March was the school break and so, I went on a daily photoshoot session around Raub, principally at Bukit Telaga because of its proximity...(more pics to come in later updates).

Cirrochroa emalea emalea

The Indian Leaf, Kallima limborgii amplirufa has an incredibly adapted cryptic underside. This is not a common butterfly but I have noticed it flying around the undergrowth along the stream in Bukit Telaga, once even saw it engaged in an aerial combat with another butterfly encroaching into its territory along the banks of the stream. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon it along the trail and it took flight, first it wanted to land on me for some salt lick as I was sweating and almost wet on my shirt but I moved and didn't want it to do that because that would have ruined my chance for a good shot. It then decided to land not too far nor too high up the trunk of a tree. As I flashed it, it got stunned and stayed immobile for a few moments, enough for me to get a few nice shots before it took flight and disappeared again into the cryptic undergrowth.

 As the wings opened once it was relaxed, the beautiful blue sheen against the vivid orange gave it away...this must be arguably the most beautiful butterfly that inhabits the undergrowth of the Malayan jungle.

 A Common Nawab came to the sand bank for a drink...

A dry season form of the Common Evening Brown, Melanitis leda leda. This butterfly display highly variable forms (the underside markings) that adapts to the season and environment it lives in.

 The delicate Burmese Lancer, Neptis spp. on a dry bamboo leaf.

 The Great Mormon, Papilio memnon agenor is a large and powerful flyer and it is an unmistakable insect. It can be seen frequently flying around villages, especially at the forest's edge as well as sometimes observed on a sand bank in the afternoon.

Hallmark of Bukit Telaga - the Malayan Owl, Neorina lowii. This is the largest Satyrid butterfly in Malaysia and is decidedly a forest insect.