Who doesn't like nice autumn leaves with beautiful colors, watching them blow from trees, and spending time with nature as you rake the leaves? Alright, maybe not all aspects associated with autumn leaves are fun. If you are not a big fan of raking leaves, the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing has just the autumn leaf for you. One of the butterflies flying in the Wing this month is the Autumn Leaf (Doleschalia bisaltide), from Malaysia. The Autumn Leaf is aptly named due to its fall color palette and wing shape. When at rest, the Autumn Leaf will actually position their bodies so they are facing the same direction as the rest of the leaves on the branch. So if fall is getting you down, stop by the Butterfly Wing at Reiman Gardens for some warmth to pick you up.
Earlier this month, in a butterfly shipment from one of our tropical suppliers, we received two new species of butterflies which have never been flown in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. The two species are the Three Tailed Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio pilumnus) and the Magnificent Swallowtail (Papilio garamus). Both of these Swallowtails are native to Central America, but occasionally they make an appearance in the southern part of Texas. Since this is the first time we have flown the species, I do not have a photo to share. Fortunately, both species have what looks like three tails on their hindwing so you will know when you see one. If you have a chance to visit the Butterfly Wing this month, keep an eye out for these two new butterflies.
Visit the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing this month, and you might be lucky enough to see the African Moon moth (Argema mimosae). A few months ago, I wrote about the Madagascar Moon moth (Argema mittrei). The African Moon moths are similar in shape but slightly smaller in size. Just like the Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas), which is also flown in the Butterfly Wing, the African Moon moth does not have functional mouth parts which leaves them unable to feed as adults. Due to this, the adult stage tends to be short, lasting less than two weeks. Of the twenty cocoons that arrived, so far only four have emerged. So visit the Butterfly Wing this month for a good chance at spotting these nocturnal beauties.
The largest of the large invade the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. Over the next month or so, the Butterfly Wing will be home to three different species of Birdwings (Troides or Ornathoptera) at one time. The Queen Alexandra Birdwing (Troides alexandrae) is considered the largest butterfly in the world with a wingspan of approximately twelve inches. Now, we won’t be flying the Queen Alexandra Birdwing, but we will have three other species of Birdwings, the Common Birdwing (Troides helena), the Golden Birdwing (Troides rhadamntus), and the New Guinea Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) with which to enchant visitors. This is the first time we have ever flow so many species of Birdwings in the Butterfly Wing at one time, so it is definitely worth a visit.
The Blue Spotted Charaxes (Charaxes cithaeron) is one of six species of Charaxes flying in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing over the next month. In general, Charaxes butterflies are very strong, deliberate flyers that tend to do the majority of their flying at dawn and dusk. Since daytime flight is limited, visitors to the Butterfly Wing usually only get the opportunity to see the outside wings of these butterflies. The outside wings of most species of Charaxes have very light colors but with many detailed patterns. The inside of their wings are bright and colorful, and if you are lucky on your next visit to the Wing, one might open up and show them to you.
