8/2011 - Alexandra Hospital Butterfly Trail (2 Apr 2011)

It was a make-or-break Macro photography outing.  It rained around 530am this morning. An ideal weather to snuggle in bed and sleep but definitely not on a Saturday morning!  I thought to myself, would it stop by 6am?  I closed my eyes and momentarily, my alarm rang at 6am sharp.  The weather was still not looking good. After a few checks with a friend who lives near Alexandra, I made a decision.  I started SMSing everyone that the outing was cancelled.  I could not sleep thereafter.  

Saturday without Macro photography is depressing.  It is the only weekly Informal Macro Photography Outing where friends from all walks of life gather together to share a common interest.  Recently, three more friends from the Philippines, China and Iran joined us.  


At 645am, the weather had somewhat improved.  No blue sky but the familiar morning Sunbirds were chirping happily away outside my bedroom window. A good sign I thought. Simultaneously, a friend who lives near the East Coast told me that according to the NEA weather radar, the rain in Queenstown was clearing too. Well, another good sign! Without further hesitation, I SMSed to everyone again that if they were still awake (like me) and raring to go, they should meet at the butterfly trail.  Most of them turned up before 830am albeit it was drizzling a little.

Our checklist!

Flor getting up close with a group of Bark Lice
and I got goosebumps by looking at them!

Bark Lice by Flor J.

It was a slow start and there were very few subjects to be seen.  I guess perhaps it was because of the heavy downpour.  As soon as we arrived at the garden, I rushed to the host plant where I found the 8cm long Death’s Head Hawkmoth caterpillar during a recce trip but it was no where to be found.   I walked back disappointed but found Allan all excited because he found a Plain Nawab caterpillar.   Hazel said it resembles a character from the Pokemon group of monsters!  

To find out, click Star of the Day by Allan Lee

In less than 2hrs into our shoot, we could feel the heat.  Flor was perspiring profusely, the rain drops on the plants evaporated quickly and the ground became a little drier.  I spotted a Drab Brown Wave Moth basking in the sun.  Can you spot it?  Let's see if you can ~ Drab Brown Wave Moth by Sharon S. Lim

Xinjian adjusting his setup to capture the beautiful 

Death’s Head Hawkmoth caterpillar  

The last time Xinjian visited the butterfly trail on his own, he told me he was disheartened as he could not find any suitable subject to shoot.  During this IMOG outing, we introduced him to many interesting and unusual subjects that kept him busy for hours. Above, he gave the Death's Head Hawkmoth caterpillar a shot.  Below is an image of the Death's Head Hawkmoth caterpillar found by Cheow Tin who gladly shared it with a few of us.  So, why is it called Death's Head Hawkmoth?  To find out, go take a look on Jodie Foster's lips, found on the  movie poster of The Silence of the Lambs.   If you know why, leave your answer in Post a Comment.

by Lim Cheow Tin

There were many Common Birdwing caterpillars on the host plant but we could not find any chrysalis.  Below is an image of the graceful Common Birdwing.  It was fluttering from place to place to lay eggs. By doing that, it increases the chances of survival of its "offsprings". 

by Allan Lee - Common Birdwing

by Peter Low - Plain Nawab caterpillar

by Hazel Han - Lime Butterfly caterpillar

by Kyaw Htay.  Any idea what will this mature into?

It was getting warmer as the sun rose above us in the late morning.  We had to call it a day around 1130 am but all of us could not bear to say goodbye to the Plain Nawab caterpillar and the rest of the many creepy crawlies we found there including a Common Two-tailed Spider,  Weaver Ant by Mohammad K.,  Mating Bugs by Allan Lee, Common Birdwing or Common Rose caterpillar by Sharon S. Lim. 


Well, suffice to say, the IMOG outing was a fruitful and eventful one.  The morning rain was indeed a blessing in disguise.  Thank you for taking your time to read our blog. Please do remember to come back next week for more images (I know the write-up is boring) as we explore Project MacroLumbus together with Endy Tan. 


See you next week!

Participants (8) - Sharon S. Lim (Trip Leader), Allan Lee, Peter Low, Hazal Han, Lim Cheow Tin, Flor J, Loy Xinjian and Ko Kyaw Htay.