By
Soh Zhi Bing,10-year old butterfly guide
Photos
by Soh Kam Yung & Gloria Seow, Education Committee Vice-Chairperson
Children and
adults alike went gaga over the caterpillars that I had been rearing at home.
As
the main guide for my second butterfly walk on 18 September 2016 at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in Singapore, I was lucky to be supported by veteran butterfly guides Auntie Amy
Tsang, Auntie Lena Chow and Uncle KC Tsang. I started by introducing the caterpillars
(cats) that I had been rearing at home to kids and their parents. We enjoyed
close-up observations of the cats of the Autumn Leaf (Doleschallia bisaltide
bisalitide), Plain Tiger (Danaus
chrysippus chrysippus), Lime
(Papilio demoleus malayanus), Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus)
and Tawny Coster (Acraea
violae). These cats were a whirl of action, hungrily chewing up the leaves
of their respective host plants, oblivious to the enthusiastic chatter and
passing around of their mini homes.
We were amused that the Blue Nawab
caterpillar resembled a Pokemon character.
Children and adults alike
went gaga over the caterpillars. Kids were eager to stroke
the safe cats such as the Autumn Leaf and Tawny Coster, as they do not have
urticating hairs that irritate the skin. Several brave ones even allowed these larvae
to crawl all over their arms. Auntie Amy had earlier loaned from her friend the
cats of the seldom-seen Green Baron (Euthalia adonia pinwilli) and Blue Nawab (Polyura schreiber
tisamenus). We were amused to find that the Blue Nawab cat resembled a
Pokemon character with impressive head structures atop a speckled green body.
Uncle KC Tsang then showed us his homemade videos with zoomed-in views of a
caterpillar’s constantly moving mouthparts as it chomped down its leafy feast.
The 3rd and 4th instars of the Green Baron caterpillar.
The larger 4th instar had just shed its old skin.
I
spoke of the various instars that a caterpillar has to grow into before it pupates.
I pointed out examples of two instars of the Lime Butterfly, with one cat
looking bigger and quite different from its earlier instar. Cats grow rather
quickly. For example, the Lime Butterfly which feeds on the leaves of the lime
plant, metamorphosises from egg to caterpillar to pupa to butterfly in just 23
to 27 days. After
half an hour of admiring the caterpillars, we split into two groups to take
turns exploring two parts of Bishan-AMK park with Auntie Amy leading the other
party.
Our game of Butterfly Bingo encouraged kids to look for their own butterflies.
My group went to the park’s compact
Butterfly Garden, lush with well-tended flowering shrubs and
butterfly host plants. Here, we played the game Butterfly Bingo. Kids were given a sheet of
paper with photos of nine common butterflies arranged in a grid. Spotting a
particular butterfly species allows one to cross it out. Three species forming
a row would entitle one to some candy. This was motivating enough for kids to
start calling out what they had found. Some children earned their sweet fix
after just a few minutes. Butterflies seen in the area included the ubiquitous Grass
Yellows (Eurema spp), Lemon Emigrants (Catopsilia
pomona pomona), Plain Tigers, Leopards (Phalanta phalantha phalantha)
and the often-overlooked Grass Blues due to their diminutive stature. Unfortunately,
we did not encounter the Common Rose, Singapore's National
Butterfly by popular vote, even though its host plant the Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia
acuminata) is found in the garden.
Our sharp-eyed kids found an abundance of Autumn Leaf caterpillars which they
handled with aplomb.
We then made our way to a large
patch of Asystasia (Asystasia gangetica),
the host plant for the Autumn Leaf. We found an abundance of Autumn Leaf
caterpillars here. Kids lost no time in gently picking them up for a closer
study. We even held a mini race to see who could find and place the most number
of caterpillars on their arms. I won the game with 16 caterpillars tickling up
a storm, while others were not far behind. Thereafter, we reluctantly said our
goodbyes and returned the caterpillars to their host plant.
I felt encouraged that kids and
their parents were so open to interacting with Singapore’s caterpillars and
butterflies. It was on this high note that we ended our walk.
Our outing was filmed as an example of a NSS
activity, and showcased at the Charity Governance Awards 2016 where NSS was the
winner in the Small Charity Category. Watch the footage here:
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