“It was a simmering day in the mangroves, and a female Painted Jezebel (Delias hyparete, family Pieridae) was quenching her thirst at the flowers of Teruntum Merah (Lumnitzera littorea). Her wings were wide open and abdomen arched, as she sipped the sweet nectar, in full view of a visibly excited male (above, below).
“As the male fluttered all over the female, his heart must have been fluttering too. Occasionally, his wings would even brush against hers.
“A video clip of this brief, but rarely observed courtship may be previewed here:
“As soon as the female flew off, the male followed in hot pursuit. They soared and spiraled towards the treetops, in search of more privacy for their secret union, far away from my prying eyes.”
Dr. Leong Tzi Ming
Singapore
12th January 2018
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