Hong Kong Lepidopterists' Society - News 

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Record Euploeas hibernating at 

Siu Ling Shui, Tuen Mun

by J. J. Young

 2nd January 2001

        HKLS has been monitoring the roosting site for Danaids in Siu Ling Shui for the past 3 years.  A field trip for the Society was scheduled on 3rd December but was cancelled. There was doubt that the Euploeas might not be found over at the site as the temperature was too warm over 23C for them to aggregate then. 

        A phone call from Yiu Vor, the HKLS secretary on Friday 29th December had aroused the interest of 4 enthusiastic members to go to Siu Ling Shui the following Sunday.  We met at 8:00am and arrived at the site before 9:00am.

        We all shouted " What a magnificent sight!" on our arrival at the site, an area of not more than 10,000 square feet.   Hundreds of Euploeas were hanging on tree branches. 

        We reckoned that there were over 30,000 Euploeas at the site. They were Euploea midamus and Euploea core.  The sun started to shine and the mercury began to rise. Many butterflies began to alight but settling again when the clouds returned. 

        Some went for the Lantana camara for nectars while others dived onto the stream below for a drink. We took out our camera and began taking photographs. In no time we wasted all our films.

        We departed around noon but promised to come back with all members in the coming Saturday after the HKLS monthly meeting.

         The " Butterfly Estate "  is just around the corner of Siu Ling Shui and the Estate so named might have derived from the large congregation of butterflies found in the area in the past.