I saw this medium-sized butterfly fluttering on our terrace this afternoon (13:50 hrs). It appeared restless and also seemed somewhat disoriented having bumped into the whitewashed wall three times as it flew across the terrace. It would land on the metal railing only to take offwithin seconds. I went inside to fetch my camera but by then the butterfly took off and wandered away. Disappointed, I reluctantly turned back to go when from a corner of my eye I spied a movement - the butterfly was back!
Black Rajah - Charaxes solon
It now landed on the roof tiles with its wings closed. It had an intricate pattern on a grey background with black lines and ochraceous and pale creamish spots/blotches. Slowly it opened its wings to warm itself under the pale sunlight from an overcast sky and revealed its dark brown upperparts with a bold greenish yellow discal band running down both the wings. I could also see the four short but sharp tail tips projecting from the hind wings.
Excitedly, I lifted the camera and started shooting pictures from wherever I stood without moving. Slowly the butterfly seemed to relax and accept my presence. I slowly inched closer and closer till I could photograph it at close range (just a few inches away) even with my mobile camera!
After shooting some pictures, I moved back and by now the butterfly started ignoring me and hardly moved. I rushed to my library to look at the Butterfly Fieldguides and identified it as the Black Rajah Charaxes solon, an uncommon butterfly. I had seen this strikingly beautiful butterfly here only once earlier on 23 August 2009. But that was a brief sighting of a somewhat battered specimen with its folded wings. P.S: Dheeraj, a PhD scholar from IISc, Bangalore, working on Agamas, also had seen and photographed this butterfly on our campus a few days ago.
- Santharam