Delias

Identification - Delias descombesi

When I started this bug trip, I was getting plenty of images of the soldier fly, at the Bandung grove location. At the time I thought it was a species of wasp, but there you go. When I bought the macro lens, one of my first ideas was to photograph the eye of a soldier fly, which has a mackerel pattern to it, but at my current blip location of the stream, I have failed to get close enough for the shot. So, today I decided to go to the grove for a safari, to see if I could get my eye shot.

My regulars will remember that the grove was lost when some guy came along and dug it over and planted a crop. Since then, the crop of chilies has been harvested and a bunch of trees planted. Now the trees are maturing nicely, seems strange to say that when they haven't been in the ground a year yet, but that is how fast things grow around here.

At ground level, the shrubbery is growing back and the bugs are returning. I didn't find my soldier fly, but there were plenty of butterflies around. Now that I am 'in' to the research side of the bugs, the sight of these butterflies takes on a whole new meaning. For example, there is at least one species that only exists in this area, but I haven't photographed it yet.

I have found a web site devoted to delias and its associated facebook page. I have applied to join and hopefully get more information. They seem to be more on the collecting side of the hobby, but that is not going to happen here!

I'll have to get the soldier fly another time.

Dave