A Blue Tiger and a Crow

It was a great day for butterflies!  Taking a walk on Mount Gravatt a month ago we saw plenty of lovely butterfiles, including these two: the first is known as a Blue Tiger Tirumala hamata and is really very attractive indeed.  Its not always a common sight in Brisbane according to local insect experts the Chew family, who run the nice local insect website linked above.  It is thought the Blue Tigers are visitors from North Queensland, they are known to have a propensity to migrate long distances - perhaps what gives them their other common name, Blue Wanderer.

The other butterfly I took a picture of is a Brisbane local, known as the Common Australian Crow - Euploea core. It is in the same family as the Blue Tiger, Nymphalidae.  Whilst the Blue Tiger feeds on vines, the Crow feeds on plants, such as Oleander, that are poisonous to birds and mammals as a form of self-defence!  

The local Mount Gravatt Environment Group has a campaign to promote pollinators in gardens via a 'Pollinator link', lots of info about how to attract butterfiles and other pollinators to your garden can be found on their website and in their information leaflet available for download.  Its a lovely idea - 'wildlife corridors for urban spaces', connecting habitat islands like Mount Gravatt with other nature reserves in the city and encouraging insect pollinators into people's gardens.