Butterfly populations are a very good indicator of the health of an area's ecosystem !!
Out of gallery
Males perch on shrubs in forest or orchard openings and sometimes patrol for females with a slow, floating flight.
Adults roost together under the leaves of low shrubs. Eggs are laid singly on host plant leaves, which caterpillars eat and rest beneath.
* The Malachite is similar in appearance to the Philaethria dido, the relatively scarce butterfly called the Bamboo Page or Dido Longwing, although the Philaethria has a longer, narrow longwing shaped wing.
* Both have similar home ranges.
Avg. Body Length: 7.1 - 8.4 cm / 2.8 - 3.3”
Avg. Wingspan: 8.5 - 10 cm / 3.3 - 3.9 "
Diet: Adults feed on flower nectar, rotting fruit, dead animals, and bat dung.
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta, Order: Lepidoptera
* Being Brush-footed butterflies, Malachites have a short pair of fore legs that are used to taste food, and two pairs of longer rear legs that are used for propulsion.
The single biggest threat to butterfly survival is habitat destruction!!
