Photo 28983895, (c) tangatawhenua, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by tangatawhenua

Attribution © tangatawhenua
some rights reserved
Uploaded by tangatawhenua tangatawhenua
Source iNaturalist NZ
Associated observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Blue Moon Butterfly (Hypolimnas bolina ssp. nerina)

Observer

tangatawhenua

Date

December 2018

Description

Sitting on the stressful deck wondering what to do and this butterfly lands. Naturally as soon as I move to get the camera it takes off but then lands in the kunzea linaris and starts feeding (second photo). So I get the camera and stalk it to get nice photos but it doesn't open its wings. Not to worry, I shake the tree and it takes off and lands in a good place to get the first photo.

From reading up about it, it is an Australian butterfly that regularly blows across the Tasman.

First one of these I have ever seen :)

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