FLUTTER BY, BUTTERFLY: ATALA ENCHANTING

It’s hard to miss the fly-past of an Atala Hairstreak Butterfly Eumaeus Atala . Once seen, never forgotten. They are small wonders, with their plump orange abdomens and their striking blue-dotted motif; obvious candidates for a signature Rolling Harbour logo for insect posts.

It is rare to see the inside of an Atala’s wings. In flight they tend just to look black; then they land with precision and immediately close their wings.

This close-up shows clearly that the vivid blue markings are not confined to the Atala’s wings. They are also on the body, the head, and surprisingly on the legs as well.

In sunshine the spots of the feeding Atala shine out like small LEDs. When they do open their wings, they reveal the velvety blue upper sides.

Once, I was watching a single Atala when a second one arrived and almost immediately ‘jumped’ the first. By which I mean that, for a few seconds, the new arrival ‘covered’ the feeding Atala in every sense of the word. Mere moments later, it was all over. I made my excuses and left.

Finally, you may want to get a sense of size for this butterfly – crops and zooms can sometimes give a distorted impression. So here is a normal snap of the butterfly feeding.