Black (Common) Jezebel Delias nigrina
Wingspan: 56 mm
Sighted: All year
Foodplants:
At Claire Cottage
Wingspan: 56 mm
Sighted: All year
Foodplants:
At Claire Cottage
- LORANTHACEAE: Amylotheca dictyophleba (Brush Mistletoe)
- LORANTHACEAE: Amyema bifurcata (Bloodwood or Forked Mistletoe) , Amyema cambagei (Needle-leaf or She-oak Mistletoe), Amyema congener (Variable Mistletoe), Amyema miquelii (Bronze or Box Mistletoe), Amyema miraculosa (Fleshy Mistletoe), Amyema quandang quandang (Grey Mistletoe), Benthamina alyxifolia (Shiny-leaved Mistletoe) Dendrophthoe glabrescens (Orange-flowered or Smooth Mistletoe) Dendrophthoe vitellina (Yellow-flowered or Long-flowered Mistletoe) Muellerina celastroides (Banksia Mistletoe) Muellerina eucalyptoides (Gum-leaved or Creeping Mistletoe)
Possibly our most common butterfly as we sight it every month of the year. Whilst it has a very colourful underside, males in flight appear to flash black and pure white. Females are a cloudy white with more black on the upperside.
We seldom catch one with wings open for a photo, usually they close their wings as soon as they land.
They have a gentle flight often fluttering high around the trees on the edge of the rainforest where their larval food plant grows but the butterflies also spend time in the garden feeding on nectar plants.
Summer 2015/16 was a bumper time for this butterfly with large numbers constantly in our garden. The males darted about chasing others off their favourite Buddleia flowers or two or three males chose to pursue a female hoping to be the one to mate with her. Early Spring 2017/18 has again seen large numbers of this lovely butterfly spending long periods in our garden and along our rainforest edges.
We seldom catch one with wings open for a photo, usually they close their wings as soon as they land.
They have a gentle flight often fluttering high around the trees on the edge of the rainforest where their larval food plant grows but the butterflies also spend time in the garden feeding on nectar plants.
Summer 2015/16 was a bumper time for this butterfly with large numbers constantly in our garden. The males darted about chasing others off their favourite Buddleia flowers or two or three males chose to pursue a female hoping to be the one to mate with her. Early Spring 2017/18 has again seen large numbers of this lovely butterfly spending long periods in our garden and along our rainforest edges.
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Last annual autumn sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau: 30/05/18
Winter sightings - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau: June; 2, 3, 10, 11
Winter sightings - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau: June; 2, 3, 10, 11