Heliconius melpomene, the postman butterfly, common postman or simply postman, is a brightly coloured butterfly found throughout Central and South America. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. 

The postman butterfly is predominately black with either red or yellow stripes across the forewings and has large long wings (35–39 mm).

Did you know?
The postman butterfly has a 'daily round', visiting the same sequence of flowers everyday.

Eurema hecabe, the common grass yellow is a small pierid butterfly species found in Asia, Africa and Australia. They are found flying close to the ground and are found in open grass and scrub habitats. It is simply known as "the grass yellow" in parts of its range; the general term otherwise refers to the entire genus Eurema.

Did you know?
The Common Grass Yellow is often referred to as the most abundant butterfly in Malaysia and Singapore.

Greta oto is a species of brush-footed butterfly and member of the subfamily Danainae tribe Ithomiini and sub-tribe Godyridina. It is known by the common name glasswing butterfly for its unique transparent wings that allow it to camouflage without extensive coloration. In Spanish speaking regions, it may also be referred to as espejitos, meaning "little mirrors" because of its transparent wings.

Did you know?
While its wings appear delicate, this butterfly is able to carry up to 40 times its own weight.

This is one of the biggest and most handsome Whites in existence, with a wing-span of up to four inches. Common though the species is - and represented in every collection of exotic butterflies - it attracts deserved attention owing to its size and the striking orange triangle at the apex of the fore-wings.

Did you know?
They fly mainly in the morning, then they congregate - sometimes in considerable numbers - in damp places during the heat of day. 

Their wingspan measures 120 - 140 mm. The male resembles the male Ascalaphus swallowtail, but lacks the tail at the bottom wing and has large red patches on the ventral side (underside) of the wings. In contrast, the female has distinct red markings on both sides of the wings.

Did you know?
The species was named after Nicholas Rumanzow who was chancellor of the Russian Empire.

Commonly found in South Thailand and Malaysia.
The Blue Clipper is a member of the Nymphalidae family and it prefers the plain areas and forest edge. The colour of the forewing dorsum and hindwing basal are a brilliant lilac blue colour.

Did you know?
The Blue Clipper is fast flying and has a wingspan of 85 - 90mm!

The chocolate albatross has a wingspan of 55 to 70 mm. The male is white above with chocolate-brown or black margins, and, bright lemon yellow below with chocolate-coloured markings. The female is white and densely clouded with dark brown.

Did you know?
The chocolate albatross is a forest butterfly and prefers rainy highlands, up to a level of 3,000 feet (910 m).

The common name of this species describes the female butterfly, where the hindwing is striped with narrow white streaks. The male has bright blue-shot forewings above and a reddish brown hindwing. The undersides are drably coloured with white submarginal spots.
Wingspan: 90 - 110mm.

Did you know?
The Striped Blue Crow is a common butterfly in Singapore, although not abundant. It can be found in most areas, even in urban gardens.

This species is primarily an insect of savannah / woodland mosaics, but has adapted to many other habitats, and is now common in acacia scrub, clearings in rainforest, grassy hillsides, parks, and city gardens.
Wingspan: 40mm.

Did you know?
Males perch on the ground or among tall grasses, to await passing females, which lead them to a convenient spot nearby where copulation takes place!

The Blue Pansy is a species of bright blue butterflies found in parts of Southeast Asian countries, Australia and Africa. It is known in this name especially in India. These are territorial arthropods and are spread in 26 local subspecies throughout its range. The butterflies love sunlight and are often seen sitting on bare ground, basking in the rays of the sun.

Did you know?
The blue pansies often form ‘all-boys groups’, where the males are seen hovering around in the sun in large numbers.

Heliconius Sara or the Sara is a common butterfly in gardens and rainforests from Guatemala to the southern Amazon. Adult Saras prefer forest edges or open areas, where they fly slowly in the middle story.

Females gather in groups to lay eggs on the new shoots of host plants. At night, adults roost in small groups on twigs or tendrils within 10m of the ground. 

Did you know?
They pupate in pale brown chrysalids with black spines and veins.

Parides sesostris has a wingspan reaching 100 – 110mm. The head, the thorax and the abdomen are black. The basic colour of the upper side of the forewings is black, with large green areas on the basal portion of the forewings. The underside of the forewings is dark brown.

Did you know?
The hind wings are scalloped but they have no tails!

First found in Australia in 1914 the Taenaris catops, the silky owl, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in New Guinea and surrounding islands.

Did you know?
The Small Owls' wingspan is 75 – 95 mm which is half the size of their bigger cousins Caligo beltrao. 

Heliconius ismenius, the Ismenius tiger or tiger heliconian, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found in Central America and northern South America. They are abundant as far south as Ecuador and Venezuela and as far north as southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

Did you know?
Although they are inhabit the South American rainforests they are found no higher than 1,500 meters.

Danaus chrysippus, also known as the plain tiger, African queen, or African Monarch, is a medium-sized butterfly widespread in Asia, Australia and Africa.
Because of their emetic properties, the plain tiger is unpalatable to most predators.

Did you know?
The plain tiger is believed to be one of the first butterflies depicted in art. A 3500-year-old ancient Egyptian fresco in Luxor features the oldest known illustration of this species.

Charaxes cithaeron, the blue-spotted emperor or blue-spotted charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in south-east Africa.
The wingspan is 70 – 80 mm in males and 85 – 95 mm in females.
Flight period is year-round.

Did you know?
The Blue-spotted Emperor inhabits forested areas from the coastal belt in Africa to the Kenya Highlands.

The Peacock Pansy found in South Asia. It exists in two distinct adult forms, which differ chiefly in the patterns on the underside of the wings; the dry-season form has few markings, while the wet-season form has additional eyespots and lines.
The adult butterfly has a wingspan of 54 – 62 mm.

Did you know?
The Peacock Pansy changes colour depending on the season!

The caterpillars are white with black spots and have numerous black spikes along their body. Adult butterflies are monomorphic of medium size with long wings. On the dorsal side, the wings are black with narrow white and yellow stripes, with a similar pattern on the ventral side, but paler and with red spots.
The wingspan ranges from 72 to 100 mm.

Did you know?
Adults roost in groups of up to 60 individuals on a nightly basis, returning to the same roost every night.

The Mountain Blue butterfly is one of Tropical North Queensland’s most distinctive and unique butterfly species. Their scientific name is papilio ulysses

This large swallowtail butterfly has a wingspan of up to 130mm but despite that they are considered to be one of the most elusive butterflies. Due to their bright blue colouring, they are easy to spot by predators, so they fly very quickly and erratically to protect themselves.

Did you know?
The caterpillar is green and white which is the same colour as the plants they feed on. This provides excellent camouflage from predators.

The Indian Leaf butterfly also known as the Orange Oakleaf, Indian Oakleaf or Dead Leaf, is native to Tropical Asia from India to Japan.
As a favourite snack for birds, when in danger the Indian Leaf flies erratically, then drops down into the foliage and stays perfectly still with wings closed so that chasing birds are often quite unable to find them. Like this, the butterfly resembles a dried leaf and is perfectly camouflaged.

Did you know?
When its wings are closed, it looks like a dry leaf with dark veins. It is a great example of insect camouflage.

The Emerald Swallowtail or Papilio palinurus has a wingspan reaching about 80 - 100mm. The dorsal sides of the wings are covered by a powder of green scales and their backgrounds vary from dark greenish to black, with broad bright emerald green metallic bands. The undersides are black with orange, white and blue spots along the edges of hind wings, that show extended tails at the end.

Did you know?
The iridescent green sheen of the bands of this butterfly is not produced by pigments, but is structural coloration produced by the microstructure of the wing scales. They refract the light and give rise to blue and yellow visible reflections, producing the perception of green colour when additively mixed.

This species is variable in size. Individuals emerged in the spring reach 40 to 80mm wide, while those emerged in the summer can reach 120mm. The forewings are black with dark veining and green scales. The undersides are brown, turning white distally with dark veining. The hind wings are tailed and have ridged edges containing reddish eyespots. The body is black with green scales.

Did you know?
The male has black hair on the forewings, which the female lacks.

The Lime Swallowtail, Papilio demoleus is a common and widespread swallowtail butterfly. The butterfly is also known as the lime butterfly, lemon butterfly, lime swallowtail, and chequered swallowtail. These common names refer to their host plants, which are usually citrus species such as the cultivated lime.

Did you know?
Unlike most swallowtail butterflies, it does not have a prominent tail.

The Blue-Banded Swallowtail, Papilio nireus, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The wingspan is 75 – 90mm in males and 85 – 95 mm in females. It flies year-round, with peaks from November to February.

Did you know?
Males often settle on damp areas on logging roads in groups of 4 or 5 to drink mineralised moisture.

The Tailed Jay, Graphium agamemnon, is a predominantly green and black tropical butterfly that belongs to the swallowtail family. It is a common, non-threatened species native to India, Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia and Australia.
Adult wingspan: 70mm

Did you know?
This butterfly is also called Green-spotted Triangle, Tailed Green Jay, or the Green Triangle.

The Orchard Swallowtail, Dingy or Dainty Swallowtail Butterfly: caterpillar is smaller (about 3.5 cm long) and dark green to black with yellow and white spots. The butterfly is also smaller (60mm wingspan) with creamy-grey patches over its entire black forewing, and creamy-white, red and blue patches on its hindwing.

Did you know?
Males can be territorial and will chase anything black and white that enters their territory, including Magpies!

The Orange Sulphur Butterfly is a very common North American butterfly with a bright mainly yellow appearance found on open lands. With a wingspan of 55 - 70mm it's relatively small size. Their abundance, however, varies with season since they are mostly found between early spring and late autumn.

Did you know?
Some female of the species are white instead of yellow.

The Blue tiger is a delight to the eye. They have a wingspan of 75 to 105 mm. The head, antennae and thorax is brownish black in colour, with white dots on the head and neck. The Blue Tiger Butterflies have brownish black upper parts, with bluish white semi hyaline spots and streaks. They have two pairs of filaments.

Did you know?
The toxic compound from the Blue Tiger can cause heart attacks when ingested in large doses!

Antheraea pernyi, the Chinese (oak) tussar moth, Chinese tasar moth or temperate tussar moth, is a large moth in the family Sarurniidae with a wingspan of up to 110mm. 

They are originally from southern China. Used for tussar silk production, they have been distributed more widely across subtropical and tropical Asia. 

Did you know?
The Chinese Oak Silkmoth was of commercial importance during the Han Dynasty and early Three Kingdoms era, about 200 BC to 250 AD!

With its large, cherubic features and long trailing tails, the moon moths are one of the prettiest among moths. The Indian Moon Moth belong to the family Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, which are among the largest of the moths. They are of Asian origin and are found in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar.

Did you know?
A single cocoon of this moon moth can give continuous fibre of 300 to 350 meters. 

The Malaysian moon moth (Actias maenas) is a Saturniid in the subfamily Saturniinae from Indomalaya. The male is purplish-brown and yellow, while the larger female is overall light green.

Did you know?
The large and very beautiful adults do not feed. They live for about seven to ten days.