By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported
This spring, a small blue-spotted crow butterfly with the wing code JS204 was discovered on [□] Tou Mountain in Dongshan, Tainan. This butterfly had set off from 100 kilometers away in Chunshe Township, Pingtung County, traversing mountains and valleys before appearing in the Siraya National Scenic Area.
A marked small blue-spotted crow butterfly flew 100 kilometers to reach the Siraya area. (Photo provided by the Siraya National Scenic Area Administration)
The Siraya National Scenic Area, with its suitable habitats and rich forest cover, attracts a wide variety of beautiful butterflies. To understand the butterfly resources within its jurisdiction, since 2010, the scenic area administration has collaborated with the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation Association to conduct butterfly resource surveys and mark-and-release activities for migratory butterflies. On March 4, 2012, volunteers including Chen Junzai, Wu Bohong, and Cai Wenjuan, along with teachers and students, were conducting a butterfly survey and marking activity on [□] Tou Mountain when they discovered a small blue-spotted crow butterfly with the code JS204. It was found that this butterfly had been marked on February 4, 2012, by association volunteers in Chunshe Township, Pingtung County. Now captured on [□] Tou Mountain, it means the small blue-spotted crow butterfly had flown at least about 100 kilometers from Pingtung to the Siraya National Scenic Area.
This butterfly that flew 100 kilometers was discovered by volunteers from the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation Association. (Photo provided by the Siraya National Scenic Area Administration)
This is the second butterfly captured in the Siraya National Scenic Area since April 30, 2006, when a Spangle butterfly marked in Maolin, Kaohsiung, was caught in Guantian Village, Sheshe Li. This confirms that the area is a key migration route for monarch butterflies heading north. Currently, there is a considerable amount of the host plant for the small blue-spotted crow butterfly — "Brown Vine" — near the [□] Tou Mountain trail. Therefore, whether the northbound small blue-spotted crow butterflies are just passing through [□] Tou Mountain or will breed here remains uncertain. The peak period for the spring migration of butterflies is from late March to early April each year. If visitors to the Siraya Scenic Area spot butterflies with marked wings, they can take photos with a camera or mobile phone and email the images to jylin0107@siraya-nsa.gov.tw. The Siraya management office will offer a small gift as a token of appreciation.
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