There are some mysteries in nature that have no rational explanation. One such mystery plays itself out in our garden at home. With winter descending in Dehradun, many of our meals are now had outdoors in our sunny garden. Very close to where we have our sumptuous meals is my wife’s garbage pit for wet waste disposal and above this covered pit is the Rangoon creeper. One particular leaf on this Rangoon creeper is the favourite basking spot for many butterfly species. Over a period of time, I have spotted butterflies sitting on this particular cluster of leaves. What is so great about this leafy perch that butterflies prefer it? The angle of the sun for the butterflies to enjoy, the ‘fragrance’ of the garbage pit, or possibly just the view!
Just the other day when we were having lunch in the garden, a butterfly called the Orange Oakleaf (Kallima inachus) sat on the very same leafy spot. The Orange Oakleaf is a big but fragile butterfly and is shaped like a leaf. When the butterfly sits with its wings closed, it is impossible to spot it. On many occasions, I have had the butterfly fly past and settle in the foliage close to me, and I have been unable to locate it! Its camouflage is just terrific. However, the butterfly loves to play ‘peek-a-boo’. When it sits on the leaf, it slowly opens its wings to reveal a marvellous collage of orange and blue, and then, after giving you just a brief glimpse, closes its wings again — the butterfly does not seem to want to provide anything but a brief glimpse to anybody.
The Orange Oakleaf butterfly has another neat strategy. It has different seasonal forms. During the dry season, the patterns on the underside and the wing of the butterfly resemble those of a dry leaf, while in the wetter season these patterns are not so prominent.
The Orange Oakleaf can be found in the hilly forests of the Himalayas down south up to the northern Western Ghats. Further south, another oakleaf butterfly, the Blue Oakleaf (Kalima horsfieldii) is common. Oakleafs are normally butterflies of the forests.
However, the oakleaf butterflies just love rotting fruit, sap, toddy and even beer! They often visit gardens, fruit orchards, garbage pits and other such areas where they can sample this kind of food. If you want to see the oakleaf butterfly yourself, put out some rotten fruit and the oakleaf might just come and play peek-a-boo with you too!
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