As anyone who poked their nose out the door during the 20110/11 summer would have noticed it was a cracker season for butterflies, and the summer just ended wasn’t too bad either; particularly the number of Orchard Swallowtails we saw in our garden from November – and they’re still around – was pleasantly phenomenal, most sightings were males but quite a few femmes too. And early last December I saw a Dainty Swallowtail – first time I’ve noticed one in the ACT.
Last week we saw a yellow butterfly – c.25mm wingspan – flying rapidly one metre above the ground. Referring to Braby we concluded it might have been a Small Grass-yellow Eurema smilax which, according to the distribution map, could pass through the ACT any time of year. Has anyone identified this species locally?
John K. Layton
Holt.
