Chocolate Pansy / Chocolate Soldier / Junonia iphita

Yesterday's (15 February 2017) high of 16.4 C in Calgary broke a century-old record, beating the previous mark of 15.6 C set in 1916. Our crazy weather! Just the other week, we had windchills as cold as -34C. The last few days have been so mild and wonderful, and the snow is rapidly melting. Makes a wet mess on the roads and you can only drive for a few seconds before the car windows are filthy again. Now if only all the snow and ice could disappear before our next snowfall, it would be worthwhile washing the car.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-weather-record-hig...

It's 11:30 am and there are only six new photos showing from my Contacts! Are there really so few people posting on Flickr today (and recently), or is it yet another Flickr glitch?

I have been taking so few photos recently, so am now having to dig into my archives most of the time. The few times I have been out, I have either seen nothing or nothing that I can photograph. I am longing for a day out with tons of things to see and photograph : )

When I visited the Calgary Zoo on 28 September 2014, I called in at the Conservatory - my favourite place in the Zoo, for tropical plants and butterflies. I haven't been to the Zoo for about a year and a half now and really miss it a lot.

This butterfly is a Chocolate Pansy / Chocolate Soldier / Junonia iphita. Though not a colourful species, it does have quite attractive markings.

"The Chocolate Pansy or Chocolate Soldier (Junonia iphita) is a butterfly found in Asia.... Individuals maintain a territory and are usually found close to the ground level and often bask in the sun."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junonia_iphita

"Both sexes are very similar in appearance, but the female has slightly broader and more rounded wings. On the underside the wings are pale brown with a dark stripe, and look like a dead leaf.

Junonia iphita is found mainly in degraded and disturbed forest habitats including palm plantations, small clearings, and along roadsides and riverbanks at elevations between sea level and at least 1200m. It also occurs in primary rainforest and temperate evergreen and deciduous forests.

Both sexes are low flying, and spend long periods basking on herbage or on the ground. They are relatively easy to approach, and rarely fly far if disturbed. When not basking they tend to sit on the leaves of bushes or saplings, where they often remain motionless for several minutes even in hot sunny weather." From Learn about Butterflies.

www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Malaysia%20-%20Junonia%20ip...