Bhutan Glory

Common name for a species of swallowtail butterfly, with the scientific name Bhutanitis lidderdalii, and which is found in Bhutan, parts of northeastern India and parts of Southeast Asia, including in Thailand, where it is actually very rare. It has only been observed on Doi Chiang Dao, a mountain in Chiang Mai Province, where it lives along swampy areas and can be found perching on flowers. However, it has not been spotted since 1982, after a huge forest fire destroyed a large area with its larval food plants at its habitat in Chiang Dao Hill, and is now assumed extinct from Thailand. Above, it is mostly blackish-brown with slim, wavy, off-white lines that run vertically across the wings. The hindwing has a prominent reddish-orange patch with bluish-black and white ocelli, as well as a narrow yellowish-orangey band near the lower edge. Below, the design is similar but rather greyish. In Thai, this butterfly is known as phi seua chiang dao (ผีเสื้อเชียงดาว) and alternatively as phi seua phutan (ผีเสื้อภูฐาน). See also POSTAGE STAMP. 回