Pak Tam Chung Family Walk

Many Retuse-leaved Crotalaria (Crotalaria retusa) are planted at the recreational park outside the visitor centre. Their sap helps male Danaid butterflies to produce hormones for attracting the females. Hence you can find Danaids such as Ceylon Blue Glassy Tiger (Ideopsis similis), Blue Tiger (Tirumala limniace) and Common Tiger (Danaus genutia) which come to feast on the sap.

The barbeque site is always full of visitors during holidays. The bamboo garden surrounding the site is also often bustling — with butterflies! Frequent visitors include Common Five-ring (Ypthima baldus) and Common White-banded Brown (Lethe confusa).

The beginning section of the family walk passes through a plantation, with native tress like Chinese Hackberry thriving. The leaves of Chinese Hackberry are the main food source for the larvae of Red Ring Skirt (Hestina assimilis) and Short-banded Sailer (Phaedyma columella), so it is natural that many adults of these species come to lay eggs. The fruits are also the favourite of many birds, such as Warbling White-Eye (Zosterops japonicus). Waiting beside Chinese Hackberry can be good for both bird watching and butterfly watching.

When you arrive at a fork in the path, choose the right turn to Tsak Yue Wu. Past a small hill, you can see lots of butterflies such as the males of Indian Red Admiral (Vanessa indica) and Staff Sergeant (Athyma selenophora) at the peak. These males like to climb the peak and wait for the females.

Here is an open woodland. There is a wide variety of plant species growing here. Rose Myrtle and Ivy Tree attract butterflies to feed on nectar. Paris Peacock (Papilio paris), Great Orange Tip (Hebomoia glaucippe) and Lemon Emigrant (Catopsilia pomona) are also frequent visitors.

Walk into the woods. Here is a hotspot for Browns. The commonly observed one is South China Bush Brown (Mycalesis zonata), and if you are lucky, you may see the rare Small Three-ring (Ypthima norma).

After leaving the shade of woods, one can find Indian Cabbage White (Pieris canidia) in the vegetable fields of Tsak Yue Wu villagers as crop foliage is its larvae’s favourite food.

In the abandoned fields, there is a tree called Sweet Viburnum. It blooms with small white flowers in March and April each year, attracting many butterflies to feast on the nectar. Frequent visitors include Purple Sapphire (Heliophorus epicles) and Silver Streak Blue (Iraota timoleon).