Jalmenus daemeli (Emerald Hairstreak)

Other Common Name

Damel’s Blue

Notes

I had looked for this butterfly in several places over the years. I think I saw one near Jondaryan in SE Queensland back in April 2011, but I couldn’t be sure because it was flying at speed and showed no sign of wanting to stop. I searched around a site near Bolivia Hill, where Geoff Walker had photographed the specimens on his now defunct Australian Butterflies Photographed website, but saw nothing. Having read that this species bred on the JCU campus at Townsville I spent 2 days searching the area for it, to no avail.

I finally got photos in February 2020 thanks to Ross McLaren, who took me to a location just past the Forty Mile Scrub National Park, south-west of Cairns. They were breeding on Acacia bidwillii, but were only using a few of the many plants in that area so it took a while to find them. As often happens with Jalmenus, all four lifecycle stages could be found, which was very convenient for me. Unfortunately the adults never sat with their wings open even, so I was only able to get underside shots.

Sightings

Near to Forty Mile Scrub, QLD – February 2020

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