Tisiphone helena (Northern Sword-grass Brown)

Other Common Names

Helena Brown, Mountain Brown

Notes

I’d love to get more shots of this species, as it’s a very lovely butterfly.

I didn’t get to see  it until August 2007, when I saw one  basking at the side of a track close to Kuranda, near Cairns. I was not expecting it as this was in August and according to the books it’s basically a summer species.
When disturbed, the butterfly flew around slowly and returned to nearly the same spot, which made it much more amenable to taking photos than its relative T. abeona, which usually dances around for ages.

Since then it has proved elusive. I’ve seen them occasionally at Kuranda though with few photo opportunities. I did get a shot of one at the top of Glacier Rock, between Cairns and Kuranda, but my best photos of it were taken on a crest alongside the Lake Morris Road, on the way out to Copperload Dam.

Sightings

Cairns / Kuranda – August 2007, September 2008, January 2009, September 2012

Links