Junonia hedonia (Chocolate Argus)

Other Common names

Chocolate Soldier, Brown Soldier, Brown Argus

Notes

I didn’t get off to a good start with this species. The first time I saw one was just after I first entered the Botanic Gardens in Cairns, and it chased away the first Papilio ulysses I ever saw. Though I was a bit annoyed, I was still pleased to get a photo of this butterfly, as it was a new species to me. I was a bit surprised by its size – I’d been expecting it to be a similar size to J. villida, but in fact it’s quite a lot larger.

This is not the easiest species to photograph. Although they settle often, it’s usually not for very long or not in a good position for the camera. As a result I don’t have many photos of them, though I’ve plenty of them around. In fact, in late April 2011 they were all over the place around Cairns.

Sightings

Cairns – All visits
Townsville – December 2017
Darwin – April 2018, April 2024

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