Butterflies

Posted On 4 April 2025

Last Updated on 23 January 2026

Butterflies have been fluttering across Singapore’s landscapes long before skyscrapers took over the skyline. These winged wonders come in all shapes, sizes, and dazzling colours, bringing a quiet beauty to gardens, parks and forest edges.

Though they may seem shy—often darting away just as you get close—they reveal their charm if you pause and watch. A little patience often reveals them resting on flowers, sipping nectar, or basking in the warmth of the sun.

With over 300 species flitting around our little green island, our butterfly-spotting adventures have barely just begun. Here are a few of these lovely winged wonders we’ve had the joy of encountering during our hiking escapades.

Family Nymphalidae

Subfamily Danainae

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)

Sighted: Bidadari Park, Bishan Park

Blue Glassy Tiger (Ideopsis vulgaris)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Striped Blue Crow (Euploea mulciber)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Spotted Black Crow (Euploea crameri)

Sighted: Jelutong Tower

King Crow (Euploea phaenareta)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Subfamily Heliconiinae

Rustic (Cupha erymanthis)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens, Pulau Ubin

Common Leopard (Phalanta phalantha)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Botanic Gardens, Pulau Ubin

Royal Assyrian (Terinos terpander)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore)

Sighted: Lorong Halus, Upper Peirce Reservoir Park

Common Yeoman (Cirrochroa tyche)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens

Malay Cruiser (Vindula dejone)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Julia Heliconian (Dryas iulia)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens, Lorong Halus

Subfamily Nymphalinae

Chocolate Pansy (Junonia hedonia)

Sighted: Bidadari Park, Botanic Gardens, Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana)

Sighted: Bishan Park

Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya)

Sighted: Bay East Garden, Upper Peirce Reservoir Park

Autumn Leaf (Doleschallia bisaltide)

Sighted: Bishan Park

Malayan Eggfly (Hypolimnas anomala)

Sighted: Pulau Ubin, Thomson Nature Park

Subfamily Satyrinae

Palm King (Amathusia phidippus)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens

Common Palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens, Labrador Nature Reserve, Sentosa

Tawny Palmfly (Elymnias panthera)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Smooth-eyed Bushbrown (Orsotriaena medus)

Sighted: Bidadari Park, Chestnut Nature Park

Dark-branded Bushbrown (Mycalesis mineus)

Sighted: Tampines Eco Green

Burmese Bushbrown (Mycalesis perseoides)

Sighted: Hindhede Nature Park

Long Brand Bushbrown (Mycalesis visala)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor, Thomson Nature Park, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Dingy Bushbrown (Mycalesis perseus)

Sighted: Upper Peirce Reservoir Park

Malayan Five-Ring (Ypthima horsfieldii)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Lornie Nature Corridor, Thomson Nature Park, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Common Five-Ring (Ypthima baldus)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Common Four-Ring (Ypthima huebneri)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Subfamily Morphinae

Common Faun (Faunis canens)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Saturn (Zeuxidia amethystus)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Subfamily Charaxinae

Plain Nawab (Polyura hebe)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Subfamily Limenitidinae

Malayan Jester (Symbrenthia hippoclus)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Grey Sailer (Neptis leucoporos)

Sighted: Bukit Timah Hill, Jelutong Tower

Short Banded Sailer (Phaedyma columella)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens, Dairy Farm Nature Park

Common Sailer (Neptis hylas)

Sighted: Changi East Drive

Chocolate Sailer (Neptis harita)

Sighted: Jelutong Tower

Knight (Lebadea martha)

Sighted: Jelutong Tower, Lornie Nature Corridor

Malay Viscount (Tanaecia pelea)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Thomson Nature Park

Malay Baron (Euthalia monina)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Green Baron (Euthalia adonia)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Botanic Gardens

Common Baron (Euthalia aconthea)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Lornie Nature Corridor, Pulau Ubin

Horsfield’s Baron (Euthalia aconthea)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Common Archduke (Lexias pardalis)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Chestnut Nature Park

Black-tipped Archduke (Lexias dirtea)

Sighted: MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Yellow Archduke (Lexias canescens)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Commander (Moduza procris)

Sighted: Pulau Ubin, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Common Lascar (Pantoporia hordonia)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Malayan Lascar (Lasippa tiga)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Jelutong Tower, Lornie Nature Corridor

Burmese Lascar (Lasippa heliodore)

Sighted: MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Perak Lascar (Pantoporia paraka)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor, Windsor Nature Park

Malay Staff Sergeant (Athyma reta)

Sighted: Jelutong Tower

Colour Sergeant (Athyma nefte)

Sighted: Jelutong Tower

Lance Sergeant (Athyma pravara ssp. helma)

Sighted: Windsor Nature Park

Subfamily Apaturinae

Purple Duke (Eulaceura osteria)

Sighted: Jelutong Tower

Family Lycaenidae

Subfamily Polyommatinae

Cycad Blue (Luthrodes pandava)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens, Lornie Nature Corridor, Pulau Ubin

Ancyra Blue (Catopyrops ancyra)

Sighted: Bidadari Park

Gram Blue (Euchrysops cnejus)

Sighted: Changi East Drive

Pea Blue (Lampides boeticus)

Sighted: Changi East Drive

Common Hedge Blue (Acytolepis puspa)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Common Cerulean (Jamides celeno)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Dark Cerulean (Jamides bochus)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Common Line Blue (Prosotas nora)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Lornie Nature Corridor

Tailless Line Blue (Prosotas dubiosa)

Sighted: Bishan Park

Pointed Line Blue (Ionolyce helicon)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Rounded Six Line Blue (Nacaduba berenice)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Dark Malayan Sixline Blue (Nacaduba calauria)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Opaque Sixline Blue (Nacaduba beroe)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor, MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Large Fourline Blue (Nacaduba pactolus)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Jewel Fourline Blue (Nacaduba sanaya)

Sighted: Bukit Timah Hill

Common Ciliate Blue (Anthene emolus)

Sighted: Kent Ridge Park, Lakeside Garden

Silver Forget-Me-Not (Catochrysops panormus)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Malayan (Megisba malaya)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Tiny Grass Blue (Zizula hylax)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Botanic Gardens, Dairy Farm Nature Park, Kent Ridge Park, Lakeside Garden, Lornie Nature Corridor

Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina otis)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Kent Ridge Park

Pale Grass Blue (Pseudozizeeria maha)

Sighted: Kent Ridge Park

Jewelled Grass-Blue (Freyeria putli)

Sighted: Upper Peirce Reservoir Park

Elbowed Pierrot (Caleta elna)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Subfamily Theclinae

Fluffy Tit (Zeltus amasa)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus)

Sighted: Kent Ridge Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Dark Tit (Hypolycaena thecloides)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Common Posy (Drupadia ravindra)

Sighted: MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Dark Posy (Drupadia theda)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Branded Imperial (Eooxylides tharis)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Lornie Nature Corridor

Great Imperial (Jacoona anasuja)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Common Yamfly (Loxura atymnus)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Copper Flash (Rapala pheretima)

Sighted: Bishan Park

Malayan Red Flash (Rapala damona)

Sighted: Bishan Park

Suffused Flash (Rapala suffusa)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Indigo Flash (Rapala varuna)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Chocolate Royal (Remelana jangala)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Scarce Silverstreak Blue (Iraota rochana)

Sighted: Jelutong Tower, Kent Ridge Park

Shining Plushblue (Flos fulgida)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Plain Plushblue (Flos apidanus)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Rosy Oakblue (Arhopala allata)

Sighted: MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Tailed Disc Oakblue (Arhopala atosia)

Sighted: MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Bright Oakblue (Arhopala sublustris)

Sighted: MacRitchie Reservoir Park

Aberrant Oakblue (Arhopala abseus)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Centaur Oakblue (Arhopala centaurus)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Acacia Blue (Surendra vivarna)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Cornelian (Deudorix epijarbas)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Subfamily Curetinae

Malayan Sunbeam (Curetis santanae)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Subfamily Miletinae

Pale Mottle (Logania marmorata)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Apefly (Spalgis epius)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Bigg’s Brownie (Miletus biggsii)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Family Pieridae

Subfamily Coliadinae

Common Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe)

Sighted: Bidadari Park, Bukit Timah Hill, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Chocolate Grass Yellow (Eurema sari)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Hill Grass Yellow (Eurema simulatrix)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Dairy Farm Nature Park

One-spot Grass Yellow (Eurema andersoni)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Tree Yellow (Gandaca harina)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Orange Emigrant (Catopsilia scylla)

Sighted: Pulau Ubin

Lemon Emigrant (Catopsilia pomona)

Sighted: Lakeside Garden, Pulau Ubin

Mottled Emigrant (Catopsilia pyranthe)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Botanic Gardens

Subfamily Pierinae

Psyche (Leptosia nina)

Sighted: Pulau Ubin

Painted Jezebel (Delias hyparete)

Sighted: Tampines Eco Green

Chocolate Albatross (Appias lyncida)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Striped Albatross (Appias libythea)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Cabbage White (Pieris canidia)

Sighted: Bishan Park

Family Papilionidae

Subfamily Papilioninae

Common Mormon Swallowtail (Papilio polytes)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Botanic Gardens, Dairy Farm Nature Park, Hindhede Nature Park, Thomson Nature Park

Common Rose Swallowtail (Pachliopta aristolochiae)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens, Kent Ridge Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Great Helen Swallowtail (Papilio iswara)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Common Mime Swallowtail (Papilio clytia)

Sighted: Chinese Garden

Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Botanic Gardens

Tailed Jay (Graphium agamemnon)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Lesser Jay (Graphium evemon)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon)

Sighted: Bidadari Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Common Birdwing (Troides helena)

Sighted: Kent Ridge Park

Family Riodinidae

Subfamily Riodininae

Malayan Plum Judy (Abisara saturata)

Sighted: Sentosa

Lesser Harlequin (Laxita thuisto)

Sighted: Bukit Timah Hill, Windsor Nature Park

Family Hesperiidae

Subfamily Hesperiinae

Banded Demon (Notocrypta paralysos)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Chocolate Demon (Ancistroides nigrita)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Grass Demon (Udaspes folus)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Yellow Vein Lancer (Pyroneura latoia)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Chequered Lancer (Plastingia naga)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Lesser Dart (Potanthus omaha)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lakeside Garden

Ganda Dart (Potanthus ganda)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Common Dartlet (Oriens gola)

Sighted: Bidadari Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Windsor Nature Park

Yellow Grass Dart (Taractrocera archias)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Yellow Palm Dart (Cephrenes trichopepla)

Sighted: Bishan Park

Dubious Flitter (Quedara monteithi)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Palm Bob (Suastus gremius)

Sighted: Botanic Gardens, Lornie Nature Corridor, Windsor Nature Park

White Palm Bob (Suastus everyx)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Chestnut Bob (Iambrix salsala)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Small Branded Swift (Pelopidas mathias)

Sighted: Bishan Park, Kent Ridge Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Tampines Eco Green, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Formosan Swift (Borbo cinnara)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Contiguous Swift (Polytremis lubricans)

Sighted: Kent Ridge Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Peirce Reservoir Park

Full Stop Swift (Caltoris cormasa)

Sighted: Kent Ridge Park, Lornie Nature Corridor

Oriental Straight Swift (Parnara bada)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Subfamily Coeliadinae

Common Awl (Hasora badra)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Brown Awl (Badamia exclamationis)

Sighted: Jelutong Tower

Great Orange Awlet (Burara etelka)

Sighted: Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Subfamily Pyrginae

Common Snow Flat (Tagiades japetus)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Nature Corridor, Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Large Snow Flat (Tagiades gana)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Ultra Snow Flat (Tagiades ultra)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Family Uraniidae

Subfamily Uraniinae

Tropical Swallowtail Moth (Lyssa zampa)

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Urapteroides astheniata

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park

Family Drepanidae

Teldenia unistrigata

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Family Geometridae

Subfamily Geometrinae

Dysphania glaucescens

Sighted: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Subfamily Ennominae

Heteralex rectilineata

Sighted: Jelutong Tower

Fascellina chromataria

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Subfamily Sterrhinae

Scopula actuaria

Sighted: Upper Peirce Reservoir Park

Traminda mundissima

Sighted: Bidadari Park

Family Erebidae

Subfamily Erebinae

Triangular-striped Moth (Chalciope mygdon)

Sighted: Upper Peirce Reservoir Park

Subfamily Arctiinae

Clouded Tiger Moth (Creatonotos transiens)

Sighted: Lornie Nature Corridor

Hübner’s Wasp Moth (Amata huebneri)

Sighted: Bishan Park

Nyctemera lacticinia

Sighted: Lakeside Garden

Subfamily Boletobiinae

Gesonia obeditalis

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Family Lecithoceridae

Long Horned Moth

Sighted: Upper Peirce Reservoir Park

Family Choreutidae

Subfamily Choreutinae

Metalmark Moth (Saptha beryllitis)

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Family Sesiidae

Subfamily Sesiinae

Pseudosesia sp.

Sighted: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Family Noctuidae

Subfamily Agaristinae

Episteme vetula

Sighted: Dairy Farm Nature Park