Heteronympha mirifica (Wonder Brown)

Notes

The first time I found this species in the bush near Springwood, in the Blue Mountains. All the butterflies I’ve seen there have been
females, which were all in shady gullies. Generally I’ve spotted them only because I’ve disturbed them, they usually fly a short distance and then
settle again, relying on their well-camouflaged undersides. When settled they’re easy enough to photograph, as long as you don’t care about getting
photos of the uppersides. They generally keep their wings closed, opening them quickly every now and then, presumably to startle would-be predators.

I found some males at Bola Creek in the Royal National Park. I wasn’t having any luck getting photos of them, as they were not easy to approach, until one
of them came and landed on the bushwalking book I was carrying.

More recently I saw a number of males at Ourimbah, to the north of Sydney, some of them being a tad more cooperative than most Heteronymphas I’ve come across.

Sightings

Springwood – December 2004, February 2005.
Bola Creek, Royal National Park – December 2005
Ourimbah – November 2018, November 2020

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