Banded Orange, Dryadula phaetusa

Trust me, this image took a lot of patience and time, lol!! I had managed to get a very quick shot of a different butterfly on this beautiful Sacred Lotus seedpod, but didn't particularly like the result. I was so lucky that this beauty landed very nicely and gave me the shot I had waited and hoped for : ) I think I am right in saying this is a Banded Orange ( Dryadula phaetusa). Taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 30 September 2011.

"The pods/seed heads contain the Lotus seeds within little circular chambers on the flat surface of the top of the pod. These circles appeared to cradle the seeds, which are round, within the pod until fully ripe. Both the chamber of each seed and the seed itself get larger and larger until the pod bends over to finally release the seeds into the water."

www.flowersociety.org/lotus-plant-study.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryadula_phaetusa