In the pre-dawn hours at the Gardens, the final stage of the metamorphosis of the Common Birdwing (Troides helena) is taking place. High up in the canopy of an Angsana tree, an almost indiscernible wriggle starts off a series of movements in the pupa which culminate in the emergence of a female Common Birdwing. It is now 7:00 am, and as the first jogger runs past below, the adult butterfly crawls out of its now-empty pupa and hangs her wings out to dry. In a few minutes, the limp wing veins are pumped with fluids and the large black velvety wings of the butterfly take shape. As the first rays of the morning sun warm up the butterfly’s wings, she begins to open and close her wings in preparation for her maiden flight.

The beautiful black-and-yellow Common Birdwing, often seen at the Bukit Timah Core of the Gardens, is one of the many butterflies which share the Gardens with us.

Butterflies are very much dependent on plants and flowers for survival. Many species’ caterpillar stage feeds only on a particular host plant and nothing else. Butterfly biodiversity is therefore inextricably linked to the diversity of plant species in a particular locality. These colourful insects are also known to be essential pollinators of flowering plants.

An average of 15-20 species of butterflies can be found in the Gardens on a typical sunny day. A number are resident species, in particular, the Common Birdwing and the Common Rose (Atrophaneura aristolochiae), both of which feed on the Dutchman’s Pipe Vine (Aristolochia taga1a) growing in some parts of the Gardens. Amongst the species of the Papilionidae family, the Common Mormon (Papilio polytes), the Tailed Jay (Graphium Agamemnon) and the Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) are frequent visitors to flowering plants in the Gardens.