Butterflying - Junonia iphita ( Chocolate Pansy )

Junonia iphita  (Chocolate Pansy)

Junonia iphita, the chocolate pansy or chocolate soldier is a butterfly found in Asia. It is a brown in color.  Both sexes are very similar in appearance, but the female has slightly broader and more rounded wings. On the underside the wings are pale brown with a dark stripe, and look like a dead leaf.

Junonia iphita is found mainly in degraded and disturbed forest habitats including palm plantations, small clearings, and along roadsides and riverbanks. It also occurs in primary rainforest and temperate evergreen and deciduous forests.

Adults can be found nectaring from a variety of flowers with Lantana being one of their favorites.

The Chocolate Pansy exhibits seasonal variation, where they have wet and dry season forms which look slightly different from each other.

These butterflies are low flying, and spend long periods basking on herbage or on the ground. They are relatively easy to approach, and rarely fly far if disturbed. When not basking they tend to sit on the leaves of bushes or saplings, where they often remain motionless for several minutes even in hot sunny weather. Individuals maintain a territory and are usually found close to the ground level and often bask in the sun.

The eggs are often laid on the ground or on dry twigs near the host plants rather than on them. On hatching the larvae find their way to the host plants.

References : 

https://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com

http://reimanbutterfly.com

Wikipedia

pictures:

Kerala (2018, 2019)