Central North Thailand (4-11 March 2023)

  

 

 

My Butterflies of Thailand Blog

Day 1 (4 March 2023)

On 4 March 2023, Gladys, Gan, Nicholas and I departed from Singapore to begin our Central North Thailand Butterfly trip with Antonio again. The weather in Singapore was dismal with daily non stop rain for almost a week. We were glad to be getting away from the gloomy weather and our flight journey proceeded seamlessly. We took off punctually for Bangkok.

We arrived on time and it was good to see Antonio again, who fetched us from the airport. Upon our pickup, we immediately set off towards our first destination, a town near Mae Wong National Park. After a five-hour drive, we arrived late in the evening. Our lodging at Soda House was comfortable and we noticed a significant presence of birds in the area. Nicholas was eager to begin capturing the bird photos and wasted no time in grabbing his camera.

 

 Day 2 (5 March 2023)

Mae Wong National Park

We were all brimming with excitement for our first day of butterfly watching in Thailand once more.

 

 

 

Entrance to the steep walk up to the mountain peak

Beautiful sceneries along the way up

Upon reaching the mountain top, we patiently waited for the Meandrusa to make its grand appearance. However, our expectations were dashed as it failed to show up.

Nevertheless we managed to find a few rare butterflies.

Dark Blue Royal

Common Flash (Rapala nissa)

Constable

 

Red Breast Jezebel (Delias acalis)

As we made our way back to the car park, we came across a swarm of Yellow Coster caterpillars on the host plant tree located in front of the parking area.

 

 Day 3 (6 March 2023)

Thung Salaeng Luang National Park

 

Upon reaching the jetty, we prepared to board a boat that would take us to the islet.

The boat ride, accompanied by the serene atmosphere of the forest, was remarkably peaceful.

Once again, we were let down by the absence of any sightings of the elusive Meandrusa. However, the sheer abundance of other butterfly species that flocked to the islet was truly astounding and made up for the disappointment.

Here are some highlight of the butterflies captured on that day:

I was delighted that Prince had managed to bring Noah to join us too.

Sri Dit Waterfall

It was right after noon when we got here and hardly see any butterfly activities.

Nevertheless, we managed to find the Pasha and the White-striped Ringlet

 

Antonio drove us to The One hotel, which is located close to a local market, after we ended our activity.

After swiftly checking in and taking some much-needed rest, we took a stroll around the local market and were pleasantly delighted by the sights and sounds. And the coconut drinks proved to be incredibly refreshing over the next three days.

 

 

Day 4 (7 March 2023)

Tat Mok National Park

Before we head off to the National Park, we had our breakfast at a local noodle stall near the hotel.

 

It was straight to Tat Mok National Forest after breakfast and we spent almost the whole day at this stream with a steep slope that we need to walk down carefully to get to the stream.

There were some interesting butterflies that we encountered here:

Spindasis Seliga

Common Raven

After spending several hours at the stream, Antonio drove us to the forested area leading to the waterfall and here we found a lovely Miletus  and a Snow Flat

 

Divided Brownie

Dark-edged Snow Flat

Day 5 (8 March 2023)

Thung Salaeng Luang National Park

This morning we decided to try the porridge stall.

 

While exploring the forested area of the National Park in search of the Begums, we observed a surprisingly low level of butterfly activities again.

 

There were no signs of the Begums, but we did spot a handful of Mycalesis within the forest.

Antonio then took us further into the park, where we encountered a landscape resembling a desert. It was there that we managed to spot the elusive Small Three Rings butterfly, which is quite rare.

 

 

Following our brief excursion into the forested park, Antonio relented after seeing the low activity of butterflies in the park and agreed to ferry us back to the islet, which was a mere five-minute ride away. Instead of taking the boat, he opted to use the track road and drove us to an area in close proximity to the islet. Though the car ride was a bit rough and bumpy on the small off track roads, it was just a short walk from where we parked the car to reach the islet again.

Some vegetable farming along the way in.

The short walk to the islet and on our way back, we found a Branded Yamfly.

As soon as we reached the islet, we saw lots of butterflies congregating there and we were particularly thrilled to see at least 6 to 7 Common Birdwings puddling by the sandbank.

 

 There were more butterflies congregating there today but sadly, still no sign of the Meandrusa!

Day 6 (9 March 2023)

 

Nam Nao National Park

 

Although we remained determined to find the Meandrusa, we were disappointed when they didn't make an appearance in the area. However, we made the most of the situation and enjoyed observing other species of butterflies instead.

After a long day, we headed to our new hotel at Montra.  The hotel was pretty good except the toilets were not well maintained. 

 

 

It was a relaxing atmosphere and the food was good.   We were able to relax by the pool and got some work done, too!

Day 7 (10 March 2023)

 

Phu Khieo Wildlige Sanctuary

 

 

 A fascinating sanctuary with wild deer at rest on the plains and their sizable ears got my attention.

 

 

We stopped at several places to check on the butterflies activities.

 

 

 

Here were some of my favourites found on that day:

 

 

 

Day 8 - 11 March 2023

Phu Wiang National Park

We concluded our trip by venturing into uncharted territory. We debated returning to Phu Khieo National Park, but opted to visit Phu Wiang National Park en route to the airport, given our time constraints. As it turned out, we made the correct choice, as we discovered a lively hub of butterfly activity in this new locale!

 

At this location, we stumbled upon a grouping of Common Yeoman butterflies, as well as a handful of other species.

Danaid Eggfly

Leaf Oakleaf

Marbled Map

A pristine Orchid Tit

White Spotted Beak

The moment had arrived to bid farewell to Antonio, who had chauffeured us to the airport for our departure to Bangkok, followed by our transit flight to Singapore.

 

Upon our timely arrival in Bangkok, we had our dinner at a Thai restaurant in the airport before catching our flight back to Singapore.  

  

Pad Thai

Typical mango sticky rice courtesy of Gladys!