Danaus chrysippus - plain tiger

This gorgeous butterfly is closely related to the famous monarch butterflies of the western world. Being a tropical climate, there is no requirement for a migration here in Indonesia, and the colourful butterfly can be observed all year round.

Like its USA cousins, the caterpillar feeds on milkweed plants. This affords the caterpillar and subsequently the butterfly with protection, due to the foul taste imparted by the milkweed chemicals, which are normally poisonous to insects.

The taste does not save the life of the individual caterpillar or butterfly, but it will prevent the next bug from a similar fate, as the predator learns. This defence is so successful, that other butterflies have evolved similar color patterns, to fool the predators.

I can understand how the mimic pattern evolves over millions of years; the butterfly carrying the correct color has less predators, and therefore more chance of reproducing, and so the evolution goes, as each change that brings the color and pattern to the tiger, the more effective the defence.

Location is Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Scrubland.