Surprisingly, Ryukyu Chestnut Tiger butterflies gather together on branches where they live... Zamami Village/Aka Island

Ryukyu chestnut butterflies gathering on a branch with friends

[Aka Island = Zamami] On Aka Island in Zamami Village, a group of Ryukyu chestnut tiger butterflies has been confirmed to overwinter. The same species is distributed in Japan south of the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, and is a member of the common spotted butterfly. It is characterized by a pattern of Asagi color, which is the origin of the name, on a black background. It can be seen almost all year round on Aka Island. The Ryukyu chestnut tiger is a famous butterfly whose wintering in groups on Amami Oshima is reported almost every year. The year before last, I was filming the wintering grounds on Aka Island while scouting locations for a similar introductory video at the visitor center. The video was released last year, and it has been confirmed that it has survived the winter again this year. Around the end of November, they gather in valleys where you can see them wintering in groups. The figure that hangs still from the branch looks like nothing but a dead leaf. It is not known why they choose this location or why they gather on the same branch to overwinter. (Correspondent Kenichi Muraishi)

Ryukyu Shimpo