The Chocolate Pansy Butterfly, also known as Junonia Iphita or Chocolate Soldier, is a captivating creature belonging to the Nymphalidae family, which is the largest group of butterflies globally. With its dark brown color resembling chocolate and the pansy flower, this fascinating species can be found throughout Asia, from India to China and Japan. In Nepal, it is especially common in Terai region, where it inhabits various environments like forests, grasslands, and gardens. The best chance of spotting these butterflies is during the monsoon season (June-September) and winter season (November-February).
In Asia, this butterfly symbolizes different things such as strength and courage in India while representing love, beauty, and good luck in Thailand. Indian tradition even connects it with Lord Vishnu and Goddesses Laxmi to embody their grace, compassion, and beauty.
The Chocolate Pansy Butterfly's life cycle has four main stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. Females lay pale green eggs close to host plants and caterpillars come out within 3-4 days. As they grow over 10-12 days, they eventually turn into dark brown caterpillars about 30mm long. After attaching themselves to leaves or stems during the pupa stage for 7-10 days using silk threads, they finally emerge as adults.
Adults have wingspans around 5-6 cm with tiny scales that help them blend in and avoid predators. Males have a blackish-brown top side with white spots on their wings while females feature a more uniform brown color on their wings' top side without white spots. The underside of the wings is different for both sexes with males having blackish-brown coloring and white wavy lines while females show reddish-brown coloring with white wavy lines.
You can tell male and female butterflies apart by looking at their distinct white markings on the hindwing. Adult butterflies have a short lifespan of just 2-3 weeks.
Being active during the day, they fly quickly and feed on flower nectar. They like to stay close to the ground and warm up under the sun or go to mud puddles for a drink of water and essential salts. This butterfly species experiences seasonal changes in appearance as they showcase slightly different wet and dry season forms.
Currently, the Chocolate Pansy Butterfly is not threatened or endangered, but it still faces habitat loss and fragmentation. Overall, this charming butterfly continues to captivate people with its unique beauty and cultural significance.