Postman on pentas
Heliconius sp.
Longwing · Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden · 7 February 2026
A postman butterfly feeding on pentas in the butterfly house at Fairchild, one of the longwings of the Central and South American forests, where it lives for months on a route of flowers it knows by heart.
Pentas is one of the standard nectar plants in a butterfly house because its flower tubes suit a long butterfly proboscis and it blooms more or less continuously under glass. Postmen eat pollen as well as nectar, which almost no other butterfly does, and it is what lets them live for months rather than weeks. Another of the erato/melpomene pair, not separable from this angle.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
Every photograph comes with notes on what it is.
Selected
Favourite shots. Filter by subject, or .
Places
Everything, by where it was taken.
Species
Larger catalogue of photos organized by species of animal or plant.
Catalogue
Every photograph, newest first. Narrow it by period, place or species; the three work together.
Updates
Coming soon. Sign up at the bottom of the page for updates.