Animal India

The grass demon (Udaspes folus) is a small but prominent butterfly found in India & Nepal that belongs to the skipper family, Hesperiidae. It is regarded as an occasional pest of ginger and turmeric plants and their relatives Curcuma aromatica, Curcuma decipiens, Hedychium sp., and other plants of the family Sctiaminae. It is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about 4 to 4.8 cm. It is black with a large white spot on the upper side of the hindwing and several smaller white spots on the forewing. The underside of its wings is mostly white with brown edges and spots. This butterfly is rare or very rare in certain parts of its global range. This butterfly is seen chiefly during the monsoon, perhaps due to its larval host plants growing at this time of the year. The grass demon prefers forest edges or clearings where dappled light is present in deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. Its black-and-white coloration may have evolved to take advantage of the dappled light in these areas. The pied pattern which seems prominent in the open is effectively disruptive in the shade and the butterfly is difficult to locate once it settles down. A grass demon butterfly is sitting on a leaf in a forest at Tehatta, West Bengal, India on 21/08/2023. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)