Insects in Kikuchi Gorge
Diverse plant life and an abundance of fresh water sources make Kikuchi Gorge a favorable environment for a wide variety of insects. Among the more than 1,000 species thought to live in the gorge, the following are relatively easy to spot along the riverside walking paths.
The small Celastrina sugitanii butterfly (Sugitani rurishijimi) can be seen around puddles near the river between March and May. Its wings are dark blue on the top side and whitish-gray with small black dots on the underside.
Between May and July, flowers in the gorge entice butterflies such as the Japanese flash (torafu shijimi), whose upperwings are deep blue while the underwings are adorned with tiger-like spots of orange and black and a white and brown stripe pattern, and the white admiral (ichimonjicho), distinguished by the stark white bands on its dark-brown wings.
From April to around July, several kinds of broad-winged damselflies can be spotted flying over the rapids, preying on tiny aquatic insects. Mnais pruinosa (asahina kawatonbo) is about 5 centimeters long with an emerald-green body and wings that vary in color from a bright orange to a barely visible gray, whereas Mnais costalis (nihon kawatonbo) has slightly darker, orange-brown wings on a metallic-blue body.
Later in summer, puddles and small riverside pools attract the alpine black swallowtail (miyama karasuageha), a large butterfly with a wingspan of around 12 centimeters. Its upperwings are black and covered with iridescent blue or green scales.