Whilst birding the
Wadi Thee Gazelle area I came across a good number of Desert White Butterflies Pontia
glauconome. This is a striking white butterfly of arid regions occurring in
deserts and on mountain slopes and foothills with sparse vegetation, up to
around 2000 metres above sea level. The Desert White is a widespread species,
ranging from North Africa through Arabia and the Middle East to Central Asia,
Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is a small white butterfly (10-15mm) whose
antennae are clubbed, ending in a white tip. The inside of the forewings are
black tip with white dots. Underside of both wings has characteristic yellow
veins, with light brown colour pattern. Large round compound eyes with black
dots.
