When it becomes a butterfly it can no longer chew, but drinks its food instead. Adults use a long, protruding mouthpart called a proboscis as a drinking straw to sip the juice of rotting fruit, the fluids of decomposing animals, tree sap, fungi and wet mud.
Blue morphos are severely threatened by deforestation of tropical forests and habitat fragmentation. Humans provide a direct threat to this spectacular creature because their beauty attracts artists and collectors from all over the globe who wish to capture and display them. Learn More ». Share Facebook. Did you know? Forests are home to 80 percent of Earth's terrestrial biodiversity!
We're preserving habitats for endangered species, conserving wildlife corridors, and saving breeding grounds. Please join our alliance to keep forests standing:. Yes, I agree to receive occasional emails from the Rainforest Alliance. Threats Blue morphos are severely threatened by deforestation of tropical forests and habitat fragmentation. Sources Jukofsky, Diane. When threatened, the butterfly will emit a strong odour from a gland on their front legs that functions as another way to repel predators.
When in flight, its wings appear to flash from vivid blue to dull brown. The butterfly seems to continuously disappear and reappear again, making it very hard to track through the thick jungle foliage. Beautiful blue Morpho Helena butterfly female with sparkling wings.
These butterflies are covered in shimmering shades of blue on their upper wing surfaces. However, it is typically only the males who exhibit this stunning colouration. The bright coloring is designed to intimidate rival males blue morpho butterflies are highly territorial as well as to make themselves extra visible to potential mates.
Meanwhile, the females are generally not blue at all and tend to have have wings exhibiting various shades of brown, yellow and black. Interestingly, however, due to a process known as sexual dimorphism, there are some rare examples of butterflies with both male and female traits which leads them to have one blue wing and one more neutral-coloured wing. Of course, they certainly appear this way, but this is not the result of pigmentation.
It is actually caused by the way light reflects off the microscopic scales on its wings. The scales are diamond-shaped and the color results from their specific formation and placement on the wing membranes. This is a phenomenon known as iridescence, a type of optical illusion which describes how hues change according to the angle from which they are viewed.
Their vivid, iridescent blue coloring is a result of the microscopic scales on the backs of their wings, which reflect light. These butterflies are diurnal and most active when the sun is shining.
Their eyes are highly sensitive to UV light and the males are particularly adept at spotting each other across great distances. Flying through light-filled environments makes them an especially visible presence as the sun rays are reflected off their shiny wings. In fact, Blue Morpho butterflies are reportedly spotted flying through the jungle canopy by pilots from the air. Luckily for visitors to the Amazon, the butterflies spend most of their time on the forest floor, amongst lower shrubs and trees, flying through clearings or warming themselves next to streams.
As caterpillars, Blue Morphos start their lives feeding on various plants, particularly those of the pea family. But after transforming they quickly graduate to a more varied and interesting diet, despite the fact they can no longer chew. The mourning cloak, however, has a unique and gorgeous appearance. The ground color is deep purple-brown; the borders are yellow, but just inside that is a band of black with royal-blue spots.
It's a subtle but sublime insect, and while it's common in North America, it's regarded as one of the rare prizes of collectors in the UK, where it has been known as The Camberwell Beauty. The caterpillar feeds on elm and is very spiny; it features a row of red spots along its back.
They are harmless. This generally common group of butterflies is in the family Lycaenidae. These insects are small and quick-flying, and their delicate, pretty markings require an up-close look or a good photograph to appreciate. This family is especially abundant in the American west, and some mountain meadows have swirling clouds of blues of various species.
The caterpillars are a little like fuzzy green slugs; they creep slowly around the flower-tops of their food plants, where they are very nearly invisible, even to the trained eye. Members of this very common group of butterflies are generally readily identifiable by their stout bodies, pointed wings, and quick, "skipping" flight.
Exceptions to this rule are the giant skippers and a few other large species, but for the most part, skippers tend to look alike. The species figured here, the fiery skipper, is representative of the typical skipper type. Its common name is appropriate because when the male butterfly flies in the sun, it's reflective-orange wings seem to glow. The caterpillar feeds on a variety of grasses, including Bermuda grass, and when there are enough of them, they may be considered a pest species.
Another skipper habit is the way they often hold their wings in a "fighter jet" position when resting on a flower or leaf. This is a very reliable field characteristic. The fiery skipper lives in North and South America, from Canada to Argentina, and has been known to migrate.
This big, bright yellow butterfly is very common throughout the South. It flies in bright sunshine, fast and wide-ranging, but can be observed well when it stops to take nectar from asters and other field flowers.
Sometimes this species can be found as far north as Canada, but this is unusual, the result of occasional migrations. The caterpillar feeds on partridge pea and other plants. In the Isle of Wight I spotted a yellow striped butterfly ,but when it took flight it looked a red brown colour any ideas anyone. I saw the most beautiful butterfly two days ago I've ever seen.
Maybe someone can help me out. I live in SE NC. I've planted flowers all my life with one of the beds being ' long x 50' wide. I have day lilies, lantana, roses, old timey petunias, spirea, hydrangeas, coreopsis, zinnias, etc. This butterfly was "in" the pink colored day lily. Looked similar to a swallowtail but rather than having the yellow spots, they perfectly matched the pink of the day lily.
Also had blue area under the pink spots. So, so beautiful. Naturally I didn't have my phone with me. So, I'm thinking medium size. Not as big as most monarchs or swallowtails but much bigger than the skippers.
Wing span was probably ". I was thinking it was a swallowtail but can't find any that have the pink. Beautiful as a Monet with the pink, blue, white and black. I would like the name of a butterfly I Sean today. I thought it was black maybe dark blue, It was small one wing and had pretty yellow spots on it.
The spots were not round but oval like. I wish I would have taken a picture. Marine Biology. Electrical Engineering. Computer Science. Medical Science. Writing Tutorials. Performing Arts. Visual Arts. Student Life. Vocational Training. Standardized Tests. Online Learning. Social Sciences. Legal Studies. Political Science. Welcome to Owlcation.
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