Friday, June 16, 2006

Unusual butterfly

This is called Morpho hyacinthus, a rare and almost extinct butterfly. I believe this photo was taken in El Salvador. I think butterflies are some of the coolest creatures on earth. I even let some milkweed sprout around the side gardens for the Monarchs to enjoy.

Here's a little info I found:
They reside in tropical jungles and can often be found in clearings. Most of their later life history is still unknown. What is known is that they normally spend their nights hanging from trees and the underside of leaves.

Microscopic ridges on the backs of their wings fracture and reflect light, making them appear iridescent, like blue gemstones. When their wings are folded they show only the bottom of their wings that are camouflaged dull brown side with "eye spots"
This allows for the morpho to fold inward the bright side of its wings when it sleeps and show only the side that blends into the environment.

2comments:

  • At 1:34 PM, Blogger mainely stitching said…

    Cool!

    I was admiring a butterfly that was flirting with my car today, and then after that I saw a HUGE dragonfly.

     
  • At 4:16 PM, Blogger Darlene said…

    What a wonderful picture of the Morpho, and it's actually on a person's face. I've never seen one before--thanks so much for posting it!

     

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