My Favourite Living Thing

The Blue Morpho Butterfly

Basic Information:

As its name says, the blue morpho butterfly’s wings are bright blue, edged with black. When the blue morpho flies, the contrasting bright blue and dull brown colors flash, making it look like the morpho is appearing and disappearing. The males’ wings are broader than those of the females and appear to be brighter in color. The female’s wings appear to be a lighter blue with a few white spots, edged with brown.

These butterflies are found mostly in South America as well as Mexico and Central America. Morphos range in wingspan from 7.5 cm to 20 cm. The name Morpho means changed or modified.

Many Morpho butterflies are colored in metallic, shimmering shades of blue and green. These colors are not a result of pigmentation but are an example of iridescence: the microscopic scales covering the Morpho's wings reflect light repeatedly at successive layers.

These microscopic scales only cover the back of their wings. That is, you can only see them when their wings are open. The front of their wings are a dull brown color with white spots that provide camouflage against predators such as birds and insects when it's wings are closed.

Diet:

As a caterpillar, it chews leaves of many varieties, but prefers to dine on peas. When it becomes a butterfly it can no longer chew, but drinks its food instead. Adults sip the juice of rotting fruit, the fluids of decomposing animals, tree sap, fungi and wet mud.

Threats:

Blue Morphos are severely threatened by deforestation of tropical forests. Humans are a special threat to the blue morphos because their beauty attracts artists and collectors from all over the globe who wish to capture and display them. Aside from humans, birds like the jacamar and flycatcher are the adult butterfly’s natural predators.

Blue Morphos fascinate and inspire me because of all the facts listed above

Photos:

A Blue Morpho Female

A Blue Morpho Male

A Blue Morpho in flight

A Blue Morpho opening its wings

Blue Morphos