Butterflies

Postman butterfly, Heliconius melpomene. (Monteverde, Costa Rica)

Emerald Swallowtail, Papilio palinurus, from the Missouri Botanical Garden's Butterfly House in Saint Louis, Missouri (native to Southeast Asia). The stunning iridescent coloration is not produced by pigment, but instead by microscopic structures that refract blue and yellow light such that we perceive a mixture of these two colors.

Doris Longwing butterfly, Laparus doris, blue morph (Monteverde, Costa Rica).

Pansy Daggerwing, Marpesia marcella (Monteverde, Costa Rica).

Flasher butterfly (Hesperiidae: genus Astraptes) feeds on Pentas flowers in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

A pair of Redspot Jezebels mate on a leaf in the butterfly garden of the Siam Insect Zoo in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Gray Cracker (Hamadryas februa) from Belize.

Mexican Bluewing Butterfly, Myscelia ethusa, from Green Hills Butterfly Ranch in Belize.

Emerald-patched Cattleheart, Parides sesostris, from the Green Hills Butterfly Ranch in Belize.

Female Blue-spotted Firewing, Catonephele numilia, from the Green Hills Butterfly Ranch in Belize.

Malachite butterfly (Nymphalidae: Siproeta stelenes) from the Green Hills Butterfly Ranch in Belize.

A pair of mating Clearwing Butterflies (Ithomiidae: subfamily Ithomiinae) at the Green Hills Butterfly Ranch in Belize.

Golden-edged Owl-butterfly, Caligo uranus, from Belize.

Owl Butterfly, Caligo memnon, from Belize. The conspicuous eye-spots are thought to deter potential predators either by mimicking a larger animal or by directing blows away from the more vital areas of the butterfly.

Cabbage White butterfly, Pieris rapae (Iowa, USA).

Cydno Longwing (Nymphalidae: Heliconius cydno) from the Missouri Botanical Garden's Butterfly House in St. Louis.

Cryptic dead-leaf butterfly (Nymphalidae) from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Great Mormon (Papilionidae: Papilio memnon, native to Southeast Asia) from the Missouri Botanical Garden's Butterfly House in St. Louis, Missouri.

Isabella's Longwing, Eueides isabella, from the Missouri Botanical Garden's Butterfly House in St. Louis.

Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes, from Monteverde, Costa Rica. These sizable insects can boast impressive wingspans of over 5.5 inches (14 cm), distinguishing them as the largest butterflies in North America.

Great Spangled Fritillary, Speyeria cybele, drinking from a thistle in Iowa.

Lacewing butterfly (Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae: genus Cethosia, native to Southeast Asia) from the Missouri Botanical Garden Butterfly House.

The one and only Blue Morpho (Morpho sp). Seeing one of these in the wild during the Costa Rica trip never ceased to amaze me. The brilliant blue color is the result of light diffracting off of millions of tiny scales on the wings; incidentally, this structural coloration is why specimens of these butterflies don't fade with time.

Crescent butterfly (Nymphalidae: Phyciodes sp.) from Iowa.