Peleides Blue Morpho Butterfly |
Anyway, even if it's far from perfect, I just love the colours in this picture. Blue Morpho butterflies are completely stunning anyway. I hadn't realised that there are actually three species of butterfly which are commonly referred to as the "blue morpho" - morpho rhetenor, morpho menelaus, and morpho peleides. This one is a peleides blue morpho, also known as the Common Morpho, also known as The Emperor. Of course, controversy is rife in lepidopteric circles and some believe that morpho peleides is merely a subspecies of morpho helenor.
The Common Morpho is found in Central and South America, and the amazing blue colour in its wings is created by the diffraction of light from tiny scales which cover its wings. The underside of the wings is brown and much less exciting, so when it folds up and settles on a tree trunk, it's highly camouflaged.
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