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Observations of a Naturalist Online Articles about nature - by Boyd Shaffer, artist /naturalist
This Article: Camouflaged Butterfly - mother nature protects her own.
While studying the flora and fauna in the cloud forests of Belize, Susan and I happened to see this odd butterfly. It superficially resembled a swallowtail (Papilio) but there were obvious differences, so instead of guessing we photographed it when it landed (illustration 1).           Susan took the first picture and it immediately folded its wings and nearly flattened itself in the dead leaves (illustration 2). I stood directly over it and photographed it from above. The way it blended with the dead leaves was a wonderful example of insect cryptic defense. The way it showed us only one side made it resemble a dead leaf. We wanted to see if it preferred to land in dead leaves or if it would land on tree bark, the ground or in greenery. We were rewarded by watching it fly to another dead leaf area and when approached it tilted to one side. If we had not seen this butterfly land before we approached, we might never have seen it.           It is instinctive behavior that causes many species of lepidopterans and some locusts (orthoptera) as well as other cryptically colored animals to hide "in plain sight" this way.           It is in the family Nymphalidæ and closely related to the genus Marpesia. It is proving to be a difficulty subject to classify as far as species. I will get there sooner or later, and am seeking info that will assist me. One of the problems is that there are many insects is the region that are still unknown or unclassified.           We see natural camouflage in grouse and most female song birds. Many mammals and reptiles are marked in ways that blend with their backgrounds. The coloring and markings will not fool predators unless the wearer of these colors remains perfectly motionless. That has saved the spruce grouse for thousands of years. When hunters approach with guns they think the grouse is stupid because it just sits there. It has no instinct to protect it from firearms except to fly, and some that have escaped the gun shot, have learned to get out of the area when humans approach.           On the other hand, many insects, some reptiles, fish, and even birds are brightly colored, and many of these are poisonous.       -End OBSERVATIONS INDEX

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