Lepidoptera Lovers: Butterfly Kisses

[testarosa]

First monarch that hatched.

Photofkit is having issues with the other butterflies I'll do it again when I have the patience and time -it likes the deep ones fine - I put some in there.

We have 3 more chrysalises.

This is what they look like.

 

[freedombecki]

Beautiful, testarosa!

 

[freedombecki]

They're so very Madagascar ... and drop dead gorgeous, imho.

 

[freedombecki]

So many butterflies... so little time...

The Monarchs are all safe in Mexico, at least the ones who didn't die in Corn country from all the pesticides they're using to maximize the corn crop for making fuel, that is.

 

[freedombecki]

Credit: Fullfreestufdotcom

 

[freedombecki]

Great pictorial article here: 25 of the World's most beautiful Butterflies

Here's just one ~​

Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus)​

 

[freedombecki]

Today, an online picture of a Chequered Skipper (Lepidoptera) caught my eye, not to mention my heart, and it led to finding this at Youtube and the Butterfly Conservatory *sigh*

[ame="http://youtu.be/kYb7uB1Xrjo"]Chequered Skipper - YouTube[/ame]

The Chequered Skipper's Latin name is Carterocephalus palaemon.

It is apparently indigenous to the Islands of Great Britain, particularly western Scotland. The Butterfly Conservatory's page on the Chequered Skipper is here: Butterfly Conservation

Butterfly Conservation has a page entitled Moths Count, also. I clicked on an link there and was taken to the most fascinating page where they have pictured a "lime hawk moth" (I love lime because of quilting).

 

[freedombecki]

Lime Hawk-moth



Credits: What Moth? - Moths Count​

 

[freedombecki]

I am presently engaged in working on the coloration of a Blue Morpho butterfly, when I decided it would be really special to know a little more about this specie, and I looked him up, finding a bit here and a bit there. I like to know what an entomologist specializing in the order of Lepidoptera would tell a youngster first, so I might pick up a basic fact or two about a specie before delving into the scientific jargon of one entomologist pointing out to another what specifics to look for in identification, etc. Sometimes they forget an amateur might not know even the basics. That said, Here's a little article I found, "Facts About the Blue Morpho Butterfly" link along with a cool picture of one:

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In shades of various colors, butterflies are dainty creatures that have provided many poets and writers, inspiration for the most magnificent verses. Many have marveled at the transformation of the very modest caterpillar into a magnificent butterfly! One such species that crops up in my mind is the Blue Morpho. Here, we shall take a close look at some interesting facts about this species.

The Blue Morpho butterfly is a tropical butterfly found in Central and South America.

With a wingspan of 5 - 8 inches, it is considered one of the biggest butterflies in the world.

Its characteristic blue wings are extremely beautiful to look at. The wings are not really brightly colored for the female Blue Morpho butterflies; nevertheless, they still look beautiful.

Female Blue Morpho butterflies have dull blue wings with white spots and brown edgings.

At birth, the caterpillars are reddish brown in color. They also have green colored patches on the back area.

The underside of their wings has a dull brown shade, which is dotted with several eyespots.

Adult Blue Morpho butterflies usually live near the ground and are often seen living in shrubs.

When this butterfly is spotted flying, it is one of the most beautiful sights one can ever imagine. The flapping wings create a fine blend of the bright blue and dull brown colors, and the flashing colors create a beautiful effect.

An adult Blue Morpho butterfly uses its long proboscis to suck juice from rotten fruits.

Blue Morpho caterpillars do not really like being disturbed! Dare you disturb it; the caterpillars secrete a foul-smelling fluid!

When on the hunt for a suitable mate, this butterfly travels through most of the layers of the forest.

Blue Morpho butterflies do not visit flowers for nectar! As mentioned earlier, these feed on the juice of rotting fruits or on the sap of the tree.

The caterpillars feed on various leguminous plants and are nocturnal by nature.

Experts opine the Blue Morpho butterfly is almost an endangered species. These butterflies are mainly affected by loss of natural habitat as a result of deforestation and other human activities. Additionally, they are also killed for their wings, which are used to manufacture jewelry. If people stop the destruction of their habitat and buying jewelry or ornamentation that involves the use of their wings, only then can there be some hope for their survival.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-the-blue-morpho-butterfly.html

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[freedombecki]

Another good reference for the Blue Morpho Butterfly is at Wikipedia, and it's a long page, so here is the link.

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A Morpho butterfly may be one of over 29 accepted species and 147 accepted subspecies of butterflies in the genus Morpho. They are Neotropical butterflies found mostly in South America as well as Mexico and Central America.[1] Morphos range in wingspan from the 7.5 cm (3 inch) M. rhodopteron to the imposing 20 cm (8 inch) Sunset Morpho, M. hecuba. The name Morpho, meaning changed or modified, is also an epithet of Aphrodite and Venus.​

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The Blue Morpho Butterfly, male Morpho didius:​

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Ventral side of Morpho didius male:​

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[freedombecki]

This is the best dimorphic example of a male and female of Morpho didius that I could find. They are from Peru and was found at Insect-Creations dot com.

 

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I guess I landed here at The Blue Morpho Butterfly….A Natural Beauty in Costa Rica! for finding the eggs I was looking for to show how the Blue Morpho starts out life when its mother lays her eggs on the right kind of plant for her young to flourish on:

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Hard to believe, but there are almost 24,000 species of butterflies the World. One of the prettiest and most impressive species are the Blue Morpho butterflies. Not only are these beautiful butterflies common to Costa Rica, but they are one of the most sought after species by collectors and nature lovers alike who seek to experience them in their natural habitat, as they mesmerize you with their incredible bright blue metallic coloring that serves as an incredible contrast to the lush green rainforests of our Central America paradise.
If you’d like to learn more about these delicate rainforest treasures, read on……
Common Name: Blue Morpho Butterfly
Type: Insect
Family: Nymphalidae

Range: Common to the tropical rainforests of Central America and South America. Blue Morphos are found primarily in forests

in Central and South America, with high concentrations in both Mexico and Costa Rica. These incredible insects are easily spotted by their large beautiful bright blue wings that reflect light as they fly by in their distinctly erratic pattern.

Oh, if only I knew what plants to plant and bring them up here to the farm, which is surrounded by woodsy areas, I sure would! *sigh* Unfortunately we are not the jungle, and nights can get down to twenty degrees on hard freeze winters.

Well, I'm not going to worry about that today. Here's a cute little Costa Rican who managed to have one light on her. She must have animal magnetism and love pretty butterflies...

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Size: Blue Morphos average approximately 5 – 6 inches wide, though some species will be smaller.

Diet: The blue morpho’s diet changes as it passes through each stage of life. As a caterpillar, the Blue Morpho chews leaves.

When it “morphs” to become a butterfly, it begins to drink its food instead, using a long, protruding mouthpart called a proboscis as a literal drinking straw. They use this to sip the juice of rotting fruit, the fluids of decomposing animals, tree sap, fungi and wet mud. Blue Morphos can actually taste fruit with sensors located on their legs, and they “taste-smell” the air with their sensitive antennae, which function as a combined tongue and nose on the go.
Average life span: The life span of the Blue Morpho butterfly is short. They generally live only 115 days, with most of their time focused on feeding and reproduction.

Hm, bananas, oranges and what looks like a cantaloupe on the platter...

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[freedombecki]

I found a couple of examples of catterpillars of the Morpho Butterfly. This one, from Guyana and published in French at Wikipedia is the caterpillar of Morpho Menelaus, at least, it was on the same page.

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"Morpho menelaus menelaus au Venezuela, au Brésil, au Suriname, en Guyana et en Guyane"​

 

[freedombecki]

Morpho butterfly from somewhere in the Caribbean ~

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These others are from various parts of the Americas, from Mexico to Uraguay and possibly further than that.​

 

[freedombecki]

This one took extra time. I'll try to put up some of the other butterflies which are done. The Blue Morpho is #8 of 12. There are 4 left to do. I worked harder on this one than any of the other stamped squares from a commercial embroidered quilt block print that I bought two packages of on eBay. When this one is done, it's going to charity. I had to get another one for my family. My daughter has animal magnetism, and son loves the world of plants. He probably appreciates butterflies because they are such valuable pollinators. Maybe I should buy another set before the blocks go out of print.

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One request I saw in my readings today was for people to please avoid proliferating the sale of killing Morpho butterflies for their beautiful colors. They're closing in on the endangered species list because they're so beautiful people have devised ways to convert their wings into jewelery, and every entomologist in the world (well, not quite all) wants one of each of the 20-50 species in a collector's showing box.

If only we could wait until after mating were over. Well, they only have a 115 days to live. The eggs become larvae in 9 days. The process is explained better here, and a Blue Morpho garden video is on this page: Blue Morpho Butterfly | Costa Rica

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[freedombecki]

Just looked up "identifying butterflies by color" and found some websites to help those who saw a certain colored butterfly, but wanted to know its name. Here were some of the findings:

Identify Butterflies by Shape, Wing Color, Wingspan & Species : Gardens With Wings

Butterflies -- identification guide -- Discover Life

Butterflies and Moths

Butterfly ID Guide | Butterfly Rainforest Exhibit | Florida Museum

 

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M A R I P O S A . C H R I S T M A S !​

Texas State Butterfly ​

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Rhodinia fugax, the Singing Caterpillar Moth​

One of the family members was shown this morning on Bing! Wallpaper. ​

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[ame=http://youtu.be/GJAETCy37Hc]Rhodinia fugax - singing caterpillars - YouTube[/ame]​

 

[freedombecki]

Eastern-Tailed Blue Butterfly (Size, 1 inch, host blue lupine plant).

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The Eastern-Tailed Blue Butterfly is a member of the Gossamer-Winged Butterfly group. They appear light and airy, floating through flight with delicate wings. This specimen is a part of the Blues tribe, where most members are shades of blue (pale blue to rich royal blue). It enjoys sitting on flowers and stems with its wings open, occasionally rubbing the hindwings together as if toscratch an itch. It is the only Blue on the eastern part of the continent with a "tail" on the ends of its wings.

Males have royal blue wings when they are open and females are more brown. When closed, both genders have whiter blue wings with black/gray markings. They have two orange eyespots on their lower hinddwings that is thought to help confuse bird predators. If the bird mistakes the eyespot for the head and pecks at it, only a small part of the wing is damaged, and the butterflycan escape complete annihilation.
This small butterfly can be found in parks, gardens, meadows, and anywhere else flowers are abundant. Males tend to socialize at puddles or wet mud in what are called "puddle parties."
The caterpillar of the Eastern- Tailed Blue Butterfly enjoys chewing the leaves of the flowers and a variety of bean plants.
http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Eastern-Tailed-Blue-Butterfly

I worked on a blue today, but not sure it will be this one or the Karner Blue Butterfly, which seems to be endangered due to loss of habitat and possibly food source. Both are quite beautiful and there are still many in the state of Michigan and vicinity eastward.

Here's a Karner blue female with orange markings (Males are all blue, I think they said...)

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Credits: USFWS: Karner Blue Butterfly​

Lacaeides melissa samuelis ​

Scan 1: Start of blue embroidered butterfly
Scan 2: Male Karner Blue butterfly, credit: July 2013 Audubon Society Lepidoptera (Butterfly Calendar)
Scan 3: A brown butterfly completed (same pattern as blue start, except almost done.)

 

[asaratis]