The Blue Morpho butterfly lives in the tropical rainforests from Mexico to south America. You will most likely find the butterflies on the floors of rainforests camouflaging themselves from their predators. However, during mating season the blue morpho butterfly flies throughout the various layers of the forest.
Their wings can vary from 5 to 8 inches in width. They are HUGE !!!The vivid color of the blue morpho’s wings is a result of the microscopic scales on the backs of their wings, which reflect light, causing the butterfly to appear a brilliant iridescent blue. The underside of the morphos’ wings, on the other hand, is a dull brown color with many eyespots, which serve as a defense against predators such as birds and insects. 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 blue morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world, with wings spanning from 5 to 8 inches. Blue morphos, like other butterflies, also have two clubbed antennas, two fore wings and two hind wings, six legs and three body segments -- the head, thorax and abdomen.
The lifespan of a Blue Morpho butterfly is a mere 115 days. During those 115 days the butterflies spend their time eating and reproducing.The early stagesof the Blue Morpho give little clue to the beauty of the adult. The caterpillar is a hairy reddish brown with brilliant leaf-shaped patches of lime-green on the back
Their are 17 species of morpho butterflies. Some of them have blue wings and some have tan and white.
They eat flowers, leaves and rotting dead longs, sap and juice. Their predators are birds, fish (if near water), large insects, and humans.
Butterflies pass through four stages of development in their life cycle. First, the egg, second, the larvae, third, the pupa and fourth, the adult.
A morpho male is an exhibitionist. He wants to be seen particularly by other morpho males. The bright color is designed to scare away any rivals that might flutter into his territory. The more visible he is, the larger the patch of forest he can defend .
This video shows others species of butterflies, but focuses on The Blue Morpho. Enjoy.
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