In the Butterfly World, Beauty and Self-Defense are One and the Same

Hi, my name is Ben. There is no country in the world with more species of butterflies than Peru and I live here. It's been cool seeing so many unique and rich sub-cultures in one country, but what has really gotten to me is the Amazon rainforest. It's a whole other planet to say the least, with it's own heirarchy, laws, one political party under "Survival of the Fittest" catering to thousands of different yet equally important demographics and a community where every role is chained to a constantly strained link holding up it's very own future!!!

The butterflies are quite the celebrities on this planet in many different ways. One of the most important ways is their resilience against predation through aposematic patterns. Their complex glamour is a testament to the exotic nature of their world where what seems as elegance to us is merely self-defense and protection for them. Aposematic colouration is the term for colors and patterns that emit visual warning cues to predators, letting them know that they are not palatable species. In some cases the colouration is truth, in others it's a bold camouflage. The heliconius butterflies are especially known for this.

Take for instance this mounted tigerwing heliconius butterfly:

This butterfly is unpalatable and his wings are bright billboards warning birds about this fact. There's a much more common butterfly that displays a similar pattern to give the same warning, the world famous Danaus plexippus or Monarch butterfly.

Front

Back

The Monarch butterfly is unpalatable and toxic from the chemicals inherited by their hostplant, milkweed. These intricate and detailed aposematic patterns are associated with toxicity so they are not eaten by predators.

So that is it, for my first post on my new blog about Butterfly Art and Home Decor.

Click the following to order the:

Tigerwing Heliconius Butterfly in White Frame

Monarch Butterfly Art in White Frame