Blue Morpho (captive bred)
Morpho peleides

f13 @ 1/60s, ISO:2000, Nikon D3S w 105mm, SB-5000 Speedlight


"Morpho peleides," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Morpho peleides, the Peleides blue morpho, common morpho or the emperor is an iridescent tropical butterfly found in Mexico, Central America, northern South America, Paraguay and Trinidad. Most authorities believe that peleides is a subspecies of Morpho helenor. The brilliant blue color in the butterfly's wings is caused by the diffraction of the light from millions of tiny scales on its wings. It uses this to frighten away predators, by flashing its wings rapidly. The wingspan of the blue morpho butterfly ranges from 7.5–20 cm (3.0–7.9 in). The entire blue morpho butterfly life cycle, from egg to adult is only 115 days.
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens, South Deerfield, Massachusetts
 
12/01/2021