Nov. 20, 2016 - Como Park - Exotic Butterflies-2

Here are some more butterfly photos taken at the Como Park exhibit this summer. I am grateful to Mary Babcock, butterfly zookeeper at Como Park, for helping me identify the butterflies in my photos.

The Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides) was one of the most spectacular butterflies in the exhibit. The wingspan of a Blue Morpho can be from 7.5 to 20 cm (3 to 8 inches) and the ones in this exhibit seemed to be at the high end of that range. The brilliant blue color is the result of light reflecting off the scales of the butterfly. It’s the same thing that makes the throat of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird look bright red when seen at the right angle. The outer edges of the wings do not look blue in this photo, probably because the light is hitting that area at a different angle. So, in that area, you are seeing the actual color of the wings, not the color of the reflected light.

ButterflyMorphoBluepeleidesComoParkPaul20160822

When a Blue Morpho is at rest, it usually has its wings folded as shown in this photo. It looks so different from the butterfly in the first photo that you might think it is a different species. The range of the Blue Morpho is Mexico, Central, and South America. I saw several of these beauties in the forest while I was in Costa Rica. They look like big, bright, flashing blue lights when they are flying.

ButterflyMorphoBluepeleidesComoParkPaul20160816

The Giant Owl (Caligo memnon) is another large butterfly with a wingspan of 11.5 to 14 cm (4½ to 5½ inches. It is found in rainforests from Mexico to the Amazon.

ButterflyOwlGiantCaligomemnonComoParkPaul20160822

This is a Three-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio pilumnus). It is found in Texas, Mexico, and Guatemala and has a wingspan of 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches). It looks like the many other swallowtail species but, as its name implies, it does have three tails (on each hind wing).

ButterflySwallowtailThreetailedPapiliopilumnusComoParkPaul20160822

Here is another view of a Three-tailed Swallowtail. It gives you a clear view of the three tails.

ButterflySwallowtailThreetailedPapiliopilumnusComoParkPaul20160822

There was also one beautiful moth species in the exhibit. This is a Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia) resting on a Cecropia Moth cocoon. It wasn’t obvious if this moth had just emerged from this particular cocoon or if there was still another moth in the cocoon. This is North America’s largest native moth species. Females with a wingspan of 16 cm (6 inches) or more have been documented.

MothcecropiaHyalophoraComoParkPaul20160816

As I mentioned last week, the bird exhibit at Como Park was near the butterfly exhibit so I also took some bird photos. This is a Red-breasted Goose, native to Europe and Asia. It’s rather small for a goose, 21 to 22 inches in length.

GooseRedbreastedBrantaruficollisComoParkPaul20160816

The Common Shelduck is also found in Europe and Asia. At 25 inches in length, it’s a little larger than a Mallard.

I have many more butterfly photos from this exhibit. Click on the following link to see the entire gallery. http://www.earlorfphotos.com/Insects/Exotic-Butterflies-at-Como/n-JsGccD

ShelduckComoParkPaul20160822