Aug 28, 2024
although Caligo are a staple in most captive butterfly houses at museums in the US, seeing them in their native range in Costa Rica made them a lot more impressive.
this is the false eye, complete with a false reflection, on the outer hindwing of Caligo illioneus, the dusky owl butterfly. lepidopteran scales, I posit, are the original form of pixel art.
the insides of the wings, however, are a surprisingly plain velvety blue, hinting at their close relationship with the much more brilliantly blue morphos.
I’m holding this poor fellow because it flew directly into the open cafeteria and got stuck in a screen window. after a few photos, I tossed it back into the forest to continue being pretty.
