Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Butterfly with false eye

This type of butterfly is very common. It is most distinctive for its "false eye" near the back of its wing. The false eye is a defensive protection. Predators, mostly birds, may think that the large round spot is an eye and attack the back end of the butterfly. The butterfly can survive an attack that takes a chunk out of the back side of its wing.

I do not show many insects on this site, as I have commented before. Why show a generally unpleasant members of the tree of life when Costa Rica is full of so many cute and attractive animals?

You will have to excuse me because I do not know a lot of information to share about insects. As far as I am concerned, they serve three purposes on this planet. (1) They pollinate flowering plants. (2) They provide food for birds and other animals. (3) They are an opportunity for a man to feel manly by answering the call of a wife or girlfriend who has an aversion to the sight of an insect on a hike or, heaven forbid, in a building.

My wife is scared out of her wits by bugs, but fortunately we do not have a problem with bugs in either of our condos in Costa Rica. As a precaution, we at times will use mosquito repellent when before taking a walk to dinner at dusk or before taking a hike in a forested area. We do not encounter bugs along the beach like you do in some areas that have sand flies or other pests.
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9 comments:

  1. NancyJanuary 27, 2009 at 4:21 AM

    I would love to visit Costa Rica some day. Your photos are beautiful.

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  2. SharonJanuary 27, 2009 at 5:53 AM

    Interesting butterfly. I would guess that there are a lot of exotic 'pests' in Costa Rica to match all the exotic birds and animals.

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  3. Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.comJanuary 27, 2009 at 6:35 AM

    It sure blends in with that coloring

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  4. JudyJanuary 27, 2009 at 9:16 AM

    This is a great close up of this critter. Nice focus.

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  5. JillyJanuary 27, 2009 at 10:41 AM

    What beautiful macro photography. I enlarged the shot and it's superb.

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  6. glendaJanuary 27, 2009 at 4:57 PM

    Great shot of that butterfly!

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  7. magiceyeJanuary 27, 2009 at 8:39 PM

    beautiful....
    looks like a fish!

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  8. Jane Hards PhotographyJanuary 28, 2009 at 2:05 AM

    Very educational post and such a gorgeous close up.

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  9. AnonymousJanuary 28, 2009 at 6:46 AM

    I read your blog and I see you like Costa Rica as much as I do. I am sure you already know there are many things you can do while you are in CR but like most people you never know where to look to fine the best places to go. So if you are looking for the best things to do while you are in Costa Rica then check out www.top10costarica.com as I find they have covered ALL you could ever what to know on their website.

    ReplyDelete