What a sweet face!
Print Available - HERE
With Lovely Wing Markings!
And another video. I am using my iPhone and Olloclip lens for the pics above and this video - so no tripod involved. VERY hard to stay still enough and stay in focus - but my goal was to show you how this Hairstreak butterfly rubs his wings together. From my reasearch I found out this:
Hairstreaks usually have a pattern of lines or stripes on the underside wings. These, in combination with ocelli ( false eye markings ) and short tails ( false antennae ) act to divert attention away from the head, and towards the outer edge of the hindwings. By oscillating the wings, the tails are made to wiggle like antennae, further increasing the illusion that the butterfly is 'back to front'. Attacking birds will always aim at the head of a butterfly, but are tricked into aiming at the tail. The butterfly is thus able to escape in the opposite direction unharmed. Another reason for wing-rubbing is that male Hairstreaks have patches of specialised wing scales - 'androconia', located on their upperside forewings. Sacs at the base of these scales contain pheromones. Rubbing the wings together helps to disseminate the pheromones, which attract females and induce them to mate.
This info above from the website -
Learn About Butterflies
More of my Butterfly Images - HERE
And another video. I am using my iPhone and Olloclip lens for the pics above and this video - so no tripod involved. VERY hard to stay still enough and stay in focus - but my goal was to show you how this Hairstreak butterfly rubs his wings together. From my reasearch I found out this:
Hairstreaks usually have a pattern of lines or stripes on the underside wings. These, in combination with ocelli ( false eye markings ) and short tails ( false antennae ) act to divert attention away from the head, and towards the outer edge of the hindwings. By oscillating the wings, the tails are made to wiggle like antennae, further increasing the illusion that the butterfly is 'back to front'. Attacking birds will always aim at the head of a butterfly, but are tricked into aiming at the tail. The butterfly is thus able to escape in the opposite direction unharmed. Another reason for wing-rubbing is that male Hairstreaks have patches of specialised wing scales - 'androconia', located on their upperside forewings. Sacs at the base of these scales contain pheromones. Rubbing the wings together helps to disseminate the pheromones, which attract females and induce them to mate.
This info above from the website -
Learn About Butterflies
More of my Butterfly Images - HERE