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Eyes Pattern
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Eyes Patten is common on moth and
butterfly wings.
- In the second picture below, the eye-spot patterns of this Orange Ringlet
Butterfly is loss completely. Those missing eye-spots may have saved its
life.
- Eye spot patterns are common in butterflies. Many species have this pattern on top side, underneath or both side of their front and hind wings. Those spot help the butterflies to survive in two ways.
- Some butterflies have two big eye spots on their hind wings. When they are at rest, they cover the eye spots by the front wings. When a predator come close, the butterfly will suddenly show the eye spots, to scare them away.
- Some other butterflies, as this Orange Ringlet, have only small eyespots. Usually those spots are on the edge of their wings, the less critical part of their body. Those spot are used to puzzle the predator to use it as target. If being attached, the butterfly just loss a small bit of wing edge and fly away. Sometimes we find a butterfly with a small triangular price of wing is missing, just like being bitten off by a bird.
Resting Postures and Eye-spots Patterns
- We noticed an interesting fact about the Meadow Argus Butterfly. When rests, the butterfly will sit in either four postures, depend on the situations.
- When there are the sun light, the butterfly opens it wings in a relax posture. When it feels the danger, such as our approaching, it opens its front wings further to show the hidden eye-spots on its hind wings.
- When there are no sun light, such as the sun shaded by the clouds, the butterfly close its wings. When it feels the danger, it raises its forewings to show the hidden eye-spots, this time, on its front wings. If the danger seems disappear, such as we stop moving, the butterfly rest back in the relax posture about a minute later.
- Eye-spots pattern is believed an importance defence mechanism of butterflies and moths. Eye spot patterns are common in butterflies and moths. Many species have this pattern on top side, underneath or both side of their front and hind wings. Those spot help the butterflies to survive in two ways.
- Some butterflies, like the Meadow Argus, have big eye-spots on their wings. When they are at rest, they cover the eye spots by the front wings. When a predator come close, the butterfly will suddenly show the eye spots, to scare them away.
- Some other butterflies, like the Evening Brown, Orange Ringlet, and the Blues, with only small eyespots. Usually those spots are on the edge of their wings, the less critical part of their body. Those spot are used to puzzle the predator to use it as target. If being attached, the butterfly just loss a small bit of wing edge and fly away. Sometimes we find find a Evening brown butterfly with a small triangular price of wing is missing, just like being bitten off by a bird.
- We found the above Meadow Argus on ground. Its wings, mainly the part with eyespots, were broken. Those eyespots may have save its life. Anyway, this butterfly was not able to fly.
- Please also visit this web pages for more information about defence mechanisms in butterflies.
Why Eye-spot pattern ?
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