Blue Morpho

Stacy, period 9

I was wondering if there any other species of butterflies living in the Galapagos Islands besides the Blue Morpho Butterfly you were telling us about in class? I found out some information about the Blue Morpho Butterfly. Its scientific name is Morpho menelaus. It lives in South and Central America, including the Galapagos Islands, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. It is a neotropical butterfly, which means that they are part of a geographical division in South America. The females are are not as brightly colored as the males and have a brown edge with white spots surrounding the blue area. The Blue Morpho Butterfly has a wingspan of about 6 inches (15 cm). For food, they drink juices of rotting fruit using their straw-like proboscis (mouth).

Stacy,
I had mentioned in class seeing the blue morpho in Ecuador, South America. That is great you found in your research that they are found on the islands. I hope I see one on my expedition. A few years ago while doing a bird study in the Andes of Ecuador, I saw the blue morpho in the wild. Before that day, I had only seen them in pictures. It was such a beautiful sight! Only the upper part of the wings are blue; the bottom of the wings are brown. When the butterfly is flitting around, it flashes blue, brown, blue, brown, because of this color variation. Thanks for the information, Stacey.