BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY

Did you know? Several types of these dazzling butterflies flutter around our Rainforest Expeditions lodges!

Every time you take a hike in the Amazon, the rainforest’s unparalleled biodiversity guarantees you’ll spy strange and beautiful creatures. You can walk along the same trail every day for a week and see different critters every single time! One reason why you always see something different? Camouflage. Even staring at the same spot every day, some creatures hide in plain sight with their clever colors and patterns. The Morpho Butterfly is one of the most striking of these hidden gems!

Blending camouflage with beauty, Morpho Butterflies look like big, bright flashes of blue as they lazily flutter through the forest. Like a flying jewel against a rich green backdrop, the butterfly never fails to capture your attention. Yet at first glance, the still butterfly looks rather plain, with dull, patterned wings. Only when the Morpho Butterfly opens its wings can you see its true, ahem, inner beauty!

Around eighty Morpho Butterfly species brighten tropical habitats, from Mexico all the way south to Paraguay. Several types live in the Tambopata rainforest — you simply can’t miss these showstoppers as they flutter around! Resembling surreal flashes of blue light, you may think that you saw a bird, or even imagined the experience. Also, for a closer look at these unique butterflies, check out awesome videos here and here!

Morpho Butterfly Fun Facts

• Named for mighty Aphrodite: Although “Morpho” means “changed” or “modified,” the word comes from an Ancient Greek epithet meaning “the shapely one.” In fact, this phrase comes from Aphrodite/Venus, the Greco-Roman goddess of love and beauty. Seems only fitting for these dazzling, otherworldly butterflies!


• Iridescent wings: Morpho Butterflies’ shining blue wings are caused by iridescence, as opposed to pigmentation. This means that they’re not really blue! Instead, their wings’ tiny scales reflect light in such a way that they often appear to be bright blue. Learn more about this effect here.


• Studied to fight to counterfeit: Morpho Butterflies’ ability to show near-holographic colors has inspired researchers trying to prevent counterfeiting! One security company imitated the butterfly’s unique wing structure to use on everything from banknotes to medicine.


• Camouflaged beauty: Although the upper sides of Morpho wings are incredibly colorful, underneath is a brown pattern that blends in with the forest floor. This helps to conceal the butterfly from predators — it even tricks birds into biting the “eyes” on the wings as opposed to the actual body of the butterfly!