Self-Protection

You may not see butterflies on overcast days, but they’re there. With their wings closed, many butterflies hide their bright colors and blend in with their surroundings.

Some butterflies and moths, including the buckeye and owl butterflies and the io and polyphemus moths, have large eye spots that make them look like scary animals and frighten predators away.

Bright warning coloration and mimicry occur in many groups of butterflies. The monarch caterpillar feeds on milkweed, which makes the adult butterfly bitter and poisonous to birds. Birds learn quickly to avoid its bright orange and black pattern. The viceroy butterfly, on the other hand, is better tasting, but still unpleasent. Because its orange color and black stripes are like the colors of the monarch, birds learn to avoid both at once -- butterflies of both species and the birds benefit!

Eyespots: Io Moth Automeris io	Eyespots: Common Buckeye Junonia coenia
Warning Coloration: Monarch Danaus plexippus	Warning Coloration: Viceroy Limenitis archippus