Contradictory Looks of the Red Admiral Butterfly

This post demonstrates the extremely different looks that Red Admiral butterflies can present to the world. (Being fairly common yet attention-getting, I've shown them before, like here and here.) Today I want to demonstrate how they can (not so magically) disappear.

The trick is in the color pattern of the top and bottom of their wings. When you see the tops of the wings, you see a mostly-black butterfly with vibrant orange lines and sharply contrasting white spots.

July 5, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 221312289, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

But when it raises its wings, abracadabra, it's disappeared! Okay, it hasn't quite disappeared, but it sure blends in with a dirt-stick-leaf background, doesn't it?

July 5, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 221312326, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Although not closely related to the Red Admiral, our Eastern Comma and Question Mark butterflies also have earthy-looking underwings. Sometimes I'm following one of them hoping they'll land so I can get a picture, but when they land I'm no longer able to spot them. (I'm suspicious that predators of these butterflies have a similar difficulty.)


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