One hundred butterflies tell a story of survival and adaptation in this 30" x 36" work of art, complete with story book. Butterfly Philanthropy Your purchase of butterflies contributes to the preservation of tropical rainforests and also helps villagers in areas so remote that government aid cannot reach them. None of these butterflies are endangered because they are farm-raised which allows them to thrive for their natural life, after which poor villagers collect them and then we buy them. We are America’s largest retailer of framed butterflies and beetles and our purchase of butterflies from the villagers provides hard currency for many to resist selling their forestlands to paper companies for clear cutting. In Papua New Guinea, some families collect butterflies to pay school fees that are often unaffordable. The species collected by us represent some of the most colorful and largest butterflies and beetles anywhere in the world, and all are completely natural and have not been altered. Since they are from tropical rainforests around the world, they are difficult and expensive to acquire, but none are endangered. Our artisans help the Smithsonian Institution preserve valuable insects, and the same care is used with your purchase. BugInABox.com serves customers around the world, and our butterflies have been purchased by the London Museum of Natural Science for their exhibits, so you can be assured of the highest craftsmanship possible. The Art This montage represents the structure and chaos of nature, with organized and unorganized patterns of color shifting from browns to blues to greens and even yellows and whites. Hidden surprises can be discovered upon close examination: in nature, males are prettier than females but only so to attract them; the dangers of survival are mitigated by camouflage that hide butterflies against the blue sky, or startles prey with brilliant iridescence; the colors we see as beautiful oranges and yellows and greens are actually warning signs to predators of death, and have come to exist only because the drab colored butterflies could not survive. What works in our world doesn’t work in the jungle. These butterflies each have a story to tell and are brilliant in color because it worked for them. It helped them survive. While they are a product of their environment and past, they also strive to grow and prosper and adapt. Each generation builds on the best traits from the previous one to become stronger. The results are the brilliant colors only found in a closed ecosystem, collected and presented to you with love from BugInABox.com. What follows are the stories of how a few overcome obstacles and evolve to become stronger. Morpho Cacica-Peru No other butterfly exists today with such large wings that shine so brightly. Found in tropical rain forests and near water, these butterflies follow streams with a fast, erratic flight, dashing through the dappled light and shade. As they pass though a sunny spot, the wings flash electric blue, but in the shadows they appear as dark silhouettes, making it difficult for predators to follow. One moment a brilliant blue object appears but the next instant it has disappeared. The momentary confusion and indecision induced upon a predator is sufficient to help the butterfly escape. The Morpho Cacica caterpillar has purplish brown markings and two diamond-shaped patches on the back. It can be found only in the jungles of Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Guiana. Males are a spectacular metallic-blue color, but females are orange-brown. The undersides of both sexes are silver grayish brown with dark spots near the wing bases. Morphos are unique creatures and have a great story: the villagers who raise them remove the lower abdomen after death because it contains a chemical that destroys the wings. Urania Riphaeus-Madagascar The most colorful moth in the world, with the hindwing color of blue shifting as you change the angle of view into gold-green and then into gold and copper with bands of yellow. Here is the science of why the color is so unusual: it is a result of the scales covering the wing. Pigmented scales have submicroscopic structures varied enough to reflect different wavelengths of the light spectrum. Instead of a hollow scale, the Urania have scales of thin sheets held apart by rods. Mathematical calculations show in order for pure colors to be reflected, two sheets have to be counted as one. An increase in the number of sheets and variation in the distance between them plus the convex shape of the scale, cause reflection of different wavelengths at the same time, giving it a multicolored appearance. Ornithoptera Priamus Poseidon-Papua New Guinea In a special genus, Ornithoptera, or Bird-wing butterflies, this butterfly is a classic example of how a subspecies develops. When the differences between populations are great, individuals can be isolated and defined as a subspecies. In the Australian region, from Queensland to the Solomon Islands, this butterfly differs dramatically in the iridescent background color of the male's wings. The Priamus has green wings, the Urviillianus has blue, and the Croesus has golden wings. Croesus has developed so differently that it is now recognized as a separate species. Males have black and green patterns on the upperside, with the underside of the forewing black with a turquoise center, overlaid with black veins. The females are much larger than the males but their wings are black with white markings. During courtship, the male hovers above the female, beating its wings rapidly. If the female is in flight then the male will follow her every move, and brush the female's antennae with the stiff fringe of hair-scales on each hindwing. This transfers a pheromone to render the female more receptive. Cymothoe Coccinata-Malaysia Brilliant red wings with a touch of brown at the upperside of the hindwing. The male is the more colorful of the species, as is usual in nature, but only so to attract the female and woo her. This insures the survival of the species. A close look at this butterfly tells us that men and women are different, but their differences allow them to work together better. Papilio Ulysses-Papua New Guinea One of the most vivid and largest of all the oriental and black and blue swallowtails, the typical Ulysses flies in Ambonia and Ceram - in the East Indies. From there it can be found in New Guinea and as far as the Solomon Islands, and each island race has its own name. A British lepidopterist , Gervase Mathew, arrived in New Britain in 1883, and writes about the Papilio Ulysses: "Occasionally one passed sufficiently near to afford, apparently an easy shot at my catching it, but somehow, just as I made a stroke at it, it swerved to one side with astonishing celerity. I was probably nervous at the sight of such a brilliant creature". During courtship the male briefly flutters above the female, displaying its iridescent blue wings. Pairing takes place and usually lasts for 2 hours. If disturbed, the female will carry the male for short distances as it hangs beneath her. Flight is strong, controlled, and swift. It flies in woodland and open country with an undulating flight, drinking casually from flowers and puddles of water. Morpho Didius-Peru As you look at the Morpho from different angles, the color shifts from blue to deep violet. Both males and females are a deep metallic-blue, but females have 1/2 inch black borders at the edge of their wings. The undersides are brown with a row of brown-ringed, orange eyespots outlined with a pale, metallic-bronze. The caterpillar is reddish-brown with patches of lime-green. Morphos fly rapidly through dense forest, but the males actually chase each other and will even chase a blue cloth waived in the air. Phoebis Philea-Peru The brilliant yellow makes it easy for predators to see. When everyone can see you, how do you escape? You have to fly faster and move more quickly. That's exactly the skill Phoebis Philea has developed. Males have an orange bar on the forewing, and females have red borders on their hindwing. The caterpillar is a yellowish-green with wrinkles and a black band on the side. Morpho Rhetenor Helena Why are these butterflies so rare? It's the color! The blue coloration is produced by the scattering of light due to air spaces in the wing scales, which are yellow-brown. The females have no air spaces and their wings remain yellow-brown in color. The females sit in the undergrowth awaiting the males which sail around the tree-tops. The explorer Otto Michael, who accompanied Dr. Paul Hahnel on expeditions, gives a very enthusiastic account of the Helena species, bearing the name of the most beautiful woman of the ancient world. The group rhetenor has a characteristic furrowing in the forewing and sexual dimorphism. |
| ||||||
| Layout | | | Montage smaller 20" x 30" $1,995.00 | ||
|
BugInABox.com searches the world for the finest in rare butterflies, beetles, and interesting insects, so you can enjoy them up close and personal.
Copyright 2004 |