The Meadow Argus Butterfly (Junonia villida)
The Meadow Argus Butterfly (Junonia villida) is a butterfly commonly found in Australia. The Meadow Argus has two brownish wings (estimated to be about 55 millimetres) [1], each covered with two distinctive reddish eyespots as well as white and orange marks that appear on the edge of the wings. The eyespots are a defense mechanism that are not only used to frighten predators away, but also to confuse the predators into thinking that the eyespots are the target, allowing the butterfly to escape with only a small part of the wing being lost. As the butterfly rests, it can sit in four different positions depending on the current situation. These positions include: * If the sun is shining, the butterfly will open and relax its wings * If danger approaches while in the sunlight the butterfly will open its wings further revealing eyespots on its hindwings * If the sun is not shining the butterfly will close its wings * If dangers approaches while there is no sunlight the butterfly will raise its frontwings revealing hidden eyespots
Size: 5400px × 3600px
Location: Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois, USA
Photo credit: © PanoramaSv / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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