The morpho butterfly

Morpho butterfly. Notoriously hard to photograph, so I finally thought to video it and then took a picture from the video. Ha!

Easily the most striking of the rainforest, is this huge, shimmering blue butterfly that flits along the paths around about head-height. Its large wings are almost entirely a bright sky-blue, with black to the edges. It’s a good six inches (15 cm) high from top wing to bottom. Easily the largest butterfly I’ve seen.

Several tales have been told of it. The first I heard was that it can help lost travellers. If you suddenly discover yourself in the middle of the forest and can no longer find the path (easier than it may sound in a place where visibility is rarely more than ten metres. Well, if you’re daft enough to leave the path in the first place!), then, if you are favoured by the good spirits of the forest, there may appear a Morpho butterfly to aid you. “Follow this butterfly and you will always find the path”. From this, I deduce that it likes open spaces, such as those provided by a regularly trampled forest track. Probably as they provide sufficient space for one of such wide wingspan to travel happily without encumbrance. Certainly most of the time I saw them, they moved along the path a fair way before moving into the forest. Then again, most of the time I was in the forest, I was on the path...

The second story I heard much later on in my stay in the jungle. Nevertheless, I investigated it thoroughly at every available opportunity. It was simply this “If you see a Morpho butterfly, you can be sure it won’t rain for at least 2 hours”. As my time in the forest was sufficiently well-timed to span most of the rainy season, and the weather is notoriously difficult to predict in this region, even such a short-term forecast could be useful. No more so than on washing-day. If you get it right, your clothes can be dry in a morning. If not, it could be at least three days in this humidity, maybe longer... So, do you leave them hanging outside to dry and go for a walk in the hope that is will not rain until you return, or do you hang around all morning in case it starts raining and you can run out and bring in your clothes? Tough decision. A nice walk in the forest now, or clean, dry clothes so you can walk for the next few days...? BUT if you spot a Morpho, you know you can walk for a couple of hours and have dry clothes! :-)

Washing day! Needless to say all is hand-washed in river water.

Is it true? Every time I saw one, it was at least two hours before it rained. There was no evidence to contradict the hypothesis.

Why? Perhaps they like their wings to stay dry. How long do they live for? Maybe they only emerge in the sunshine. Maybe it’s just chance. Further observation is necessary!

Morphed Morpho