The blue color on this eye-catching butterfly comes from light reflecting off the overlapping scales on the butterfly wings. The brown underside helps camouflage the butterfly as it eats rotting fruit on the forest floor.
Range
Columbia and Venezuela to Mexico
Habitat
Tropical forest
Diet
Juice from rotting fruit
Attracting butterflies to your yard can be very rewarding! To attract butterflies, you must provide flowers that have nectar and host plants for them to lay their eggs on. Native plants that contain nectar include phlox, azaleas, thistles, fruit trees, zinnias, ironweed, goldenrod, coneflower, buttonbush, asters, blazing star, red clover, monarda and jewelweed. At the nursery you can buy: petunias, verbena, lilac, phlox, cosmos, lantana, butterfly bush (buddlea), morning glories and gaillardia.
