Transparent Glasswing Butterflys
This magnificent butterfly comes from
Central America and is found from Mexico to Panama.
It is quite common in its zone, but is not easy to find
because of its transparent wings, which are a natural
camouflage mechanism.
A butterfly with transparent wings is rare and
beautiful.
As delicate as finely
blown glass, the presence of this rare tropical gem
is used by rain forest ecologists as an indication
of high habitat quality, and its demise alerts them
of ecological change. Rivaling the refined beauty
of a stained glass window, the translucent wings
of the Glasswing butterfly shimmer in the sunlight
like polished panes of turquoise, orange, green, and red.
Really something isn't it?