Dead Leaf Butterfly

Look closely or you’ll miss it. At first glance, this appears to be a leaf but, wait…it has legs and antennae! This is the cleverly disguised Dead Leaf Butterfly (Kallima inachus), sometimes called Orange Oakleaf.

When its wings are closed, it looks like a dried leaf. This incredibly effective, natural camouflage helps it avoid predators. When open, its wings are predominately a bluish-black with striking orange markings. In my next post, I’ll give you a view of this same butterfly with it’s wings open.

This cool creature is a nymphalid butterfly found in tropical Asia from India to Japan.

You can get a better view of the detail in this wing by looking at the larger version; available by clicking on the photo.

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