Have you ever seen a glasswinged butterfly (Greta oto)?
You might think that this creature is a figment of one's imagination,
perhaps a Photoshopped composite shot of a butterfly blending into a
serene setting, but the truth is that it exists! The aptly named insect
is a brush-footed (or four-footed) butterfly whose wings appear to be
made of glass, though they're not. The tissue within their wings lack
the usually colorful pigments found in other butterflies; thus, they
have a glassy, transparent appearance.
Found primarily in Central America (Mexico through Panama), the
glasswinged butterfly's name in Spanish is Espejitos which translates as
little mirrors. In certain lights, the translucent wing parts have a
glossy, almost reflective quality to them that makes their Spanish name
effectively accurate. Whether they're seen as glass or mirrors, though,
there's something absolutely fascinating about the way these
butterflies' wings offer a surreal look at the environment around the
insect. It's like they're tiny ornaments designed to draw the eye to the
scenic appeal of nature.
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