The Owl Butterfly

We saw one of my favorite butterflies, the Owl Butterfly, during our recent visit to the Florida Museum of Natural History's Butterfly Rainforest. It is a large butterfly that grows up to 8 inches and has huge eye spots resembling owls' eyes on its wings.  It is native to Central and South America.

Owl Butterfly by Greaterumbrage via Flickr

I learned some new facts about these butterflies from the lepidopterist at the butterfly rainforest.  There were many Blue Morpho butterflies flying about and the underside of their wings looks quite similar to the Owl Butterfly. The difference is the Owl Butterfly has one "eye" while the Blue Morpho has several "eyes." 

Blue Morpho by Armando Maynez via Flickr

Another fact I learned is there are nocturnal, diurnal, and crepuscular butterflies. The Owl Butterfly is crepuscular, meaning it is most active during twilight. Now there is an SAT word for you!