Mimic, Hypolimnas misippus <LEP150>

This is a very unusual, exotic butterfly that is thought to have come to the West Indies with the slave trade. It is found in much of the Old World. The female shown in the drawing mimics the African Milkweed Butterfly, a relative of the Monarch. Her wings are bright orange rimmed with black. There are white patches in the black tips and white dots around the black margin. It is sometimes called the Blue Moon because of the male’s white orbs surrounded by iridescent blue, all set against a night-black background. Shown here nectaring on lantana.