The red cracker
It may be hard to understand at first why this gorgeous butterfly with its blue markings would be called red cracker. But that’s because the butterfly spend so much time perched with their wings splayed open. The upperside is black-blue marbled. The underside of the hindwing is brick red. The forewing has a wide white band.
Males and females are similar. It is a medium-sized brushfoot butterfly (family Nymphalidae) with a wingspan of 7,4 - 8,6 cm.
The red cracker (Hamadryas amphinome) is a species of cracker butterfly in the family Nymphalidae (20 members).
They acquired their common name “cracker” due to the unusual way that males produce a "cracking" sound as part of their territorial displays as they fly to interact with other insects.
All crackers species rest head down on a tree trunk, often with the wings spread flat against the bark.
The tropical Red Cracker is native to Mexico, Central America, Cuba and in South America south through Argentina. A rare stray to the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
This picture was taken in the butterfly garden of De Passiflorahoeve in Harskamp, the Netherlands.
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All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.
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.
.
The red cracker
It may be hard to understand at first why this gorgeous butterfly with its blue markings would be called red cracker. But that’s because the butterfly spend so much time perched with their wings splayed open. The upperside is black-blue marbled. The underside of the hindwing is brick red. The forewing has a wide white band.
Males and females are similar. It is a medium-sized brushfoot butterfly (family Nymphalidae) with a wingspan of 7,4 - 8,6 cm.
The red cracker (Hamadryas amphinome) is a species of cracker butterfly in the family Nymphalidae (20 members).
They acquired their common name “cracker” due to the unusual way that males produce a "cracking" sound as part of their territorial displays as they fly to interact with other insects.
All crackers species rest head down on a tree trunk, often with the wings spread flat against the bark.
The tropical Red Cracker is native to Mexico, Central America, Cuba and in South America south through Argentina. A rare stray to the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
This picture was taken in the butterfly garden of De Passiflorahoeve in Harskamp, the Netherlands.
_____________________
All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.
_____________________
.
.