Different Ladies - _TNY_6627
The common mormon (Papilio polytes) is just that, common. It is however the reason the various mormon butterfly species are called "Mormons". The females of the species mimic various unpalatable butterfly species so there are several different colour forms which made the people describing them think of polygamy as the males "have several different wives" and associated this with the polygamy of mormons.
The colour form of the female here is known as "cyrus" and looks the most like the males, but other forms have more red and white in their wings.
The dark lady here has recently crawled out of her chrysalis and is hanging underneath it, waiting for her wings to harden enough to allow her to make her maiden flight (which she did a little while after I took this shot).
For a shot of one of the other colour forms, please have a look here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52986224896/
and for a shot of the dorsal side of the wings of a male (which looks a lot like the one here), please go here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52907390990/
Different Ladies - _TNY_6627
The common mormon (Papilio polytes) is just that, common. It is however the reason the various mormon butterfly species are called "Mormons". The females of the species mimic various unpalatable butterfly species so there are several different colour forms which made the people describing them think of polygamy as the males "have several different wives" and associated this with the polygamy of mormons.
The colour form of the female here is known as "cyrus" and looks the most like the males, but other forms have more red and white in their wings.
The dark lady here has recently crawled out of her chrysalis and is hanging underneath it, waiting for her wings to harden enough to allow her to make her maiden flight (which she did a little while after I took this shot).
For a shot of one of the other colour forms, please have a look here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52986224896/
and for a shot of the dorsal side of the wings of a male (which looks a lot like the one here), please go here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52907390990/