Mexican Bluewing knows how to hide

The flash of blue along the trail caught our attention, but when we stopped for a closer look, it was hard to spot the Mexican Bluewing.

When the butterfly lands, it likes to hang with its mottled brown outer wings closed so that it looks like a leaf. Its very good camouflage in the woodlands where they prefer to live.

A Mexican Bluewing does its leaf imitation. It is even hard to spot when it lands on tree bark.

This one was was in Resaca de la Palma State Park in Brownsville. They are mostly found in the Rio Grande Valley, Mexico and Central America.