The
genus Caria, which is where this Green Mantle Butterfly (Caria
mantinea) belongs, contains some of the most beautiful yet elusive
species of butterfly on the planet. They are only found between
altitudes of 100-1000m and rarely venture out of their rainforest
habitat.
If you are lucky enough to catch the glint of one of these metallic beauties, don’t get your hopes up on finding it again. They tend to flit off very quickly, never to be seen again! The gorgeous emerald “metallic coloration is achieved through the diffraction of sunlight by a series of minutely spaces ridges on each scale of the butterfly wing“. Just in case you were wondering.
If you are lucky enough to catch the glint of one of these metallic beauties, don’t get your hopes up on finding it again. They tend to flit off very quickly, never to be seen again! The gorgeous emerald “metallic coloration is achieved through the diffraction of sunlight by a series of minutely spaces ridges on each scale of the butterfly wing“. Just in case you were wondering.
