Dirce Beauty

Colobura dirce can be most easily observed when feeding on fruit. Males spend a lot of time standing upside down on tree trunks, waiting to chase passing females. With closed wings they may look noticeable, however, from a distance their colouration effectively blends in with the environment (disruptive colouring). Furthermore, the wing shape and pattern resembles 3 a fake head on the rear side of the butterfly. They can rarely be observed with open wings. In that case they display a black and white colouration, indicating that the butterfly is fast and difficult to catch (elusive colouration).