Life Cycle of the Blue Morpho Butterfly 

Arche, I'm new to this RU-vid and I think I sent you a reply already1 But, in case you didn't get it I wanted to make sure we communicate. I'm much better on email and my email is: wcooper@uci.edu. Where do you live? I live in north-central Florida, not too far from the University of Florida where they have a large entomology program and where they are rearing a number of endangered species. Bill (also Instagram at billcooperscience)

Good Luck!

Thank you very much! I appreciate the feed-back and the positive feed-back at that!

Thank you, †he blue morpho is an amazing butterfly!

Thank you - it was fun making this one! Bill

Carol Ann, I agree - but the butterflies don't. It is almost impossible to get a good picture of the top of the wings. The blue color is actually not a "blue" but nanoparticles that refract the light. Somewhere I do have a photo of the top of the Blue Morpho, not sure where, but it was a "dead" butterfly that I photographed. If you want me to look, I think I sent it to Kevin for our website: www:prfpr.org or send me an email and l'll look for it" wcooper@uci.edu. Bill

Thank you. This is always special to see all these beautiful butterflies flying around!

Sorry I did not reply. Yes these Blue Morpho are spectacular. The "blue" is not really blue, it is nanocrystals that refract the light to give the blue color. Bill

Yes, They attach their "last segment" of the caterpillar body and then hang upside down as the caterpillar exoskeleton is shed and a lite green chrysalis is left hanging. That is the when metamorphosis happens - caterpillar to butterfly - and the butterfly emerges.

I'm glad you enjoyed this one - it is one of my favorites.

Host plants: Eats Fabaceae such as Wisteria, Arachnis, Trifolium, Muccuna, Cassia. Larvae will feed on a wider range of Fabaceae than adults are willing to oviposit on

Timothy, I do not know where to get caterpillars - you would have to get pupae. However, butterfly gardens have to have importing licenses and get them from licensed exporters. Pierella sends it caterpillars to the Costa Rican Entomological Supply in San Jose. If you send me an email I probably can't help but I can give you more information; wcooper@uci.edu. Bill

115 days

Alex, The Blue Morpho is a tropical butterfly and I looked up its food plant and that didn't help me. YOU have to find a plant that will grow in your location. I photographed these in Costa Rica where it's food plant is all over. I would suggest that you locate a butterfly garden near you and see if they can help you. The Costa Rica Entomological Supply ships to over 130 countries and they ship chrysalis. So some are male and some female, once they mate the female finds the food plant and lays eggs on it and the caterpillars grow. I just don't enough about where in Greece you can get help. Sorry. Bill

​@@WilliamJamesCooper whats the name of that plant..?

@@kheer777 This is embarrassing but I have no idea. For food plant info I would go to Google - Blue Morpho. Morpho peliedes (sp?) is ours.

Grace, I like it also!

William James Cooper glad to hear 👍🏻

HI, glad you liked the story. The butterfly book I have says that in Trinidad the host plant is Paragonia (Bignoniacea) - don't know that myself! Good Luck.

Known larval food plants are Leguminosae (Arachis hypogaea, Dioclea wilsonii, Inga species, Lonchocarpus, Machaerium cobanense, Machaerium salvadorense, Machaerium seemannii, Medicago sativa, Mucuna mutisiana, Pithecellobium, Pterocarpus rohrii, Mucuna urens) and Bignoniaceae (Paragonia pyramidata). Honestly I'm not a plant person - so you may to look these up. Bill Cooper

No, sorry

My first question is where do you live. Second, do you use email - I have article that will help you my email is wcooper@uci.edu. Please say HI and identify yourself so I know who you are. Maybe put "Blue Morpho" in the subject line! I'd love to help you! Bill

The Blue Morpho uses nano-structured scales to refract the sun's light to blue. This is not a blue "dye" organic color. It is like a prism that refracts light. In the case of the Blue Morpho the light is refracted to the iridescent blue on the wings.

@@WilliamJamesCooper I was wondering because I didn't here anything about it in the video or nothing about it in the comments, so thank you.

@@Azzerland Good point - you can't anticipate all of the questions and I'm so glad you raised it. The paper on the nanoscale I think was only published in 2017 - so it is relatively new. Enjoy!!!!!

Smitha, you should see them is person - it is spectacular.

Yes that's correct.

I honestly don't know.

The blue morpho’s entire lifespan lasts only 115 days, which means most of their time is spent eating and reproducing. Eggs - 5 - 8 days Caterpillars - 5

@@WilliamJamesCooper i mean How mamy weeks take time from egg to hatching from crystal

@@annsnxnxnd261 Usually the eggs hatch in 5-8 days, then there are 5 instars of caterpillars, an instar is they eat, shed skin, eat more shed skin, at the end of 5th instar they form a pupa, Instars are 20 - 30 days, then the pupa is 8 - 10 days and butterfly emerges as an adult and they can last as an adult for 1 - 2 months.

@@WilliamJamesCooper from hath to adult take About 40 days?

@@annsnxnxnd261 Yes - that is a good estimate. You may find more detailed information on Google? I'm not an entomologist! I'm a chemist! Bill

I have to apologize I have no idea what plant the leaves are from. I think you can get some ideas of food plants if you "Google" blue morpho butterflies. Sorry, Bill

Hi, the caterpillars usually stick to several plants and I'm not sure that the food plant is for the Blue Moorpho. Sorry, Bill

I apologize for not mentioning the food plant. They use different plants in the "pea" family. They also are attracted to rotating fruits, we use bananas. I was totally focused on the butterfly - totally forgot to mention the food plant. If you want more information it is easy to google the butterfly. Bill