Stunning Photos of the Glass-winged Butterfly

The Glasswinged butterfly (Greta oto) is a beautiful brush-footed butterfly and is a member of the: subfamily Danainae, tribe Ithomiini, subtribe Godyridina. Greta oto adults exhibit a number of interesting behaviours, such as long migrations and lekking (gathering of males for competitive mating displays). The wings are translucent  and is also known as the "Snow Fly" due to their fluffy white fur. Its most common English name is glasswinged butterfly.





As delicate as finely blown glass, the presence of this rare tropical gem is used by rain forest ecologists as an indication of high habitat quality and its demise alerts them of ecological change. Rivaling the refined beauty of a stained glass window, the translucent wings of the Glasswing Butterfly shimmer in the sunlight like polished panes of turquoise, orange, green, and red. The Glasswinged butterfly gets its name because the tissue between the veins of its wings looks like glass, as it lacks the coloured scales found in other butterflies [Source: Wikipedia].