This beautiful butterfly is a Pavon Emperor and it visited So. Texas this week. Normally it is found from Bolivia in South America to Northern Mexico but it occasionally strays north into the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas.

I think the upperside of this butterfly with it’s bluish-purple surface is really astonishing as it is iridescent. Of course you have to view it in sunlight to not only see the silvery iridescence but to even see the color. The orange patch and white band on it’s wings found both on the wings of males like this one as well as on females Pavon Emperor butterflies.

I was very lucky to see and photograph this beauty at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, TX this week. I say very lucky because I am a novice butterfly watcher and would never have been able to find this rare butterfly by myself. Fortunately there were several highly skilled butterfly enthusiasts there who were kind enough to help me see it. That is one of the enjoyable things about nature watching, whether it be butterflies or birds or whatever, many of those who are highly skilled in that specific part of nature are usually willing to share with those less skilled.

Have you ever gone to a nature center, a wildlife refuge, a bird or butterfly center?  If you haven’t, it can be a lot of fun to do.  And you have a good chance of finding others who are skilled in identifying birds or butterflies or dragonflies or native plants who will help you out.   Getting out to enjoy nature is a blast.