BUTTERFLIES ON ABACO : COMMON BUCKEYE
At first glance the Common Buckeye Butterfly Junonia coenia looks unpromisingly drab. However, like many butterfly species, the outside appearance is only one side of the story, a facade to enable it to blend in with the scenery. As the header image suggests, this creature has a more more flamboyant and colourful side to it – a feature not confined to butterflies, and extending even to humans…
SEQUENCE OF SLOWLY OPENING WINGS
As it feeds, or as the sun warms its wings, the buckeye will start to reveal itself 
The bright eye-spots of the buckeye, for which it is named, are designed to deter predators, as much as for decorative purposes. Birds, in particular, will be put off by a creature apparently possessing 3 pairs of eyes. This feature is known as aposematism: coloration or prominent markings that signal a warning to potential predators.
The caterpillars and chrysalis of this species look like this
This rather charming illustration of the buckeye species is by Jacob Hübner from his Sammlung exotischer Schmetterlinge Vol. 2 ([1819] – [1827] (Plate32)
Photo Credits: Butterflies by Charlie Skinner (except header, Wiki); Caterpillars & Chrysalis by Megan McCarty via Common Licence
ROLLING HARBOUR ABACO 
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