The Butterflies created from leather here at Log Cabin Leather, are all inspired by real butterflies, and most are portrayed in their real colors. Swallowtail and Hairstreak Butterflies have become some of my favorite subjects because they come in a wide variety of outstanding colors.
In this article, I will share some facts about these amazing creatures. The Leather Butterfly Jewelry, Barrettes, and Accessories are the actual shapes of the beautiful butterflies they portray.
- Butterflies have compound eyes which enables them to see in many different directions at the same time.
- Butterflies do not sleep, they only rest.
The Butterflies that Inspire the Collection
Swallowtail Butterflies
Papillio Ulysses Swallowtail can be identified by its vivid blue color with black edges. It lives in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
The Ulysses butterfly is a large swallowtail butterfly and can have up to a 10″ wingspan! It is named, Ulysses after the Greek Hero from the Odyssey.
Swallowtails are so named because of the forked appearance on their tail which is mostly visible when it rests spreading out its wings.
The Blue Morpho Butterfly has similar colors to the Blue Swallowtail but is missing the tails.
I think the Swallowtail is prettier so I use it more.
Butterfly Fact #1
It is the tiny scales on the butterfly’s wings that give them amazing colors.
Depending on the environment and the direction of the sunlight, the same butterfly can appear to be different colors.
Hairstreak Butterflies
Hairstreak Butterflies are easy to identify by the hair-like tails that hang from their lower wings. Some have a single hair others double.
Evenus coronata, the crowned hairstreak, is found from southern Mexico up to Ecuador in a wide coastal area. It can be found in different shades of blue. Like the swallowtail above, it is a large butterfly.
Blue butterflies have many positive associations. They can be a reminder to be at peace with your life and to feel calm and joy in your situation. As a precious color, a blue butterfly could be a sign to look for value in your life.
Indian Leaf Butterfly
The top of an Indian leaf butterfly’s wings showcase several colors — blue, dark brown, white and orange, usually in diagonal stripes across the front wings. This display makes the butterfly easy for birds to spot when he’s flying. When his wings are closed, however, it’s a different story. The light brown coloring and the way the wings fold up mimic a dead leaf. The wing veins look more like raised ones in a leaf rather than the delicate ones generally found in butterfly wings.
Kallima inachus, the orange oakleaf, Indian oakleaf, or dead leaf, can be found in Tropical Asia from India to Japan. With its wings closed, it is camouflaged as a dead leaf, but when its wings are spread open it’s a whole different story.
Butterfly Fact #2
Butterflies taste with their feet.
Brush-footed butterflies are also called four-footed butterflies because they are known to stand on only four legs while the other two are curled up. On some species, the forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs, which gives this family its other common name ~ the Brush Foot. Monarch Butterflies belong to this family.
Butterfly Fact #3
Most butterflies live only a few weeks, others only a day. Once they become adults, they reproduce and die.
Monarch Butterflies are an exception. In the fall they fly on delicate wings all the way to Mexico and other warm climates for the winter. They return to where they began the next spring only to reproduce and then die.
Butterfly Meaning
- In the whole world, people see the butterfly as representing endurance, change, hope, and life.
- In many cases, a butterfly represents colors, joy, and change.
- In the traditions of several Native American tribes, the butterfly symbolizes resurrection. This insect is a positive guiding force. While most Native American cultures treat the butterfly as a positive symbol, it has meanings that can differ based on context.
- In many cultures, a butterfly landing on you symbolizes that you are being watched over and that someone is sending you a message from the spiritual world.
Butterfly Fact # 4
Butterflies do not sleep, they only rest. When at rest, their wings are folded in half.
When a moth is resting, its wings are folded over its body.