Bluewink
Look for the wink. That little orange-ringed eyespot belongs to a ceraunus blue, a butterfly so small it could rest on your fingertip, with wings only about 2 to 3 cm across. Underneath, it's silver-gray and softly dashed. On top, the males flash lavender-blue. That one bright eyespot may even help steer a predator's attack away from its body.
It's resting on pride of Barbados, whose scientific name, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, means "the most beautiful." Its long red stamens reach far past the ruffled petals, and it's the national flower of Barbados, right there on the country's coat of arms. All that fire, and right in the middle of it, the smallest guest.
This moment of noticing was a special one for me. It was the first time I noticed, and captured, a little Ceraunus Blue butterfly. I’m usually alone in these moments so there was no one for me to go “Did you see that?!” to. Instead, I experienced the moment of awe with myself as I fathomed how small that butterfly truly was. Since then I’ve met baby Ceraunus Blues, and let me tell you, that’s a sight to see. Who knew these tiny things existed? I sure didn’t until I began to notice.
What we protect begins with what we notice. My noticing leads to The Wild Land Project.
About This Image
Common name: Ceraunus blue (likely) on pride of Barbados
Scientific name: Hemiargus ceraunus on Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Location: Northern Belize
Collection: Things with Wings
