Una mariposa!" The word mariposa means butterfly in Spanish. I looked over to my host cousin, who had the butterfly resting gently on the back of his phone. My jaw dropped. "How beautiful!" I thought to myself. I had never seen anything like it before... a butterfly with wings that were completely clear with the prettiest shade of pink! I felt as though I were seeing something unique that I might never see again. I was excited and amazed!
I learned that this butterfly is a type of "glasswing butterfly," and the type I saw, with pink on the wings, can be found in the Ecuadorian Amazon region in provinces such as Napo or Pastaza.
Since its wings are clear, the butterfly can camoflauge itself from potential predators! Imagine hiding from something scary by making yourself practically invisible! It's such a great way to keep yourself safe!
As for most butterflies and insects, birds, lizards and frogs constitute the most dangerous predators. However, luckily, this butterfly is not endangered! Through some research, I also discovered that this butterfly can emit smells that make the potential dangers not want to eat it. Predators smell the butterfly or mariposa and think, "Yuck! No, thank you!"
