Tawny Owl Butterfly (Caligo Memnon)

One of the bigger Butterfly House residents is the Tawny Owl. This master of camouflage has a striking feature, it greatly resembles an owl underneath with a pair of very large yellow eyespots.

These eyespots are used to scare away predators.  Imagine being a hungry bird and spotting a delicious looking butterfly. Then, all of a sudden, you see a pair of huge owl eyes staring back at you. That’s enough to make you look for a meal elsewhere.

Because of these eyespots, they’re often mistaken for a Blue Morpho, but owl butterflies don’t have bright dorsal colors. One thing they have in common with Morphos is their taste in snacks, owl butterflies feed on fruit and sap.

Visit Texas Discovery Gardens to see these beautiful bugs up close.