How Do Insects Use Camouflage?Insects use camouflage, for the same reason as Man uses it in warfare - as a disguise for the purpose of making a vulnerable object melt into its surroundings. That portion of their wings which is exposed while they rest on rocks, tree trunks, or leaves - in the case of butterflies the underside, in that of moths the upperside -is much less conspicuously colored than the wing-surfaces displayed in the course of flight.

This dull brown or green color is so like the object on which the insect perches that, although fully exposed to view, it can only be detected through the closest scrutiny. Often special shadings of the insect reduce the sharpness of outline and the conspicuous play off shadows. But nature goes even further: butterflies tilt their wings at such an angle as not only to make the most of the concealing coloration, but even to minimize, or perhaps to avoid completely, whatever treacherous shadows might betray the insect's whereabouts.

The most dramatic example of protective resemblance is offered by the beautiful Kallima butterfly of the East Indies. Its large wings are ornamented on the uppermost surface with blue and orange patches, making the insect very conspicuous in flight. While flying it is able to escape capture by birds, hence these bright colors are not a disadvantage. But when it settles on a twig, it can enjoy its well-deserved rest without fear, for it seems to disappear as though by a trick of magic. All it does is to come to rest with its head up and its wings folded together over its back, exposing the brownish dead-leaf-like undersurface which makes it look like a decayed leaf still clinging to the parent stem.