I would always encourage people to explore and see the wonders of nature in a town by themself. Because this is how I spotted a gorgeous blue and orange butterfly with some intriguing patterns on its hind wings. It turned out to be the “blue pansy,” the state butterfly of Jammu and Kashmir.
While I was roaming out in awe of how beautiful nature was, this vivid blue and orange butterfly fluttered by. Only an hour later did I start looking for more such stunning butterfly species?
Therefore, I came up with this list of 20 absolutely striking blue and orange butterfly species, along with an identification guide. So, without any more dilly-dallying, let’s dive right in.
20 Blue and Orange Butterfly
1. The Blue Spot Pansy
| Scientific name | Junonia westermanni |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | It is occurring on every continent except Europe and Antarctica. |
| Identification | Presence of a bright blue spot near the thorax |
The Blue Spot Pansy, Junonia westermanni, is a member of the brush-footed butterfly family, and our number 1 as a gorgeous blue and orange butterfly.
Near the thorax, there is a vivid blue patch (similar color to a pansy flower) that perhaps explains how it got its nickname. You might come across this species in the center of the Afrotropical region.
A typical blue spot pansy has wings that are around 25 mm wide. Additionally, the larvae feed on Asystasia, Brillantaisia, Barleria, Justicia, Eremomastax, Ruellia, and Pupalia.
2. Tarsoctenus corytus
| Scientific name | Tarsoctenus corytus |
| Family | Hesperiidae |
| Location | Neotropical |
| Identification | Presence of a large, hairy body and a large head, at least as wide or wider than the thorax |
Tarsoctenus corytus is a large and unusually colorful species for a skipper.
While most skippers tend to be small to medium-sized and typically orange, brown, black, white, or gray. A few have iridescent colors, like the blue and orange butterflies on our list.
Due to its frequently swift flight, the wing movement of the Tarsoctenus corytus appears blurred. They have some of nature’s quickest reflexes and can travel at speeds of- up to 37 mph.
The typical characteristics of these butterflies include a big, hairy body, functional forelegs in both sexes, and short, pointed wings.
Skippers always prefer the tropics as their habitat.
3. Firetail Skipper
| Scientific name | Yanguna cometes |
| Family | Hesperiidae |
| Location | Neotropical |
| Identification | A mid-sized hairy body with a large head, and bold, broad white spot on the forewings |
Yanguna is a genus of firetips in its family. The “firetips” or “firetail skippers” refer to butterflies with a burnt orange color tail, hence the name.
The Yanguna comet, known as the comet skipper, shares many characteristics with other members of the family of skippers, including a hairy body, but it is a mid-sized species.
4. Yanguna cosyra
| Scientific name | Yanguna cosyra |
| Family | Hesperiidae |
| Location | Occurs from Guatemala to Colombia and Ecuador |
| Identification | The basal area of the wings is bright red, with white narrow patches on the forewings |
In comparison to their wings, yanguna cosyra have disproportionately large bodies. The six species that make up this genus share a hyaline white median band on the forewings and a black ground color with a blue sheen in common.
This particular species has a dominant orange color near the thorax.
5. Fountainea ryphea
| Scientific name | Fountainea ryphea |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, etc. |
| Identification | The upper surface is generally black, marked with bands of orange |
Fountainea is a genus of Neotropical leaf butterflies. Their wings’ undersides have cryptic patterns that resemble fallen leaves.
The butterfly’s swift and rapid flight is one of its distinguishing features.
They are large-sized, have falcate wings, and are often black on top with bands of orange, bright red, or shiny blue hue.
6. The Pipevine Swallowtail
| Scientific name | Battus philenor |
| Family | Papilionidae |
| Location | North and Central America |
| Identification | A single row of seven orange spots and tiny, light-colored cream dots, embedded in a blue part |
The pipevine swallowtail, sometimes known as the blue swallowtail, is a butterfly living around North and Central America. This butterfly displays blue-green or iridescent-blue hindwings.
Although they can be found in a variety of locations, woodlands are where you are most likely to spot them.
At the margin of the wing, embedded in the blue part, are a single row of seven orange spots and tiny, light-colored cream dots. This is the most distinguishing feature of the pipevine swallowtail.
Adult butterflies often visit different plants than the leaf-eating caterpillars and consume floral nectar.
7. The Scarlet Knight
| Scientific name | Temenis pulchra |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | Central and South America |
| Identification | The upper surface is generally bluish-black, marked with broad orange bands |
Temenis pulchra is a species of butterflies in the family of brush-footed butterflies. Aka the Scarlet Knight is a pretty butterfly from Peru.
This is the only species on our list that has orange as the dominant hue. They occur throughout Central and South America, even feeding on minerals.
8. The Blue Pansy
| Scientific name | Junonia orithya |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | Africa, southern and south-eastern Asia, Cambodia and Australia |
| Identification | The upper surface is generally black, marked with bands of orange |
The blue pansy (Junonia orithya)—not to be confused with the blue-spot pansy (Junonia westermanni)—is its popular name in India; however, in southern Africa, the term “blue pansy” refers to a different Junonia species.
The blue pansy enjoys sunlight and is often seen sitting on bare ground and soaking up the rays.
It has been publicly recognized as the national butterfly of Jammu and Kashmir for significantly enhancing the region’s abundant biodiversity.
9. Oleria Glasswing
| Scientific name | Oleria onega |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | From Colombia to southern Peru, and southwest Brazil |
| Identification | Translucent wings, conspicuous veins, and orange wing edges |
Oleria onega, the Onega clearwing or Onega glasswing, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Since ithomiines are distasteful to birds, many other species have developed appearances that resemble them to save themselves.
The reason “glasswings” are here among the list of blue and orange butterflies is because of their transparent or translucent wings, conspicuous veins, and orange wing edges.
This species is most frequently found in gloomy, damp regions close to rivers or streams. And they generally have a preference for wet tropical rainforest settings.
10. The Lesser Purple Emperor
| Scientific name | Apatura ilia |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | Native to most of Europe and east across the Palearctic |
| Identification | Rear tip of the forewing and hind wing with eyespots with a black center and orange ring. |
Apatura ilia, the lesser purple emperor has this awkward name for its similarity to the purple emperor butterfly.
Contrary to the purple emperor, which is primarily dark with a hint of purple, this species can be orangey brown with white blotches and a white stripe along the hind wing.
Although, extremely rare, the lesser purple emperor can be found in southern Finland. It is not small, nor any smaller than the purple emperor, with which it can be confused as well as with some other species.
11. The Purple-Shot Copper
| Scientific name | Lycaena alciphron |
| Family | Lycaenidae |
| Location | Throughout Europe |
| Identification | The upper surface is generally black, marked with bands of orange |
The look of the purple-shot copper butterfly is highly distinctive, which totally justifies its name.
Because of the extreme sexual dimorphism, men and females have very different coloring. The top sides of their wings are copper orange with black spots.
Fresh specimens exhibit the stunning mauve-violet sheen on the males, which is noticeable even when they fly. They move quickly over the plants, creating a distinctive red-mauve look.
12. The Bathurst Copper
| Scientific name | Paralucia spinifera |
| Family | Lycaenidae |
| Location | Australia |
| Identification | The upper sides of the wings are copper-colored that has a purple, blue, and green iridescence |
Australia is home to the indigenous species Paralucia spinifera, also called the Bathurst copper or purple copper. It’s a little butterfly with a 20 mm or so wingspan.
While sunning, the copper-colored upper sides of the butterfly’s wings exhibit a purple, blue, and green iridescence. The features that set it apart from its sister species are the size, shape, and color of its wings, plus a spine that crosses a foreleg joint.
13. Malay Red Harlequin
| Scientific name | Paralaxita damajanti |
| Family | Riodinidae |
| Location | Indomalayan region |
| Identification | Brilliant metallic blue color with black edge markings and rich orange-red pattern |
The Malay red harlequin, or paralaxita damajanti, is quite mysterious.
Unlike other species, this one is only seen as a shadow in the dense vegetation, and it flies so chaotically and quickly that it is nearly impossible to track where it is gone.
The explanation for the striking appearance could be due to the possibility that insects can see well beyond the visible spectrum, into the ultraviolet.
To mammalian, reptilian, or avian sight, this butterfly is nearly invisible in semi-darkness, yet its unusual pattern and striking colors may be crucial for enabling possible mates to find one another.
Isn’t it wonderful to observe how skillfully it makes use of its appearance to its advantage?
14. The Bellona Metalmark
| Scientific name | Necyria bellona |
| Family | Riodinidae |
| Location | South America |
| Identification | The upper surface is generally black, marked with bands of orange |
The bellona metalmark, Necyria bellona, is present over most of South America. The size of this butterfly is distinctively large.
There are nine subspecies, so different from one another that it would be understandable to mistake them for separate species.
Therefore, their identification process is rather challenging.
The wingspan of the Necyria bellona is 30–40 mm. The wings are deep black, more or less glossed, with metallic bright red dots or curved red and glossy blue bands, and their body is slim.
15. Ithomia derasa
| Scientific name | Ithomia derasa |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | Ecuador and northern Peru |
| Identification | Small eyes, slender abdomens, and long drooping antennae that lack distinct clubs. |
In the darkness of their rainforest and cloud forest habitats, this gorgeous blue and orange butterfly spends a lot of time resting on the leaves of small plants.
They are very nervous, so if you disturb them, they tend to fly away rapidly before settling on another nearby leaf. They fly slowly and have a distinctive deep-wing beat.
16. Batesia hypochlora
| Scientific name | Batesia hypochlora |
| Family | Hesperiidae |
| Location | Found in the upper Amazon areas of Brazil, Ecuador and Peru |
| Identification | The upper side of the wings is blue, with a submarginal band of the same color surrounding the outer margin of the hindwings. |
Mustard & coral colorings are a very peculiar but gorgeous combination. Batesia hypochlora is a stunning sight with a wingspan of 85-95 mm. Midnight blue covers the upper side of its wings, and a submarginal band of the same hue encircles the outer margin of the hindwings.
While the forewings have a noticeable pink patch on them. Depending on the locality, the underside of the hindwings can range in color from light cream to deep saffron.
17. Two-tailed pasha
| Scientific name | Charaxes jasius |
| Family | Hesperiidae |
| Location | Native to Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean region |
| Identification | The upper surface is generally black, marked with bands of orange |
Charaxes jasius, the two-tailed pasha, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.
Although this stunning butterfly is extremely huge and noticeable, it is rarely present in great abundance anywhere.
This is the biggest butterfly found in Europe. The wingspan of a male is between 6.5 and 7.5 cm, whereas that of a female is typically between 7.5 and 9 cm but sometimes even 10 cm.
The Two-tailed Pasha flies incredibly quickly. Due to the deep foxy-brown hue in the middle of its upper wings, this butterfly also has the name Foxy Emperor.
18. Corinna Daggerwing
| Scientific name | Marpesia corinna |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | Eastern Andes from Colombia to Peru. |
| Identification | Topside (recto) wings are brown with an orange bar on the forewing, the hindwing has a purple patch and pale orange margin. |
A beautiful tiny butterfly with vivid orange and purple patterns. Due to its long, dagger-like tails, this butterfly is sometimes known as a corinna daggerwing or a purple daggerwing.
The neotropical region is where the genus Marpesia is primarily restricted. They frequently inhabit areas with tiny streams and waterfalls. These butterflies often hold their wings half-open while feeding, but in cooler weather, they will occasionally sunbathe with their wings wide open.
19. The Poplar Admiral
| Scientific name | Limenitis populi |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | Europe and Asia |
| Identification | Black with broad white stripe on mid-wings. Margin of hind wing with a row of red arc-shaped blotches. |
The poplar admiral (Limenitis populi) is a butterfly in the Limenitidine clade of its family.
The large, seldom-seen Poplar Admiral is one of the biggest butterflies in Europe.
They live around deciduous forests with black poplar (Populus nigra) or aspen (Populus tremula) trees. This is so because the caterpillar only consumes the leaves of these particular tree species.
If we were to describe its appearance, it would be rust-reddish orange with a white pattern on its upper side. Additionally, we might see black spots along with bluish-gray borders.
20. The Dotted Glory
| Scientific name | Asterope markii |
| Family | Nymphalidae |
| Location | Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Guyana, and Venezuela |
| Identification | Black upper side with rich blue sheen and bright orange basal area |
The dotted glory (Asterope markii) is a species of blue and orange butterfly with rounded wings and bold yet gradual designs. The uppersides of all Asterope species are black with a distinct blue or greenish gloss.
Plus, the basal region of most species, including Markii, is bright orange. All species have grey hindwings from the underside with a highly characteristic pattern of black blotches and a metallic greenish or bluish color that varies in intensity.
These butterflies are pretty elusive, and if you do see one, you might only encounter it singly.
Spiritual Meaning of Butterfly
Marvelous and exotic little creatures, butterflies demand our attention whenever they get the chance. Though scientific fans find them fascinating, they also have a significant place in the spiritual realm. Butterflies are symbolic of transformation, optimism, and rebirth across many cultures. Butterfly symbolism conveys feelings of positivity, comfort, hope, and the human soul, along with freedom, earthly beauty, and love.
Basically, they are often connected to two aspects: renewal and rebirth. Butterflies stand for the potential for revival, reminding us that we can overcome obstacles to become revitalized and reborn. Additionally, Butterflies are said to symbolize the soul in several different faiths, suggesting that we are spiritual beings or promoting introspection.
Conclusion
Here we conclude our article with some of the most stunning species of blue and orange butterfly. We prepared this article to the best of our knowledge and so, we hope it serves your purpose of reading. Until next time, stay tuned.
FAQs
Q1. What is a black blue and orange butterfly?
Ans. Though many species share this color combination, one of the most commonly found butterflies in this hue is the Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterfly. Its Wings are black with light-colored spots, or scales, on the trailing edges. On the male, the spots are pale green, and on the female, the spots are iridescent blue. While the underwings feature bright orange spots.
Q2. What is the rarest butterfly color?
Ans. Blue is by far the rarest color found naturally in an animal’s body. To our knowledge, not a single bird, mammal, or reptile produces blue pigment on its body, nor does any other vertebrate. It is quite uncommon to find blue pigment in nature.
Q3. What is the most beautiful butterfly?
Ans. Every butterfly is distinct and wonderful in its own special way. Indeed, butterflies are among the most vibrant, exquisitely patterned, and incredibly attractive animals. If we must still choose any species as the most beautiful, the goliath birdwing butterfly, blue morpho butterfly, peacock butterfly, and swallowtail butterfly will receive this title.
Q4. What is the most famous butterfly?
Ans. The monarch butterfly is the most famous, widely distributed, and commonly seen butterfly species.
Also read:
- Identify Orange And Brown Butterfly Species (2023)
- 15 Types Of Purple Butterfly In Nature (List 2023)
- 20 Yellow and Black Butterfly Types (With Spiritual Meaning & Pictures)
Anjali Prasad, a B. Pharm. graduate who works as a content writer for HowItSee, is based in Delhi. Except for her, not many people take the typical road from healthcare to writing. Her love of writing stemmed from her involvement in the college literature society and her early journaling at the age of 7. Hence, the love of learning and the spirit of exploration are what drew her to this career. You can find her on common social media like Instagram.