The Common Earl

close up of a teal and black butterfly with black on the top two thirds of the butterfly and teal on the bottom third and green leaves behind it

We’re excited right now to have the Common Earl, Tanaecia julii, on display. This medium-sized member of the Nymphalid family resides in the rainforests and deciduous forests of southern and southeastern Asia. We have not had this butterfly for at least three years. You’ll enjoy seeing the males, who are chocolate brown with blue marginal bands on the hindwings. This coloration helps camouflage them when they bask in the leaf litter in their native habitats.

– Nathan Brockman, Curator of the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing