It occurs at altitudes of up to 900 m (3,000 ft) on both the Pacific and Atlantic slopes of the Andes Ranges, but it is at its most common in lowland forests in the Caribbean region where it inhabits the mid and upper parts of the canopy. Butterfly Rainforest Moment: How do they taste? [1] It can be found from Mexico to the Amazon basin, but is most common in lowland forest in the Caribbean area. The wingspan is about 7 cm (2.8 in). Robert A. Heinlein once said, “Butterflies are not insects, they are self-propelled … Like their well-camouflaged relatives, starry night crackers like to rest head-downward on the trunks of trees with their wings flattened against the bark. Butterfly Rainforest Moment, Starry night cracker Spend a moment in our Butterfly Rainforest with Ryan talking about the Starry night cracker, Hamadryas laodamia, native to Central and South America. These butterflies are related to the other species of Cracker butterflies you’ll see in our exhibit. [4], The adult butterflies do not visit flowers, instead obtaining their nourishment by sucking the juices from rotting fruit. The Starry Night butterfly ranges between Central and South America and was first described by the wealthy Dutch linen merchant Pieter Cramer in 1777. We are open! These butterflies … Learn what else we are doing to keep you safe. Masks are required at all times. [2] The wingspan is about 7 cm (2.8 in). ID: R9TWG8 (RF) Close-up of a female Starry Night Cracker butterfly (Hamadryas laodamia), feeding on … The female has a white band on the underside of the forewing that is broader than the band on the male. Starry night cracker butterfly resting on a green leaf in the garden. [4], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hamadryas_laodamia&oldid=846465038, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 June 2018, at 23:07. Spend a moment in our Butterfly Rainforest with Ryan talking about the Starry night cracker, Hamadryas laodamia, native to Central and South America. The female has a white band on the underside of the forewing that is broader than the band on the male. Starry night cracker butterfly resting on a green leaf in the garden. These butterflies are related to the other species of Cracker butterflies you'll see in our exhibit.You'll be able to recognize the males because they have no white stripes on their wings, while the females look similar to other Cracker species because they do have white stripes.Butterfly Rainforest exhibit:https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/exhibits/butterfly-rainforest/Support the exhibit:https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/support/inspired-giving/cbs-butterfly-rainforest-endowment/ Butterfly Rainforest Moment, Cocoon vs. Chrysalis. [3], The larvae of the starry night cracker feed on the leaves of Dalechampia triphylla, a vine in the family Euphorbiaceae. It appears that the larvae of the starry night cracker store up distasteful toxic chemicals from the leaves, and the jacamars learn to avoid the vividly coloured adult butterflies. The caterpillars have short horns on their heads, the function of which is unknown, and the pupae are bright green. [2], This butterfly is native to the Caribbean area, Central America and tropical South America. The starry night cracker is a black butterfly with iridescent blue speckling on its wings. Spend a moment in our Butterfly Rainforest with Ryan talking about the Starry night cracker, Hamadryas laodamia, native to Central and South America. Bringing a Florida estuary indoors was a challenge! Hamadryas Iaodamia, or the Starry Night butterfly, is unique to this genus because it is the only one of its kind that does not produce this universally identifying crackling sound. The starry night cracker is a black butterfly with iridescent blue speckling on its wings. Hamadryas laodamia, the starry night cracker or starry cracker, is a species of cracker butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. [3] The caterpillars have short horns on their heads, the function of which is unknown, and the pupae are bright green. Published on May 19, 2020 Spend a moment in our Butterfly Rainforest with Ryan talking about the Starry night cracker, Hamadryas laodamia, native to Central and South America. You’ll be able to recognize the males because they have no white stripes on their wings, while the females look similar to other Cracker species because they do have white stripes.