Cinciarella Cyanistes caeruleus

Bold like few others

Its scientific name recalls Aglaia, the youngest of the three Graces, ancient Greek-Roman deities. 
But everyone knows it as the Peacock Eye, because of those large colourful eyes on its wings that seem to stare at us... just like a predator would!
Yes, because those large eyes serve precisely to scare off anyone who wants to eat it: imagine the scene: the butterfly resting on a flower... a predator approaches and... poof... its wings open suddenly and the predator finds itself facing two enormous eyes staring at it... it hesitates for a moment, avoids the attack... just long enough for the butterfly to fly away and find a safe shelter. Around here, the peacock butterfly is a familiar sight and, especially in the warmer months, it can be seen resting on flowers or on the ground along sunny paths. But it is not uncommon to see it in winter too, when it hibernates under bark, in barns or in sheltered niches in old stone walls.
In all seasons, it is a splash of colour that brightens up our days.

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