The Eyes Have It

The eyespots--they're almost hypnotic. 

And that's what makes the buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) so easily recognizable--the bold pattern of eyespots on the wings, bold enough to startle and scare away prey.

This buckeye (below) fluttered along the grounds of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis, and finally dropped to the bare soil. 

It appeared almost camouflaged...except for those magnificent eyespots.