In the vicinity of Minusinsk, they found a large red -blooded butterfly / News of the Society of Krasnoyarsk and the Krasnoyarsk Territory / Newslab.ru

In the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, one of the largest and most beautiful butterflies in Russia – Mahaon fell into the lens of forest firefighters.

Mahaion is often called the winged miracle of nature. Maxim Dryukov, deputy head of the Minusinsk forest firefire station, captured this rare copy in a clearing with dandelions in the vicinity of Minusinsk. Bright, yellow, with dark patterns on the sides, it circled from a flower to a flower.

Mahaon from the sailboat family bears the name of an ancient Greek doctor who saved dozens of warriors during the siege of Troy. According to legend, after death in one of his battles, his soul became a beautiful butterfly. In Rus', Mahaon used to be called “Lastochkin’s tail” due to long tails on the lower wings. There are two red spots imitating eyes. This is a disguise from birds.

Mahaon is considered the fastest and strongest butterfly due to energetic wings waves at a speed of up to 30 beats per second. Females are larger, and males are a little brighter. The couples find each other thanks to the production of pheromones.

“After air dances, females lay eggs on the bottom of the leaves of umbrella plants like borshchevik, dill or parsley. As they grow old, the caterpillars change the color from black to green. They pupate, where they lived and fed. After three weeks, they go on the first flight. The same amount of time is allotted for a life in the body of a butterfly, ”the forest -fire center said.

Recall that about 50 years ago, Mahaon was considered a pest and mercilessly exterminated. Now the butterfly is listed in the Red Book of many European countries and in a number of regions of Russia, including the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The reduction in the population of the Mahans is very much affected by forest fires.