aterToday for #MarshMadness I've painted an Alcon blue (Phengaris alcon) and its host plant, marsh gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe). The caterpillars of these butterflies are ant parasites called myrmecophiles. In their last stage before pupation they drop to the ground and begin emitting chemicals that mimic ant larvae. The ants carry them back to their nest to feed and care for them, protecting them even as they pupate.
