The Cinnabar signals with its red colour that it is poisonous – a property that dates from the caterpillar stage

How butterflies defend themselves

Butterflies and moths rank low in the food chain and have many natural enemies, such as birds, mice, dragonflies, wasps, bats and spiders. To defend themselves they use various techniques, e.g.:

Deterrence, by markings on the wings or body (in caterpillars) that resemble the eyes of predators
Deterrence, by making “dangerous” sounds
Camouflage, by folding the wings so that they blend into the background
Toxicity, combined with a warning colour that signals: “I am poisonous”.

More photos

The wing pattern serves to attract a mate and, in the Peacock, also to deter enemies such as birds. At the same time it can make clearly audible rustling or rasping sounds that frighten mice and other small creatures, as well as ultrasonic sounds that frighten bats. The sounds are made by rubbing the forewings and hindwings against each other.
The Peacock’s deterrent “eyes” in close-up
The Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar looks like a dangerous monster with its two false “eyes”
With its wings in the resting position, the Peacock is well camouflaged
With its wings in the resting position, the Grayling is well camouflaged
The Cinnabar caterpillar lives on the poisonous plant Common Ragwort. But the caterpillar tolerates the poison, absorbs it into its body and retains it into the adult stage