A butterfly in your yard is always a welcome sight, but if that butterfly shimmers? Even better! The red-spotted purple butterfly has an iridescent sheen that makes it truly eye-catching.

“They’re displaying their chemical defense to predators, so birds and lizards, when they see a bright red butterfly, they think, ‘No, I’m not going to eat this thing because it’s toxic.

according to research spanning hundreds of species from the red admiral butterfly to the American lady to the cabbage white. Data from about 76,000 butterfly surveys conducted by various groups ...