Bright colours on bugs are blatent warnings to predators. These are bugs that do not need to blend in (yes, the others hide dully). They may look pretty, but they are poison under that. If someone ate a butterfly like yours, Rosi, they would get very ill and vomit for a couple of hours at the least. Aposematic colouration is more common in the tropics but there are certainly plenty of examples elsewhere. Orange and black, red and blue, all of these bright colours can spell out a nasty surprise. Some bugs are even mimics, wearing a nasty bug's clothing in order to keep themselves safe.
users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/M/Mimicry.html
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