BE ADVISED: On Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, nearby events at Exposition Park and the University of Southern California will impact traffic, parking, and wayfinding in the area. Please consider riding the Metro E (Expo) Line and exiting at USC/Expo station.

Gray Crackers Are Making Some Noise

Keep your eyes and your ears open for these tropical visitors at the Butterfly Pavilion.

Gray Cracker

Among the dazzlingly colorful wings on display at this year's Butterfly Pavilion, one specimen stands out for its acoustics. 

While not as visually spectacular as blue morphos, gray crackers' wings have their own earthy charm. Using crypsis, naturally camouflaging colors that help them hide from predators, these butterflies try to blend into the trees. They've also evolved a very different technique to distract and confuse predators: making some noise. Learn all about the how and why of these noisy butterflies in this video with Forest Urban, NHM's Manager of Invertebrate Live Animals, or visit the Butterfly Pavilion to hear them for yourself. 

For news about the Butterfly Pavilion, click here.