They actually cling to one another and make a nest of their bodies, complete with passageways and chambers where the eggs are deposited. Once the queen lays her eggs and these hatch as larvae, a new generation of workers and soldiers synchronistically emerges from the stored pupae. The larvae begin to secrete their characteristic pheromone, and the army is again stimulated to march off and terrorize the bush. The marvelously intricate wing patterns are statements of identity, so that individuals may recognize those with whom mating may be fertile. Not all this elaboration has a solely sexual connotation.
Some butterflies are ornately colored to keep predators at bay.
There are even perfectly tasty butterfly species which mimic the Heliconid's colors, tricking predators to disdain them. Others use their colors as camouflage so that at rest they blend in with the green or brown leaves or look like the scaly bark of a tree. The best time to see butterflies is in the morning, when most species are active. A few are active at dawn and dusk, and there is even one species that is active by night. In general, butterfly populations are most dense in June and July, corresponding with the onset of the rainy season on the Pacific side.