Postman Butterflies at Diergaarde Blijdorp, Rotterdam (Holland)

The Postman Butterfly (also known as the Common Postman or simply Postman) is one of the heliconiine butterflies found from Mexico to northern South America. Over their large range, Postman Butterflies have many geographic subspecies with very different markings. The subspecies found in Costa Rica, the Heliconius Melpomene Rosina, is dark brown to brownish black in colour with a broad band of orange across each forewing and a stripe of pale yellow along each hindwing. The orange, yellow, and black colours of this butterfly are a form of aposematic (warning) colouration meant to warn potential predators like birds that it is poisonous.