Butterfly Wings Extreme Closeup
2.5-3.5 magnification
Some time ago, I came across a close-up picture of a butterfly. I must admit, it never crossed my mind how the beautiful colours of their wings are created. Fascinated by the surprising image, I immediately thought: I want to see this with my own eyes and capture it with my camera.
papilio peranthus
The butterfly wing consist of ordered arrays of scales.
papilio peranthus
papilio peranthus
There are two ways by which colours are created. Some colours are "just" created by pigments on the scales. But this is not always the case. The colour blue for example arises from sophisticated microstructures on the scales. Such colours are therefore called "structural colours". You cannot see them with a normal microscope, but you need special electron microscopy methods.
papilio peranthus
The discovery of structural colours has inspired scientists to understand their physics and develop techniques to mimic the scales of the butterfly wings on the micro and nano scale. Structural colours are preferred over synthetic dyes as these can be harmful for the environment and tend to easily fade away.
papilio peranthus
The colourful wings have different ecological functions. For example, male and female butterflies sometimes differ in scale morphology. In this way, they can recognize a potential mate from a distance.
Wings also play a role in temperature regulation. Butterflies cannot directly regulate their own temperature and are depended on sunlight. Wings with dark colours can absorb more sunlight. This gives them an advantage in colder regions; as they can warm up their body more easily. Butterflies in warmer regions often have wings with less melanin. This prevent them from overheating.
But just like our hair turns grey with increasing age, butterflies in nature tend to lose colour as well when they get older. This can be explained easily: the scales get damaged while flying around. Also during the process of capturing and storing the insects, the wings can get harmed.
The butterflies photographed on these pictures were captured over 60 years ago. All specimen were handled and stored with great care at Naturalis Biodiversity centre.
