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Butterfly wings are made of… scales? 🦎⁠ ⁠ Just as the feathers covering birds, other animals like insects are shielded with microscopic scales, helping them to fly, communicate and hide from predators!⁠ ⁠ Butterfly and moth scales, like those from Chrysiridia rhipheus, are special for many reasons. First, they contain different pigments like melanin which provides different shades of brown and yellow by absorbing specific wavelengths of light and reflecting others. There are also structural colors, unlike pigments, which are created by the placement, architecture and organization of scales individually. The iridescence of Chrysiridia rhipheus is the perfect example of structural color variations; when the angle changes, the color changes as well! Basically, the black scales are pigmented while the iridescent scales are caused by thin, transparent layers within the scale itself, resulting in vibrant colors. The same thing happens with peacock and hummingbirds feathers!⁠ ⁠ There are usually two layers of scales on each sides of a butterfly’s wing. The top layer is superficial and covers the ground scales. Both layers differ in pigmentation, structural design as well as in biological function.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ 🎥 & 📝 courtesy of: @tardibabe⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #microscopic #underthemicroscope #underamicroscope #microscope #science #biology #butterfly #butterflywings⁠ ⁠ ⁠