Butterfly wings get their color in ways that almost feel impossible. Up close, each wing is made of countless tiny scales that either hold pigment or manipulate light. The oranges, reds, and browns ...

A selective mating experiment by a curious butterfly breeder has led scientists to a deeper understanding of how butterfly wing color is created and evolves. The study, led by scientists at University ...

Butterfly wings are so synonymous with bold color that few people may wonder what makes them that way. But Yale University researchers studying the green color on the wings of five butterfly species ...

The rich, shimmering colors of some butterfly wings are produced not by pigments, but by a special geometric formation of cells, a new study suggests. Researchers used an X-ray scattering technique to ...

The beautiful patterns on butterfly wings are emerging as exceptional model systems that may reveal much about how the shapes, sizes and colors of specific organisms have evolved, a type of study ...

University at Buffalo biologists who study butterfly wing patterns have inserted into an African butterfly a marker gene from a jellyfish species, resulting in the first transgenic butterflies that ...

A team of physicists that visualized the internal nanostructure of an intact butterfly wing has discovered two physical attributes that make those structures so bright and colorful. “Over millions of ...

A prairie butterfly shifts color, behavior, and eye biology across seasons. Sunlight and air guide how it moves and senses ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The blue morpho butterfly is arguably the most glamorous insect on ...

Butterflies have long been believed to represent transformation and change, thanks to the stunning metamorphosis they must go through to go from caterpillar to the winged pollinator so many of us ...

The fine powder on butterfly wings is actually microscopic scales, crucial for their survival. These scales create vibrant colors for camouflage and warning, aid in flight efficiency by controlling ...