Abstract The wings of the black butterfly, Pachliopta aristolochiae, are covered by micro- and nanostructured scales that harvest sunlight over a wide spectral and angular range.

The blue morpho butterfly shows off its brightly colored wings when in flight. But at rest, with closed wings, the butterfly reveals a dull brown color that helps the animal blend in with its ...

The transformation from caterpillar to butterfly usually happens quietly, inside a firm opaque husk that protects the pupa as it slowly forms its showy wings. Back in 2015, at a summer course in ...

Evading predators A common use of colour is as a defence against predators. Some species have developed large eyespots on their wings, tricking predators into thinking they have come face to face with ...

The Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden team at the National Museum of Play has raised the bar by introducing a variety of birds and animals into the butterfly garden to create a lively ecosystem that ...

A zebra's stripes, a seashell's spirals, a butterfly's wings: these are all examples of patterns in nature. The formation of patterns is a puzzle for mathematicians and biologists alike.

Under the electron microscope, the cattleheart butterfly’s wing scales display arrays with a zigzagging appearance—patches of sponge made from chitin with orderly patterns of holes that are ...

Many species of butterfly have eye-spots as part of the pattern on their wings. The Atlas butterfly, for example, has a pattern that looks like the head of a cobra.