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entomologize · 8 months

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Fun fact: common buckeye butterflies (Junonia coenia) can be selectively bred to be blue fairly easily!

It turns out the only thing needed to go from brown to blue is a slightly thicker lamina, which is a flat layer at the bottom of the wing scale:

The lamina's iridescence is caused by the same phenomena as soap bubbles: thin-film interference. When light hits the transparent film of the lamina, it reflects off both the top and bottom of the layer.

Depending on the thickness and refractive properties of the material, the two reflected light waves can be in sync (image below) or cancel each other out. At the perfect thickness, the blue waves of light are enhanced and the butterfly becomes iridescent!

Because the difference in thickness needed to cause iridescence is so slight, it took less than a year to shift a population from just a few blue scales to full-on fabulous blue.

Photos & figures by Rachel Thayer, Nipam Patel, and Edith Smith.

#fun facts #structural color #iridescence #butterflies #buckeye butterfly #insects #bugblr #I just love shiny bugs

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topios · 2 years

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Three common buckeye butterflies mimicking turkey tail mushrooms

#invertober2022 #invertober #buckeye butterfly #turkey tail mushroom #mushroom creatures #creature design #butterflies #marker art #art by me

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everydayesterday · 2 years

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Butterflies: 1. Buckeye Butterfly, 2. Great Spangled Fritillary, 3. Swallowtail, 4 and 5. Monarch. Photos by me.

2022-08-30 to 2022-09-01 Nashville (Shelby Bottoms)

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forsythiahill · 2 years

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The beautiful Buckeye Butterfly enjoying bonariensis verbena (resting on wild violet in background in my Virginia gardens on Forsythia Hill.

#buckeye #common buckeye #buckeye butterfly #butterfly #butterflies #nature #insect #wildlife #beautiful #eyes #nature lover #gardens #forsythia hill #cville #virginia

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bloodredx · 2 years

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Eyespots

Do you think that the First One still watches over us?

Of course not, child. They have no eyes with which to see. This is why you must be kind to any insect, creepy crawly, or critter you see. Especially moths. They carry our secrets on the wind and in the shadows back to their liege, and whisper them the truths we hide in our hearts.

Uh, this piece rapidly spiraled out of control. But my muse kept pushing me to work on this, and I’m glad I did. This is Adamsa Priasi, the First God in my novel universe. A tricky, weird little creature of a god, but they have fun at least. Their domains are many, but include chaos, children, and pranks. Their sacred animals are bugs, but in particular moths are their favorite, as they remind them of what they once were. As one should give blood to the blood god, I am required to give moths to the moth god. Hope y’all enjoy.

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crowjustcant · 1 year

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Buckeye Butterfly

#butterfly #buckeye butterfly

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michael-massa-micon · 1 year

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Buckeye Butterfly - April 2020 You would expect that a butterfly called a Buckeye might be found in Ohio, but it is a common one found in northern Florida and southern Georgia. It is named for the large round markings on its wings which resemble the eyes of a deer, thus a Buckeye. It was resting on the mesh of our screen tent when I captured this image. MWM

#florida #suwanee music camp #live oak fl #buckeye butterfly #junonia coenia

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heartnosekid · 29 days

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