In this week’s three-days weekend, up in the mountain at
Khaoyai, there are many different and weird looking insects comparing it to
Bangkok, however the organism that seems to attract me most are butterflies.
There are plentiful butterflies here but how come all of them with different
wings colour even though they fly in the same group; some are red, some are
yellow and some are even transparent. One is mainly due to the thickness of
their wings. According to my research, butterfly’s wings are covered with
thousands of tiny scales that split into two to three layers.
When different light intensity hits the different layers of
butterfly wings, different wavelength of visible lights are reflected intensely
either in one specific colour spectrum or the combination of spectrums which
creates variety of species of butterfly.
Butterfly wings are also capable of communication or
camouflage to hide from their predators despite the optical effects we see
(rather than a pigment), which allow us to see a particular colour when
reacting with light. Butterfly colour also exaplins its evolution and
development as well. If someone touches their wings, you might rub off some of
the colour on their wings because they are are really delicate and in small
scales.
Their wings also need to be at specific range of
temperature, or else they will not be able to fly. Since butterflies are
cold-blooded, the need the warmth from the sun to enable them to fly.
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