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Butterflies, often seen as delicate creatures, are at the forefront of this colorful mystery. Robert Robbins, curator of Lepidoptera at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., sheds light on their significance.
The Blue Morpho butterfly’s wings exhibit a stunning blue color, not from pigments, but through a phenomenon known as structural coloration. The intricate nanostructures on its wings, resembling tiny Christmas trees, achieve this effect.
This structural coloration isn’t limited to butterflies. From the iridescent plumage of peacocks to the subtle hues of blue jay feathers and even to the blue of human eyes, nature uses this technique extensively.
Blue’s rarity in nature is a curious phenomenon. While abundant in the sky and sea, true blue pigments are almost non-existent in the natural world. This scarcity is due to the complex requirements for producing blue.