The Sun is synonymous with life on Earth. Its rays are a source of heat and energy, and they enable photosynthesis, a process that lies at the basis of the food chain. Its light is also essential to our perception of objects, their shape and their coloring. Because without light, there are no colors! And without colors, the world of butterflies would be truly sad…
An impressive palette
From sparkling blue to metallic green by way of flamboyant yellow, butterflies are really a treat for the eye. Their coloring can be pigmentary in origin, meaning it’s produced by the pigments present in each of the thousands of minuscule scales spread over their wings. But the most spectacular, dazzling colors are often the result of a very different phenomenon.
Let there be color!
In the presence of sunlight, the transparent scales have the effect of a prism. When it passes through the scales’ complex structures, the light is transformed in such a way that it reflects a particular wavelength that, when perceived by our eye, creates color. This physical phenomenon of light transformation makes possible the creation of an enormous range of tints in butterflies, and is known by the name structural coloration.
They look like sequins...
The structure of the scales on certain butterflies is so special that it creates a unique effect on the wings: iridescence. Rainbow colors on a soap bubble, the shiny eyes of cats in the dark, the hummingbird’s shimmering plumage – these are all examples of iridescence.
A surface is known as iridescent when it reflects different colors depending on the angle it is viewed from. That’s the secret of the astonishing purplish-blue coloration of the Blue Morpho. The effect created by sunlight colliding with the wings of iridescent butterflies produces a magnificent spectacle: the butterfly looks as though it’s sprinkled with real little sequins.
Beyond the scholarly principles of physics behind butterfly coloration, it’s the subtle beauty of these splendid insects that really moves us. Thanks to their thousand and one different colorings, the world of butterflies is truly far from sad...
See the shimmering colors of butterflies in sunlight from up close during Butterflies Go Free!
Jua ni sawa na uhai duniani. Mionzi yake ni chanzo cha joto na nishati, na huwezesha fotosintesi, mchakato ambao uko kwenye msingi wa mlolongo wa chakula. Nuru yake pia ni muhimu kwa utambuzi wetu wa vitu, umbo lao na rangi zao. Kwa sababu bila nuru, hakuna rangi! Bila rangi, ulimwengu wa vipepeo ungekuwa wa kusikitisha sana... kutoka bluu ya kung'aa hadi kijani cha chuma kupitia manjano ya kuvutia, vipepeo ni furaha ya macho. Rangi yao inaweza kuwa na rangi ya rangi, ikimaanisha kwamba hutokezwa na rangi zinazopatikana katika kila moja ya maelfu ya magamba madogo yaliyoenea juu ya mabawa yao. Lakini rangi zenye kuvutia zaidi, zenye kuvutia mara nyingi ni matokeo ya jambo tofauti sana. Acha kuwe na rangi! Wakati wa mwangaza wa jua, magamba hayo yenye uwazi hufanana na prism. Wakati inapopita katika miundo tata ya magamba, mwanga hubadilishwa kwa njia ambayo huonyesha urefu fulani wa wimbi ambao, unapogunduliwa na jicho letu, hutokeza rangi. "Hii ni hali ya kiasili ya mabadiliko ya mwanga ambayo hufanya iwezekane kuunda aina kubwa ya rangi katika vipepeo, na inajulikana kwa jina la ""rangi ya muundo.""" Wao kuangalia kama sequins... Muundo wa magamba ya vipepeo fulani ni wa pekee sana hivi kwamba hutokeza athari ya pekee kwenye mabawa: rangi ya rangi. Rangi za upinde wa mvua kwenye Bubble ya sabuni, macho yenye kung'aa ya paka katika giza, manyoya yenye kung'aa ya ndege anayeitwa hummingbird - haya yote ni mifano ya iridescence. Uso unajulikana kuwa wenye rangi nyangavu unaporudisha rangi tofauti-tofauti ikitegemea pembe unayoitazama. Hiyo ndiyo siri ya rangi ya bluu-nyekundu ya kushangaza ya Blue Morpho. Mwonekano unaotokezwa na mwangaza wa jua unagongana na mabawa ya vipepeo wenye rangi nyangavu hutokeza mandhari yenye kupendeza: vipepeo hao huonekana kana kwamba wamepakwa madoa madogo-madogo. Zaidi ya kanuni za kisayansi za fizikia zilizo nyuma ya rangi ya vipepeo, ni uzuri wa hali ya chini wa wadudu hawa wazuri ambao kwa kweli hutugusa. Shukrani kwa rangi zao elfu moja na moja tofauti, ulimwengu wa vipepeo ni kweli mbali na huzuni... Angalia rangi zenye kung'aa za vipepeo katika mwangaza wa jua kutoka karibu wakati wa Vipepeo Go Free!