Butterflies

The two categories, pigmentary and structural, mark a distinct classification of the cause of colour found in all butterflies.

Pigmentary coloration in butterflies tends to be the less fascinating and visually striking class. It yields poorer biological visibility and less remarkable optical effects than colour generated though microstructures. The pigments commonly found in butterflies may be classified in four main molecular categories - melanins, pterins, ommochromes and flavonoids.

 

 

 

Structural coloration in butterflies has been shown to be the mechanism responsible for the most stunning and visual optical effects, the brightest colours and highest reflectivities. As optical techniques and understanding have developed, new discoveries have been made showing how certain species use ingenious methods to produce their coloration.

Such colour and patterning can act as a means of defence against predation or can be for use in inter- and intra-sexual signalling. The hues exhibited by these scales may be due to the presence of chemical pigments, or they may be structural colour effected when light interacts with nano-scale physical structures.

"Pure drawing is an abstraction. Drawing and colour are not distinct, everything in nature is coloured."

Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)