Butterfly Wings and Things

Most of us have watched in wonder as beautiful butterflies flutter their wings to move about. The wings of butterflies are covered with a mosaic of various color patterns, gleaming like jewels and velvet in the sunlight.

Have you ever wondered how those wings work? If you look very closely at butterfly wings, you soon realize that they are very different from each other. Butterfly wings vary widely in size, shape, color and markings.

While there are many different varieties of butterflies, each with unique wing designs, they all have similarities. Each butterfly has four wings: two forewings and two hind wings.

A butterfly has very strong muscles in the thorax that allow the wings to move up and down. This is also the power source for a butterfly to fly in a figure eight style.

The wings of a butterfly develop while it is in transition from the pupa stage. When it emerges from its chrysalis, a butterfly is not immediately able to fly away. That is because the wings are wet and wrinkled.

Before it can fly, the new butterfly has to hang upside down so that blood will pump into the wings. The wings also have to dry before they can be used for flight.

Each wing is very delicate. The butterfly has to use them with care as any damage that takes place to them canít be repaired.

Butterfly wings are actually membranes that get their nourishment from tubular veins that also provide them with oxygen. You must look very closely to see that each wing has thousands of colorful scales with tiny hairs on them.

The amazing colors that we see on a variety of butterfly wings are the result of ultraviolet patterns that we cannot see. The patterns on their wings help the butterfly to blend into to various surroundings for protection. These colors also help attract other butterflies for mating.

The wings on a butterfly are their life force. Without wings, butterflies are unable to move and unable to survive. While the wings appear very small and very thin, do not let that fool you into thinking they are weak.

Butterfly wings are very beautiful but they are also very powerful. They protect the butterfly as well as give it the attractive feature that draws so many of us to their beauty as they flutter freely around the area.