Butterfly scales through the lens of a Foldscope

Jan 15, 2018 • 8:21 PM UTC

California, USA

140x Magnification

Microorganisms

Aaron Pomerantz

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I was really excited to receive a new Foldscope kit recently, and after corresponding with Manu online, we agreed that butterfly scales represent a nice project that others can easily get involved with! Here are some previous posts on the subject: https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=10080 , & https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=16562
Here’s magnification of a butterfly eyespot and through the lens of a #Foldscope below,

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Butterflies are known to follow the “one scale, one color” rule, meaning each scale either has a particular pigment deposited to give it a color (like the black and orange), or its shape determines the structural color (like the blue and purple in the eyespot).
Butterfly scales through the lens of a #Foldscope pic.twitter.com/riunDcLTb6
— Aaron Pomerantz (@AaronPomerantz) January 16, 2018

One thing I really like about @teamfoldscope is how these low cost tools can be used for science education – here at a quick glance you can get an idea of how butterfly patterns are composed of cellular outgrowths (scales) and how scale morphology plays a role in color production.

Darker scales arranged in neat rows, showing ground and cover scales.

A black scale filled with melanin pigment.

A blue scale that appears transparent due to the transmitted light.

Orange scales filled with an ommochrome pigment.

Another angle of the blue scales reveals more of their iridescent structural coloration.
Hope you enjoyed, and if you have questions about investigating butterfly scales with the Foldscope in your area, please do get in touch!

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#butterfly #color #scale #microscope #macro #curious #science