Butterfly

[Grampa Don]

I found this lying in my yard today. It was dead, but in perfect shape. I looked it up and it's a mourning cloak butterfly.

I had to take a picture of it.

Don

 

[SeaBreeze]

Beautiful butterfly, I wonder why it just died like that.

 

[Grampa Don]

I don't know. At first I thought it was a leaf, because its wings were closed and they are dull brown on the underside. I was surprised when I unfolded it at how colorful it is.

Don

 

[Falcon]

Pretty. I've never seen a live one.

 

[Ruth n Jersey]

Very pretty. Those little powder blue marks look like a painters brush stroke.

 

[Grampa Don]

If you look at the wings under a microscope they look like they're covered with tiny colorful shingles.

Don

 

[Grampa Don]

Here is a photo of the wing through my stereo microscope at 40x. The colors are little flakes.

Don