Butterfly wing scale. Scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of progressive increased magnifications of a wing scale from a Morpho sp. butterfly,with a fractured cross-section at right. Increased detail of the ridges that form the upper surface of a butterfly wing scale,and the support structures below,are seen. The ridges have a laminate (layered) structure that causes the interference that produces the metallic iridescence and sheen seen on a butterfly's wing. Magnifications,from left to right: x890,x1,800,x6,800,16,800 and x23,00 when printed at 10 centimetres tall |