Blue Morpho

One of the most stunning butterflies of all is the Common Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides). It’s popular at the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing not just because it’s blue, but because it’s a shimmering, iridescent blue that subtly changes depending on the viewing angle. This amazing color isn’t created with pigment–as in the case of the Common Olivewing  (Nessaea aglaura), which has patches of striking turquoise on its wings. Instead, the Blue Morpho boasts wings with what is called structural color, color produced by nano-sized elaborate shapes that reflect and bend light, sort of like a prism. 

By Nathan Brockman, Curator of the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing