Uncertain Colour, Pt. 2 - _TNY_6833
The butterfly on the right here is slowly moving its wings to test if they have hardened enough after unpacking from inside the chrysalis is a green-banded swallowtail (Papilio palinurus), also known as the emerald peacock.
The way the colour is achieved in these wings is through refraction of the light and not through pigmentation which result in the green varying quite a lot depending on the angle from the light to the wing and then from the wing to the eye (or in this case: lens).
In this shot, the green is quite cool, but the same specimen here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53676184796/ - it looks almost yellow.
Two more shots illustrating the difference the angle makes here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53668843729/
and here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52917346784/
The one on the left in this shot is the very same species - just showing the ventral side of the wings.
Uncertain Colour, Pt. 2 - _TNY_6833
The butterfly on the right here is slowly moving its wings to test if they have hardened enough after unpacking from inside the chrysalis is a green-banded swallowtail (Papilio palinurus), also known as the emerald peacock.
The way the colour is achieved in these wings is through refraction of the light and not through pigmentation which result in the green varying quite a lot depending on the angle from the light to the wing and then from the wing to the eye (or in this case: lens).
In this shot, the green is quite cool, but the same specimen here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53676184796/ - it looks almost yellow.
Two more shots illustrating the difference the angle makes here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53668843729/
and here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52917346784/
The one on the left in this shot is the very same species - just showing the ventral side of the wings.