Cellular nuclei present in the butterfly pupal wing epithelium tissue are the subject of the digital image presented below. The nuclei were imaged with a confocal laser scanning microscope and color-mapped with digital image processing software.

Nuclei in Butterfly Wing Epithelium Specimen: Butterfly Pupal Wing Epithelium Technique: Fluorescence (Color Mapping)

The colored scales on a butterfly's wing serve a variety of purposes, from camouflaging the butterfly to attracting a mate. In fact, the male butterfly's scales even emit a pheromone that aids in the mating process. Some butterflies also have large spots of color that mimic eyes and deceive predators into thinking that they are bigger than they actually are, thus scaring the predators away and saving the butterfly to live another day. Dark-colored scales also help with heat absorption and thermoregulation for these flying cold-blooded insects.