The orderly arrangement of nuclei in the wing epithelium of a pupal butterfly is evident in the digital image presented below. The image was captured using a confocal laser scanning microscope and enhanced with digital image processing techniques.

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

Butterflies belong to the order Lepidoptera. In Latin, lepido translates roughly to scale, and ptera is a term for wings. The tiny ridges covering each butterfly wing scale cause light to reflect from different angles resulting in interference, which gives butterfly wings their iridescent quality. These beautiful, cold-blooded insects are most active during the spring and summer, when ample sunlight is available. There are an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 butterfly species in North America alone. More than 20 butterfly and moth species are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.