The small and gentle wings of a butterfly are pretty awesome; these complex structures protect and stop too much heat from penetrating the insect. People might think that the wings of a butterfly are just like a fingernail or like a feather (that they are lifeless) but wings have living tissues inside them as well as veins that are vital for the insect’s survival. The slightest temperature change can affect butterflies’ ability to fly. Even though the wings must be cool, the thorax of the butterfly must be warm in order to take off, but because the wings are really thin, they heat up faster the rest of the body, making it really hard for them to not overheat. New thermal images have revealed that there are veins that pass through the wings as well as scent patches that males use to release hormones (as well as heat). Butterfly wings, being so thin and transparent, have been a challenge for scientists since in the thermal photos taken it is very difficult to distinguish heat from the wings and the heat from the environment. That is why a scientist employes a new tactic technique to see the heat in butterfly wings. An insect’s wings exoskeleton is partly composed of tube-shaped nanostructures and a thick layer of chitin, which radiates excess heat from the wings. The veins inside the butterfly’s wings are engulfed with a really thick layer of chitin which makes the butterfly want to move when the heat is too high. The chitin as well as the tube-like nanostructures protect the wings to a point, and then promote moving away.
