Zooming In

The naturalists here should consider ourselves very, very lucky. How many other professionals can say that they regularly relax on a pontoon while searching for loons, feast on a lunch of recently-foraged wild edibles, or participate in a number of other fun programs all summer and get paid to do so?

One of the many perks of working at the Cable Natural History Museum is having the opportunity to represent our organization during programs led by talented guest instructors. This week, I found myself mimicking the color patterns of a white admiral butterfly with messy pastels as classical piano music played in the background--just the thing I'd like to make time for!

In addition to introducing everyone to the science behind
butterfly wings, I set aside some time to create my own piece too!

Diana Randolph expertly instructed our class as a handful of friendly beginner and expert artists interpreted magnified views of butterfly and moth wings. We prepared for the class by first familiarizing ourselves with the subjects of our pieces.

Lepidoptera have always served as fantastic subjects for
artwork. We enjoyed a new perspective using a digital microscope.

Butterflies and moths, having such similar characteristics, fall under the Order of insects known as Lepidoptera. The term itself refers to "scale-winged" beings, and a scrutinizing look at such wings reveals just how fitting that name is. Scales formed by varying configurations of chitin lend to handsome color patterns as light refracts off their surfaces. The resulting visual may serve to repel predators, camouflage the insect against its environment, or even absorb heat for the cold-blooded individual. For the group in Diana's class, each colorful wing serves as inspiration for our craft.

Pastel paintings highlighted both the color and patterning of these intricate wings.