What's the powder on butterfly and moth wings?

Question

If you've ever handled a moth, and to a lesser extent a butterfly, you'll notice they're covered in a fine power that rubs off relatively easily. What is that? And what's it for?

Answer 1

Both moths and butterflies have very tiny scales on their wings. They're sort of like the scales on fish, but much smaller; so small that they seem like a fine powder. The size and shape of the scales varies depending on the species, so some of them seem "fuzzier" than others. The scales are made of very thin layers of chitin, which is the same material that the outer shells of insects are made of. The reflection and refraction of light within those layers is what produces the iridescent colors seen on some butterflies. It works the same way that the thin walls of a soap bubble create iridescent colors.

I'm not sure why moths are hairy (most, but not all moths have "hair" on their bodies). Since moths tend to be active at night, and butterflies in the daytime, it may be that the hair helps keep moths warmer at night. It isn't really hair like humans have: it's made of the same thing that wing scales are made of. They're just shaped differently.

These scales do several useful things (aside from making them pretty). The hairs on moths may also provide some of the same benefits:

They help regulate a butterfly's body temperature by either absorbing or reflecting sunlight, depending on the angle the wings are turned to the sun.

They provide protection from the environment: for example, although butterflies and moths aren't completely waterproof, the scales do tend to repel water so that a butterfly can fly through the sprinkler in your yard without getting its wings waterlogged.

The scales also help protect them from predators by making the wings real slippery and hard to hold. If you touch a butterfly's wings, they feel real soft and slippery, like they are coated with talcum powder (actually, it feels even more soft and slippery). Since the scales are loosely attached, they come off easily and act just like talcum powder does to lubricate the wings. This makes it real hard, for example, for a spider to catch a butterfly in its web. The scales stick to the web, but the butterfly slides off and flies away. Spiders that specialize in catching moths and butterflies have webs that are specially designed to deal with this. For example, they might be funnel shaped so that the butterfly slides down into the funnel and is trapped.

Moths also usually have antennae that are more feathery than those of butterflies. Again, I'm not sure why, but since the antennae are what moths and butterflies use to smell with (this was the topic of another recent question), it suggests that moths use their sense of smell more than butterflies do, so they have a more developed "nose".

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What's the powder on butterfly and moth wings?
If you've ever handled a moth, and to a lesser extent a butterfly, you'll notice they're covered in a fine power that rubs off relatively easily. What is that? And what's it for?

Answer 3

In addition to kishore and quizard's excellent answers, the scales on a moth's or butterflies wings can help them escape from a spider's web. Naturally enough, when a flying insect gets caught in a spider's web, the largest point of contact is their wings. For Lepidopterans (moths and butterflies), because their wings are coated in ablative scales, they are able to free their wings from the sticky fibres and (depending on how trapped their body is), possibly free themselves. This defensive mechanism may have been one of the main drivers behind developing the scaly wings, which then were adapted for things like extra strength to the wings (i.e. Morpho butterflies) to allow faster flight; thermoregulation through colour patterns; warning or cryptic colouration; structural support for long flights with melanin crystals (migratory butterflies usually have black wings tips to add strength).

Answer 4

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Do you know what butterfly wings are made of? They're actually pretty complex. The main structure of the wing is made of thin layers of chitin, a protein that also makes up the outer "shell" of the body. These layers are so thin you can see through them. They are covered with thousands of tiny modified hairs called scales, which create the colors and patterns we see. These scales are the "dust" that comes off a butterfly wing if you touch it. The wings also contain a system of veins that circulate blood, and strong muscles on the butterfly's body move the wings up and down. The wings actually move in a figure "8" motion that pushes the butterfly through the air.

Answer 5

Moth Dust

Answer 6

It's not powder, it's their tiny scales that make up the wing.

Answer 7

to protect against soiders etc