Butterfly wings ..?

Question

this is an odd question but something that has me puzzled

my dad in law found a butterfly in his room at Christmas .. which we found odd for starters

it lived a few weeks

he kept it and even now .. in July

it has retained the colour on the wings , shape ... everything

it still looks as fresh now as it did then

is this normal ?

I understand that bettles and other insects are more skeletal .... but would wings remain intact ?

Answer 1

I think butterflies are angels. Cool that he found one in december. He should keep it and mount it. I think that is very special. The fact that it has remained intact is a sign in my opinion. Any loved ones pass away lately?

Answer 2

Yes, the wings don't have a ot of wet tissue to degrade (otherwise they would be too heavy for flying). And the coloring on them is actualy scales, which preserve very well. So it is normal for butterflies to remain intact so long.

Answer 3

I don't know the reasoning behind it, but I know that butterflies and moths can look "fresh" for a very long time. When I was in elementary school, I did a science project where I collected different types of butterflies. I pinned them to a foam board, with no preservative or anything. I did have them under glass, but the glass was opened when I added a new one, and was not in any way hermetically sealed. Once the science far was over, I kept all that stuff, two years later, when we moved, it looked exactly like it did when I first started the project.

I'll check back for answers as to why this is possible. But it is, from my experience, normal.

Edit: Upon searching a little, it seems that once butterflies die, they being to "dehydrate" very quickly. Because they are more skeletal, and have little in the way of bodily fluids, dehydration occurs quickly, allowing for the butterfly to continue to be as beautiful as it was when it died. Attached is a link on both drying and mounting butterflies.

BTW: You doing OK? I won't wait for your answer to give you a sisters-in-mourning hug  (((Pangel)))