Nature Blows My Mind! Macro photos show jewel-like details of butterfly wings

 

Butterfly wings are one of nature's wonders -- their colours inspire artists, their iridescence even prompting scientists to improve anti-counterfeiting technology and holographic solar panels through biomimicry.

But it's not often that we can see them up close, and under a macro photo lens, butterfly wings are even more breathtakingly beautiful. Seen over at This Is Colossal, photographer Linden Gledhill brings us further into the wonderful world of butterflies by zooming in 7X to 17X of life-size with a "fully automated macro focusing rail", saying:

[I am] a biochemist by training, working for a large international pharmaceutical company developing biopharmaceuticals (protein molecules) to treat cancer and diabetes.

I’m completely enchanted by the physical world around me and obsessed by its natural beauty. My career in science has magnified this feeling of awe. For me, photography is a way to capture this physical beauty and to pass this feeling on to others.

 

Many of the images look almost jewel-like, brimming with a rainbow pattern of changing colours.

Gledhill's photos give us a deeper insight into the awesome characteristics of butterflies, with these wings seeming like nature's way of capturing light and transforming it into all possible hues. Let's remember that some of these enchanting butterflies are now endangered; and see many more of Linden Gledhill's images here.