With electron microscopes that magnify butterfly wings 50,000 times their original size, a hidden ‘topography’ emerges ...

from the small number of fossilized butterflies that have been found, primarily in Colorado—and from Kawahara’s personal collection. Then came the enormous task of analyzing the data.

With so many similarities between moths and butterflies, find out what to look for to tell them apart. Here in the UK we tend to think of butterflies as colourful insects flitting about country ...