Have you ever wondered how the fragile, delicate wings of a butterfly, coated in colourful ‘dust’ that can easily be brushed off with a touch, manage to withstand the impact of raindrops?
Sunghwan Jung, a scientist from Cornell University, led a study examining the effect of raindrops on butterfly wings, replicating the speed of falling rain.1 Professor Jung compared the force of these impacts to bowling balls falling from the sky onto humans.2 The unique structures on the surface of butterfly wings provide remarkable protection, allowing them to endure such force without damage.
Butterfly wings are covered in complex microstructures that can only be seen under a microscope. Upon contact with a raindrop, these tiny protrusions scatter the energy of the drop, causing a single large droplet to split into numerous smaller ones.
Wings are also coated with waxy structures that make them water-resistant, causing raindrops to roll off almost instantly. Studies have shown that this thin wax layer reduces the time water stays in contact with the wings by 70%.1 Without this layer, the water would linger on the wings, leading to significant heat loss, which poses a serious challenge for such small creatures. Thankfully, this ensures that butterflies remain both dry and warm.
Similar microstructures and nanoscale wax coatings have been found on dragonfly wings, moth wings, bird feathers, and plant leaves.
How Did Butterfly Wings Develop?
If these remarkable structures enable butterflies to survive and fly, how did they evolve? Is it possible that they emerged through random changes driven by natural forces over millions of years?
In order for a butterfly to flap its wings, the wing surfaces must be connected to strong yet lightweight materials and structures, efficient ‘landing gear’, a navigation system, and aerodynamic forms, all functioning together seamlessly. Nature alone lacks the intelligence needed to design the precise configuration of components essential for flight.
By the way, we recommend reading the articles:
- Unicorns in the Bible – Myth or Reality?
- Scientists and Philosophers Who Found Faith in God
- Self-Transcendence – The Forgotten Human Need
- Exploring the Origins of Religion
- Eugenics and Its Consequences
Footnotes
- Kim, S. et al., 2020. How a raindrop gets shattered on biological surfaces. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(25), pp. 13901–13907.
- Ramanujan, K., 2020. Armor on butterfly wings protects against heavy rain. Cornell Chronicle, 8 June. Available at: https://cornell.edu.
Compiled from: B. Thomas, ‘Why don’t raindrops bomb butterfly wings?’, Acts&Facts, Institute for Creation Research, August 2020, p. 20.
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