Page 77 - Allah's Artistry in Colour

The brown colour and spots under the wings of the
blue Morpho butterflies provide an excellent means
of camouflage for hiding in the bush. Butterflies
may all of a sudden become invisible in the bush.

sign on the earth belongs to Allah, the
Compassionate. What falls to people with
reason is to reflect upon Allah's attribute of
creating in detail. In Surat an-Nahl, Allah
states as follows:
(He has made subservient to you) also the
things of varying colours He has created for you in the earth. There is cer-
tainly a Sign in that for people who pay heed. (Surat an-Nahl: 13)

Black Spots that Absorb Light
In some butterflies, especially on the parts of their wings that are near
to the body, there are large, dark coloured spots that consist of scales. These
spots, placed on both wings symmetrically, have a very important function
for butterflies. Butterflies make use of these spots in order to reach the body
temperature that is required to fly. How do they do this?
Scales have the properties of modifying heat to minimum or maximum
levels depending on their colours. We have all seen butterflies opening and
closing their wings under the sun as if they are trying to find a certain angle.
The black spots in their wings help those butterflies, which try to attract sun-
light by this movement. A butterfly that needs to warm up its body opens
and closes its wings so that the sunlight falls directly on these spots, and
therefore warms up its body.
Butterflies that live in open lands exposed to sun have lighter colours