Last night I spotted a gulf fritillary chrysalis near our butterfly garden. This morning the butterfly emerged and was drying its wings.

Did you know wings of a butterfly are hollow and double layered with tubular veins between the wax paper thin layers? According to the book “Florida Butterfly Gardening” there are five radial veins near the forewings edges. In addition, there are three medial and two cubital veins near the middle and outer portion of the wings.

The wings also have one, or two anal veins close to the hind margin of the wings. Again, according to the book “Florida Butterfly Gardening” all of those veins provide a closed polygon, cell, that radiate out at regular intervals.

The veins of course provide support for the butterfly’s delicate wings.

Did you know the wings are comprised of scales, with each one creating one cell. There is a short basal attachment of the scales to the butterfly. It is the scales that provide the coloring of the butterfly’s wings.