If your favorite butterfly is the Monarch, you probably haven't heard of the Greta oto, or the Glasswing butterfly, which is named for its completely transparent wings. That's right, a butterfly with clear wings that look like glass exists.
A recent video that's part of KQED San Francisco's Deep Look science video series deep dives into the world of the stunning transparent insect. Inhabitants of rainforests in South and Central America, Glasswings' transparent wings help them hide from numerous predators. Even when they're flying, they can disappear into the background.
Though their wings look completely clear, if you take a closer look, you'll see tiny hairs, which help protect the wing's surface. Zoom in wayyyy past the hairs and you'll see the surface is rough because it's covered in "miniature towers" made of wax called nanopillars. Nature's original anti-glare coating, nanopillars prevent light from bouncing off the glasswing's clear wings, which are made up of a rough material called chitin. (By itself, the chitin in Glasswing's wings is shiny.) Since their dull wings reflect barely any light, Glasswings can stay invisible in plain sight.
"What makes Glasswings special isn't their luster, but their ability to fade away," the narrator of the Deep Look video concludes.
Researchers are hoping to use what they learn about Glasswing's anti-glare wings to create "new artificial anti-glare coatings," according to the Deep Look video's accompanying article. The coatings could help with light bouncing off phones and glasses. Research about how the Glasswing reduces glare could even help make solar panels more efficient by finding out how to reduce the amount of light that bounces off panels.
Want to learn more about Glasswings or just see their transparent wings in ultra-HD? Watch the Deep Look video below.
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