Anybody who has ever handled a moth has noticed how easily its wing scales come loose. When you rub them between your fingers they look like specks of dust. In fact, they are often a component of dust.

When the scales are viewed under a microscope, however, a completely different impression is given, they look like feathers! This shouldn't be too surprising, since they serve many of the same functions as feathers. All the scales shown here came from the wings of a single moth, and a rather plain looking one at that. Imagine all the different shapes, sizes and colors of the scales found on the wings of thousands of species of moths living today!

The third picture inspired tileable wallpaper. Also as JPEG: one   two