Cooling, Camouflage, and Solar Tech: Lessons from the Apollo Butterfly via Biomimicry

Apollo Upperwing Image by Adam Gor 

• Wing Span Range (male to female): 70-90mm

• Family: Swallowtails

Co-authors: Michellie Hernandez & Michaela Emch 🌱 

No AI generated content

First Published on LinkedIn: April 23, 2025

Publication date on Blog: May 21, 2025

Introduction: Biomimicry – Learning from Nature, Not Just About It

Nature has always been an abundant source of inspiration for innovation. From the self-cleaning properties of lotus leaves to the gecko’s gravity-defying feet, many scientific breakthroughs have emerged from studying how organisms adapt to their environments. Biomimicry, the practice of learning from these natural wonders to design bio-inspired innovations, allows us to address complex challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested strategies. One particularly intriguing example is the Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo), whose unique wing structures could inspire advancements in areas such as passive cooling, solar energy, and anti-glare materials.

The Apollo Butterfly: A Marvel of Alpine Adaptation

The Apollo butterfly is native to mountainous regions across Europe and Asia, particularly thriving at altitudes of around 2,000 meters above sea level. These extreme environments expose the butterflies to intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation, rapid temperature changes, and harsh weather conditions. Over time, the Apollo butterfly has developed remarkable adaptations that help it survive in these conditions.

One of its most striking features is its wing structure, which selectively reflects infrared light while reflecting minimal UV light radiation. Contrary to initial assumptions, this low UV reflectivity does not indicate low absorption; rather, it suggests that Apollo butterflies absorb more UV radiation. While direct research on the role of UV absorption in the Apollo butterfly remains limited, studies on other butterflies indicate that absorbed radiation may contribute to thermoregulation. Species such as Archeoprepona meander have been shown to use melanin pigmentation and wing-scale nanostructures to regulate heat, which helps maintain body temperature in colder environments. Further research is needed to determine whether Apollo butterflies use similar mechanisms to convert UV absorption into heat via movement or biochemical reactions for survival in alpine climates.

The Science Behind Apollo Butterfly Wings

At the macro scale, Apollo butterfly wings are arranged in a three-leaf pattern, with a wingspan of approximately 70–90 mm. A closer look at the microstructure reveals a fascinating arrangement of overlapping scales, each measuring about 80–100 micrometers in width and 140–200 micrometers in length. These scales are covered in microscopic ridges and grooves, with each ridge featuring a column of overlapping tooth-like structures at a precise 45-degree angle.

These structures contribute to the butterfly’s ability to reflect over 90% of mid-infrared light while reflecting less than 10% of UV light. The infrared reflectivity helps keep the butterfly cool by minimizing heat absorption, while the low UV reflectivity reduces glare and enhances visual camouflage. If the UV radiation is indeed absorbed and converted into heat, it could provide an additional thermoregulatory advantage in high-altitude environments.

Human Applications: What Can We Learn from the Apollo Butterfly?

The Apollo butterfly’s ability to control heat and light reflection offers exciting possibilities for innovation across multiple fields:

• Passive Cooling in Architecture: Traditional cooling systems consume vast amounts of energy. By mimicking the butterfly’s high infrared reflectivity, architects could develop materials that naturally keep buildings cool, reducing reliance on air conditioning.

• Solar Energy Efficiency: The wing structures’ anti-reflective properties could improve solar panel efficiency by capturing more light while minimizing glare and reflection losses.

• Anti-Glare Coatings: By replicating the Apollo butterfly’s wing patterns, scientists could create coatings for eyewear, camera lenses, and windows that reduce glare while maintaining clarity.

• Stealth and Space Applications: The butterfly’s unique optical properties could also benefit military and aerospace industries, where controlling light reflection is critical for stealth technology and spacecraft thermal management.

A biomimetic company, Fusion Bionic, has already successfully engraved nano-scale patterns onto materials using laser technology, suggesting that similar methods could be employed to replicate the Apollo butterfly’s microstructures for improved anti-glare, cooling, and solar applications.

Conclusion: A Future Inspired by Nature

The Apollo butterfly demonstrates how nature provides elegant, efficient solutions to environmental challenges. By studying and applying these principles, we can create more sustainable, adaptive technologies to address pressing global issues. Whether through cooling buildings, enhancing solar energy, or improving protective materials, biomimicry allows us to innovate by learning from nature’s designs. In an era of rapid climate change and technological advancement, the Apollo butterfly’s adaptations remind us that some of the best engineering solutions are already found in the natural world.

References

• Han, Z.W., Niu, S.C., Li, W., & Ren, L.Q. (2013). Preparation of bionic nanostructures from butterfly wings and their low reflectivity of ultraviolet. Applied Physics Letters, 102(23). doi:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4809750

• Kotlarski, S., Gobiet, A., Morin, S., Olefs, M., Rajczak, J., & Samacoïs, R. (2022). 21st Century alpine climate change. Climate Dynamics, 60(1-2), pp.65–86. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06303-3

• Kukkonen, J.M., Mikael von Numers, & Brommer, J.E. (2024). Conserving Apollo butterflies: habitat characteristics and conservation implications in Southwest Finland. Journal of Insect Conservation, 28(6),pp.1199–1210. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-024-00617-9

• Lambert-Auger, F., Rioux, D., Francisco, T., & Després, L. (2024). Impacts of environmental changes on demographic history and genetic structure of the iconic butterfly Parnassius apollo populations in France: implications for conservation. Conservation Genomics Paris, Jun 2024. Paris Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France. ⟨hal-04850907⟩

• Fusion Bionic. (n.d.). Available at: https://fusionbionic.com/en/

• Butterfly Conservation. (2025). Apollo (Parnassius apollo). Available at: https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/apollo?utm_source=chatgpt.com

• Engineering at Columbia. (2023). Beating the heat with living wings. Available at: https://www.engineering.columbia.edu/about/news/beating-heat-living-wings-butterflies?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Quotes:

“Anthropogenic actions, climate change, and habitat loss are among the primary factors causing biodiversity loss and documented declines in terrestrial insects (Kukkonen et. al 2024).”

“Genomic variation of Apollo butterflies associated to climatic variation have identified populations putatively adapted to dry and warm conditions, and populations adapted to

cold and wet conditions (Lambert-Auger et. al 2024).”

Biomimicry species of interest:

“Some natural structures exhibit unique outstanding functions, such as self-cleaning lotus leaves, adhesive force provided by gecko foot-hairs, colorful butterfly wings, and the striking optical effects caused by beetles, photoreceptors in brittlestar, and antireflective moth eyes (Han, Z. W. et. al 2013).”