Iridescent Collection

Morpho cypris, blue morpho butterfly
Butterfly from Central America. South America. Specimen on display at the Natural History Museum at Tring, part of the Natural History Museum, London

Morpho rhetenor, blue morpho butterfly
Illustrative plate of a blue morpho butterfly from Insects of China by Edward Donovan (1768-1837)

Scarab beetles
The largest shown here, (Scarabaeus sacer), was regarded as sacred in ancient Egypt. Today the species are important to agriculture for their dung burying activities

Polished slab of labradorite
Labradorite (calcium sodium aluminum silicate) can seem dull and grey until the light hits correctly, then an array of colours can be observed glowing on the surface

RAINBOW
A magnificent rainbow arch seems to form a bridge from land to sea, illuminating the foreground fields in iridescent light while the rain clouds disperse

Nakajima C6N Saiun (Iridescent Cloud) (Allied codename Jill), carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II At Freeman Field Arizona

Spiderwort, Tradescantia crassifolia var. acaulis (Iridescent tradescantia, Tradescantia iridescens). Handcoloured copperplate engraving by G. Barclay after W. B

Euchroma gigantea, giant jewel beetle
A specimen of a giant jewel beetle a member of the family (Buprestidae) from South America, from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

Papilio ulysses telegonus, swallowtail butterfly
Butterfly from Australasia/Batjan etc. On display at the Natural History Museum at Tring, part of the Natural History Museum, London

Beetle collection
A diverse collection of beetle specimens held in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

A collection of beetles
A diverse selection of beetles (coleoptera) from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

A collection of birds feathers
Contour feathers, wing coverts and tail coverts from several different species of birds

Morpho menelaus, Amazonian butterfly
An iridescent butterfly from the Amazon. Specimen from display at the Natural History Museum at Tring, part of the Natural History Museum, London

Musophaga rossae, Rosss turaco, female
Skin of turaco collected by 19th Century naturalist Emin Pasha in Tingasi, Equatorial Africa. 10/08/1883. Original NHM label: Musophaga rossae 1887.9.28.45 Date: 1887

Menelaus Blue Morpho butterfly, Morpho menelaus.. Handcolored copperplate engraving from George Shaw and Frederick Nodders The Naturalists Miscellany, 1800

Agyrtria niveipectus, hummingbird display
As Curator and Preserver to the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, in 1851 John Gould compiled an exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds, which were then displayed in 24 custom-made cases

Agyrtria viridiceps, hummingbird display
As Curator and Preserver to the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, in 1851 John Gould compiled an exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds which were displayed in 24 custom-made cases

Agyrtria brevirostris, hummingbird display
As Curator and Preserver to the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, in 1851 John Gould compiled an exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds, which were displayed in 24 custom-made cases

Opal necklace given to the museum in 1958

Hummingbird specimen
As Curator and Preserver to the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, in 1851 John Gould compiled an exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds, which were then displayed in 24 custom-made cases

Hummingbird display case
As Curator and Preserver to the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, in 1851 John Gould compiled an exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds, which were displayed in 24 custom-made cases

Agyrtria leucocaster, hummingbird display
As Curator and Preserver to the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, in 1851 John Gould compiled an exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds, which were then displayed in 24 custom-made cases

Agyrtria candida, hummingbird display
As Curator and Preserver to the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, in 1851 John Gould compiled an exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds which were displayed in 24 custom-made cases

Glaucopsyche lydamus, xerces blue
The xerces blue (Glaucopsyche lydamus) survives in a series of subspecies. The xerces blue is one of them. Underside of butterfly shown here

Nautilus pompilius, nautilus
Specimen shell of the nautilus (Nautilus pompilius), which has been sectioned to show body chamber (largest section), septa (individual chambers) and siphuncle (tube canal)

Argyropelecus sp. hatchetfish
Specimen jar containing hatchetfish (Argyroplectus sp.), held in the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum, London

Pyrrhoxcorax pyrrhocorax, red-billed chough
Plate 29 from William MacGillivrays Watercolour drawings of British Animals (1831-1841)

Columba oenas, stock dove
Plate 2 from John Goulds The Birds of Great Britain, Vol. 4 (1873). Hand coloured lithograph

Ciconia nigra, black stork
Plate 31 from John Goulds The Birds of Great Britain, Vol. 4 (1873). Hand coloured lithograph

Phaethornis anthophilus, pale-bellied hermit
Plate 24, hand coloured lithograph from John Goulds A Monograph of the Trochilid, or Family of Hummingbirds, Vol.1, (1849-61)

Chalcophaps indica, emerald dove
Plate 82, painting by Pieter Cornelius de Bevere, from the Loten Collection of coloured drawings of Birds, Mammals, Insects & Plants, (1754-57)

Columba livia, rock dove
Plate 3 from John Goulds The Birds of Great Britain, Vol. 4 (1873). Hand coloured lithograph

Ptiloris magnificus, magnificent riflebird

Hemiprocne mystacea, moustached treeswift
Plate 24 from John Goulds The Birds of Asia, Vol. 1, (1850-83). Hand coloured lithograph

Lophophorus impejanus, Himalayan monal
Plate 53 from John Goulds The Birds of Asia, Vol. 7, (1850-83). Hand coloured lithograph

Chalcophyllite
Chalcopyrite or copper pyrite comprises of (copper iron sulphide). Its a common mineral and found in almost all sulphide deposits

Ptiloris victoriae, Victorias riflebird
Plate 50, hand coloured lithograph by John and Elizabeth Gould from John Goulds The Birds of Australia, Supplementary volume, (1840-1848)

Dicrurus aeneus, bronzed drongo
Plate 44, watercolour by Margaret Bushby Lascelles Cockburn from her Neilgherry birds and Miscellaneous, (1858)

Lacewing in amber
Lacewings from the order Neuroptera are gauzy-winged insects, and seen here preserved inside Baltic amber. Specimen dates from the Upper Eocene

Heliodoxa imperatrix, empress brilliant
Plate 192, hand coloured lithograph by John and Elizabeth Gould from John Goulds A Monograph of the Trochilid, or Family of Hummingbirds, Vol.4, (1849-61)

Alcedo atthis, common kingfisher
Plate 61 from Archibald Thorburns second edtition of British Birds, Vol. 2 (1925)

Mayo Belwa, African meteorite
This meteorite formed in a similar way to some igneous rocks in the Earth, and not by condensation of dust from nebular gas. Image from From Behind The Scenes (1987) by Dr Lawrence Mound

Megascolia procer, wasp

Milionia paradisea

Labradorite carving

Carabus violaceus, violet ground beetle
A violet ground beetle is the U.Ks largest ground beetle, they are unable to fly, but travel quickly across the ground

Thalurania watertoni, long-tailed woodnymph
Plate 100, hand coloured lithograph from John Goulds A Monograph of the Trochilid, or Family of Hummingbirds, Vol.2, (1849-61)

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