Iridescence

Two lovely examples of iridescent colours seen today..........

... the subtle pink and green highlights in the mother-of-pearl layer of a top shell, picked up on the beach at Whitburn this afternoon. Abrasion by sand has worn away the outer layers of the shell, exposing the lustrous nacreous layer underneath.....

... and the more vibrant iridescent greens and blues of the plumage of the magpie that come to drink at our conservatory gutter every morning ....

For magpie feathers under the microscope, click here