How do butterflies manage to fly in the wind?

Asked by: Brian McHale, London

Scientists have studied this by tethering individual insects in wind tunnels and training them to fly towards flowers, while filming them in slow motion. They have found that the lightweight insects use a range of flying styles to combat the challenges of staying airborne on windy days. They might clap their wings behind their backs to push themselves forward or ‘waggle’ by twisting their flapping wings, therefore creating miniature whirlwinds that roll off the wing and lift it up. Good posture is important, as is warming up the flight muscles before flight. But windy days can be useful. With help of tailwinds, migrating butterflies can travel at 100km/h at an altitude of several hundred metres!

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