Iridescent feathers when wet

[lestrout]

Butterfly wings get their beautiful colors not from pigments but from light refraction. Same effect as Newton's Rings like a film of oil on water. So when an iridescent feather like a winter starling's gets wet, will the effect still hold?

 

[mario66pens]

Yes, that is why peacock herl is so effective. I was just reading about this subject today in Gary Borger's Designing Trout Flies.