Pinned/Dead Butterfly

When a butterfly is placed in an insect collection, the person who prepares it positions its wings according to a convention that facilitates identification. In the photo of a dead, pinned butterfly, note that the trailing edge of the forewings (blue line) is perpendicular to the body’s axis (red line). When the insect has just died, iit remains flexible, allowing collector to insert a pin stabilize its wings in that position until they become dry and stiff. For most of us, this position is how we depict them in our heads when they are alive or flying.