NanaPie wrote: And there was me thinking that the colour for red velvet cakes derived from beetroot.... not that red velvet cakes have ever crossed my lips (as yet).

LOL!! You never know what you will learn on this forum!! Thanks Lynn!

Oh , this is fascinating! Remember Suzanna Marshall's love of beetles and bugs? The iridescence is amazing. I really enjoy finding new beetles in my small deck garden, just not spiders and snakes (shiver). I'm curious, however, about a link in one of Lynn's links. Was that Worm Spit or Worms Pit? LOL Name your website carefully

That must be why my friend gets severe headaches from smarties! I will have to tell her!

This is all just making me smile. All the while we've been munching Smartie's we've been eating bug juice! I remember at camp as a kid calling Kool Aid bug juice. Hmm… I wonder why?

As in red food coloring in red velvet cakes (which was my favorite cake until I read about what was in the red food coloring). Grosses me out to even think about eating that cake now. If I could only give myself that mental block with chocolates!!!!!!

Well the red coating on Smarties was always made with Cochineal - but maybe they use an artificial colour now. It has been used as a red food colouring for a very long time.

Reetzbobeetz wrote: Smarties candy??!
Oh no don't tell me there are bugs in there.

So interesting. And such a fabulous dress! As for the beetle-cide - a few less beetles in the world is okay with me - especially the flying kind. But I am not sure which is worse, wearing beetle wings on a dress or eating ground up beetle in 'Smarties'?

I think the story tried to convince us the bugs shed them but it doesn't matter--I am not wearing bugs!

So.........my entomologist daughter's follows up my email with the dress reconstruction with THIS and the comment that I find the weirdest things! Yes, I think we belong together in the same 'weird' box!

Those are technically "wings" but not its flying wings. They are the hardened covers for the membranous flying wings. The covers are also known as the elytra. Think of a ladybug's "shell."

The elytra used in the dress get their color from the actual structure of the elytra - it's how it reflects light. Jewel beetles have this kind of color. This is why the colors have not faded since 1888! They picked a good species to use. Other species have pigment-based color. Pigment-based color would fade.

The elytra are *not* shed. Only adult beetles have wings (they develop during pupation) and once they are adults, they don't molt so the only way you can get elytra to use for decoration is from a dead beetle. Hopefully, that's how they acquired those for the dress… although I suspect there may have been some beetle-cide.

Wow! Naturally grown sequins, but, like Ritzy, I don't think I could wear bug parts. shiver....although in my young adulthood I did have the most beautiful pair of bright red snake skin shoes and I don't much like snakes either.

loise98 wrote:

Yeah! What Lois said!! :shock:

I don't know what to say. But I guess I'll just say it again, "Where do you come up with this stuff?"