What gives moth and butterfly wings their color?

Tiny, colorful, overlapping scales. Under a microscope they look like shingles on a roof. Some scales are colored red, orange, yellow, brown, black, or white. Others bend and scatter light, so they look blue, silver, violet, or green. The colors may blend in with a background and help hide the butterfly. Or they may stand out and scare enemies away. Often the colors are meant to catch another butterfly’s eye.