<p>In the present work, an experimental study is carried out to analyse the microstructural characteristics and nanomechanical properties of the forewing membrane of three insect species: <i>Bradinopyga geminata</i> (dragonfly), <i>Melanitis leda</i> (butterfly) and <i>Polistes flavus</i> (wasp). Experiments are performed to obtain their mechanical properties, like Young’s modulus, hardness using the nanoindentation technique, and their membranes’ characteristic features using scanning electron microscopy. The uneven surface topography of these membranes shows different roughness measured by atomic force microscopy. The nanomechanical properties obtained are further used to design the flexible flapping wings of a micro aerial vehicle. The materials are selected for the flexible wings, which have the elastic modulus and the effective stiffness within the range of those of the natural wings tested in the present study. The aerodynamic loads of the flexible flapping wing micro aerial vehicle are measured using a six-axis load sensor for the flexible flapping wings of different chordwise effective stiffness in a quiescent environment. The aerodynamic lift is almost negligible for all wing cases due to symmetric flapping, leading to the dominance of the wing inertia over the aerodynamic forces. The mean aerodynamic thrust per wing beat cycle is positive for all wing cases, and the least stiff wing outperforms the stiffer wings.</p>