While observing a cross section of the spinal cord under the microscope, you notice a butterfly-shaped area on the inside. you would identify this as the?

The butterfly-shaped area inside the spinal cord, visible via cross-section, is the gray matter. The distinct color is due to the absence of the myelin sheath (which is white) in the contents of the gray matter. It is mostly made up of cell bodies and glial cells (non-neuron brain cells).