10 Vibrant Insects That Could Put an Artist to Shame

Nature has produced insects in nearly every color imaginable, from electric blue and metallic green to brilliant red, yellow, and pink. Those colors are not just there to look pretty. Depending on the species, they can provide camouflage, warn predators, attract mates, or even lure prey within striking distance. Some insects also produce structural colors that shimmer or appear to change as light hits them from different angles. Here are 10 of the most colorful insects found around the world.

The orchid mantis is famous for its flower-like appearance, with females displaying shades of white and pink and broad, petal-shaped legs. Despite the name, researchers have not found evidence that the insect precisely copies one particular orchid species. Instead, its color and shape resemble a more general flower-like signal. That is still remarkably effective. Studies have shown that pollinating insects are attracted to orchid mantises, putting them within range of a predator waiting to strike.

The peacock butterfly looks dramatically different as a caterpillar and an adult. Mature caterpillars are jet black, covered with spines and scattered white spots. After metamorphosis, the adult emerges with striking orange-red upper wings marked by large blue, black, and yellow eyespots. Those markings are more than decoration. When threatened, the butterfly can suddenly expose its wings, and the oversized eye-like patterns help startle or discourage predators. The dark undersides of the wings provide a completely different defense by helping the butterfly blend into its surroundings when resting.

Few butterflies are as immediately recognizable as a blue morpho. The brilliant blue on the upper wings is not produced mainly by blue pigment. Instead, microscopic structures on the wing scales manipulate and reflect light, creating the intense iridescent color. The effect can change with the viewing angle as the butterfly moves. The underside provides a sharp contrast, with brown coloring and eye-like markings that help the butterfly become far less conspicuous when its wings are closed.

Jewel beetles earned their name honestly. Members of the Buprestidae family can display intensely metallic greens, blues, golds, purples, and other colors that appear almost polished. In many species, those colors are structural rather than simply produced by pigment. Microscopic layers within the beetle's cuticle reflect particular wavelengths of light, creating the bright metallic and sometimes iridescent effect. Depending on the species and viewing angle, the colors can shift dramatically as the beetle moves.

Native to Madagascar, the Madagascan sunset moth looks more like an especially flashy butterfly than what many people picture when they hear the word moth. Its wings display brilliant metallic greens, blues, reds, oranges, and purples. Much of that color comes from microscopic structures within the wing scales that create optical interference, producing strong iridescence instead of relying only on pigments. The effect changes as light and viewing angles shift. Unlike many moths, Chrysiridia rhipheus is active during the day, giving all that color plenty of sunlight to work with.

The golden tortoise beetle can look like a tiny drop of polished metal sitting on a leaf. Its expanded outer edges are largely transparent, while the center can shine with a striking metallic gold. The beetle is not always the same color, either. When disturbed, it can lose much of that brilliant golden appearance and become more orange or reddish, with darker markings becoming easier to see. Its metallic shine is a form of structural coloration involving microscopic features within the cuticle, although scientists are still working out exactly how color change operates in this particular species.

Cuckoo wasps include some of the most metallic-looking insects on Earth. Many members of the family Chrysididae shimmer in shades of vivid green, blue, purple, red, and gold, with deeply pitted body surfaces adding to the glittering appearance. Their lifestyle is just as interesting as their coloring. Females lay eggs in the nests of other insects, often solitary bees or wasps. Depending on the species, the young may develop as parasitoids that kill the host or as cleptoparasites that consume food collected for the host's offspring.

Lanternflies belong to a large family of insects with an impressive range of shapes and colors. Some tropical species combine greens, reds, yellows, blues, and intricate patterns, while others hide brighter colors beneath less conspicuous forewings. In some lanternflies, suddenly exposing brightly colored hindwings can help startle or warn potential predators. The exact purpose varies by species, but their elaborate patterns make the group one of the more visually unusual branches of the insect world.

The rainbow grasshopper, Dactylotum bicolor, certainly lives up to its name. Its body is covered with bold bands and patches of reddish-orange, yellow, black, and greenish or bluish tones. This is not an insect trying very hard to disappear. The bright pattern functions as warning coloration, and the species is known to be distasteful to some predators. Rainbow grasshoppers occur in parts of the United States, Canada, and northern Mexico, often in dry areas with sparse or low vegetation.

The Madagascan moon moth, also known as the comet moth, is native to Madagascar and looks every bit as dramatic as its name suggests. Its enormous wings are primarily pale yellow with reddish-brown markings and prominent eyespots, while males are especially notable for the extraordinarily long tails extending from their hind wings. Adults do not feed, relying instead on energy stored during the caterpillar stage. Their adult lives are brief and focused almost entirely on finding a mate and reproducing, which makes an encounter with one of these spectacular moths relatively short-lived.