A jewel beetle beside the mushrooms

The Most Beautiful Bugs in the World

April Joy Jovita

When most people think of bugs, they imagine creepy crawlers scurrying across the floor or buzzing annoyingly around their heads. But what if I told you that some of the most stunning creatures on Earth are insects? From iridescent wings that shimmer like stained glass to intricate patterns that rival the finest artwork, the insect ...

Fireflies create yellow dotted lines in a long-exposure night-time image of a grassy field with Lupinus Perennis flowers.

Insects That Produce Light, Electricity, or Sound — Nature’s Bioengineers

April Joy Jovita

Step outside on a warm summer evening, and you might witness one of nature’s most enchanting performances. Tiny lights dance through the darkness, electrical charges pulse through the air, and mysterious sounds fill the night. What you’re experiencing isn’t magic – it’s the incredible world of insect bioengineering. These tiny creatures have evolved extraordinary abilities ...

Insect camouflage on a flower

Bug Camouflage Masterclass: Insects That Imitate Sticks, Leaves, and Rocks

April Joy Jovita

Picture walking through a forest and suddenly realizing that what you thought was a twig is actually moving. Or that seemingly innocent leaf just took flight right before your eyes. Welcome to the incredible world of insect camouflage, where millions of years of evolution have created some of nature’s most mind-blowing illusions. These tiny magicians ...

a close up of a grasshopper on a leaf

Why Stick Insects Evolved to Be Practically Invisible

Rica Rosal

Imagine walking through a forest and stepping right past a creature that’s been watching you the entire time. You’d never know it was there, despite it being longer than your hand and sitting just inches away. That’s the incredible reality of stick insects, some of nature’s most accomplished masters of disguise. These seemingly ordinary creatures ...

A tiger beetle on the leaf, close-up

Ranking Insects by Superpower (Speed, Strength, Survival, Stealth)

April Joy Jovita

The insect world represents nature’s most diverse laboratory of evolutionary adaptations. With over a million described species and potentially millions more awaiting discovery, insects have developed an astonishing array of capabilities that would make any superhero envious. From ants lifting many times their body weight to mosquitoes that can track prey using thermal vision, these ...

A vibrant butterfly resting on a flower

Why Some Insects Evolved to Lose Their Wings

April Joy Jovita

Flight is one of nature’s most remarkable innovations, allowing creatures to soar above predators, access new food sources, and disperse across vast territories. Yet surprisingly, many insect species have evolved to surrender this seemingly advantageous ability. Across multiple evolutionary lineages, winged ancestors have given rise to wingless descendants in a fascinating example of evolutionary trade-offs. ...

Scarab beetle on a rock

Nature’s Tanks: How Beetles Evolved Armor Stronger Than Steel

April Joy Jovita

In the microscopic battlefields of forest floors and desert plains, an extraordinary evolutionary arms race has been unfolding for millions of years. The humble beetle, often overlooked in our daily lives, has developed one of nature’s most impressive defensive innovations: exoskeletons that can withstand forces that would crush steel. These living tanks represent a pinnacle ...

Why Some Bugs Look Like Bird Droppings (And Why It Works So Well)

Rica Rosal

In the intricate world of natural selection, evolution has crafted some truly remarkable survival strategies. Among these, the phenomenon of insects that mimic bird droppings stands out as particularly fascinating, if somewhat unsavory. These creatures have developed appearances that make them resemble something most predators actively avoid – animal waste. This deceptive disguise represents one ...

Close-up of a vivid blue morpho butterfly perched on lush foliage.

How Some Insects Use Color to Scare, Seduce, or Survive

Rica Rosal

In the kaleidoscopic world of insects, color isn’t merely decorative—it’s a sophisticated communication system millions of years in the making. From the iridescent wings of butterflies to the warning patterns of wasps, insects have mastered the art of using color as a survival tool. These tiny creatures, comprising over a million known species, employ vibrant ...

Meganeura fossil display in the museum

Why Insects Shrunk After the Age of Dinosaurs

April Joy Jovita

The dramatic extinction event that marked the end of the dinosaurs’ reign 66 million years ago reshaped life on Earth in countless ways. While the disappearance of the giant reptiles often captures our imagination, equally fascinating transformations were occurring among the planet’s smaller inhabitants. Among these changes was a significant reduction in insect size—a phenomenon ...