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Health & Science

See Incredible Insects Up Close With These Creepy-Crawly Photos

March 8, 2024

Photographs selected by Jeff Campagna

Text by

Tracy Scott Forson

They fly and crawl around us constantly, but we rarely take the time to get a thorough, up-close look at insects. They’re generally unwelcomed, especially in homes and at picnics. They strike fear of arachnophobic proportions in many, but they’re really just living their lives, building complex societies (hello, bees) or trying to catch dinner in their webs.

It’s not their fault their numerous eyes, legs and sometimes venomous bites make us uncomfortable. Maybe it’s time to really appreciate the beauty they bring to our world. Take a look.

Treehoppers, masters of mimicry, camouflage themselves as thorns on branches.

Benjamin Gauthier, Wisconsin, 2023

This juvenile flower mantis changes its coloring to match the surrounding flowers.

Sellers Hill, South Africa, 2023

A striped lynx spider assists in the pollination process of a hibiscus flower.

Sritam Kumar Sethy, India, 2023

This skipper butterfly is using its proboscis as a straw, withdrawing nectar from this pink zinnia.

Britney Azcona, Virginia, 2018

Mayflies are among the oldest surviving winged insects, having first appeared more than 300 million years ago.

Catherine Régnier, France, 2023

Two shield bugs create a mirrorlike image on a blade of grass.

Peter Virag, Australia, 2021

Two ladybugs are captured midair as they tumble off of a leaf.

Lita Kishbaugh, Delaware, 2023

A praying mantis makes a meal out of a bumblebee.

Britney Azcona, Virginia, 2018

A leaf serves as a nest for shield bugs protecting a batch of eggs.

Anirban Dutta, India, 2020

Two different insect species, a wasp and a stink bug, share nectar from the same flower.

Utkarsh Patil, India, 2021

Spittlebugs are nymphs of froghopper insects, which produce a cover of foamed-up plant sap that visually resembles saliva, used for camouflage and insulation.

Manaska Mukhopadhyay, India, 2021

A ladybug larva perches on the edge of the tendril of a pumpkin plant and feeds on its leaves.

Sritam Kumar Sethy, India, 2020

When existing as an individual, this insect is known as a grasshopper. When living within a swarm of the same species, they’re referred to as locusts.

Ryan Eckstein, Illinois, 2018

The winged lifespan of mayflies is just a few hours, the time it takes to mate.

Catherine Régnier, France, 2023

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