Gallery of Colorful Wings

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Closterocerus coffeellae
A female Closterocerus coffeellae, a fly collected in Colombia, looks drab against a white background and shines against black. (Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

Hymenoptera on white background

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

A common hymenoptera wasp on a white background.

Hymenoptera on black background

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

Hymenoptera wasp against a dark background, revealing colorful wing patterns.

Plain hymenoptera wing

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

A hymenoptera wasp wing on a white background.

Hymenoptera on black background

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

The wing of a hymenoptera wasp on a black background.

Fruit fly wing

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

A fruit fly against a black background reveals a rainbow-colored wing.

Fruit fly wing

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

A fruit fly wing on a white background.

Fruit fly wing

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

Against a black background, the fruit fly wing appears colorful.

Wing of a Shore Fly

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

The wing of a common shore fly.

Shore fly wing color

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

A shore fly wing hides a colorful pattern.

The wing of a fungus gnat looks brown and tan against a white background.

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

The wing of a fungus gnat looks brown and tan against a white background.

In the right light, the fungus gnat wing is jewel-like.

(Image credit: E. Shevtsova/J. Kjaerandsen)

In the right light, the fungus gnat wing is jewel-like.

Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.