Arguments for protecting insects usually focus on what they do for us: pollinating crops, recycling nutrients, and controlling pests. In "On the Beauty of Insects," published in the journal BioScience, David L. Wagner of the University of Connecticut and four coauthors argue that conservationists are leaving out one of the most persuasive arguments of all: the inherent beauty of insect species. The piece also serves as a plea to do more to address insect declines, as planet-wide droughts and fires are erase plant and animal life, demands for more beef and lumber erode the world's tropical forests, and other anthropogenic threats tear away at the tree of life.
The wide-ranging article spans human relationships with insects, from ancient Egypt to present-day trends in fashion, design, and tattooing. The authors trace this history from a cricket carved into bone some 14,000 years ago to Victorian gowns embroidered with jewel-beetle wings, to a Brussels palace ceiling covered with the wing cases of about 1.4 million beetles.
The authors plunge into the beauty of nature and double down on why aesthetics should be folded into our decisions about land use and conservation actions. "People will act ardently to protect things they find attractive, beautiful, or otherwise admirable," they write. They see hope in the growing use of apps such as iNaturalist, where the number of people posting insect observations rose 69-fold between 2015 and 2025.
The handsomely illustrated piece pays homage to Howard Ensign Evans and his writings on how little known our planet remains and reinforces the urgent need to protect insect planetary biodiversity before it is swept away by the Anthropocene.
Peter Raven, a member of the author team, passed away after the article had been accepted for publication. The piece seeks to amplify Raven's life-long efforts to protect the planet's extraordinary biodiversity and remind us of the beauty and richness of the third planet from the Sun. Raven served both biodiversity and the biological sciences tirelessly, with unwavering enthusiasm and spirit, most recently as President Emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
The essay ends with a call to action on behalf of creatures who, in the authors' words, "can't vote and need us to advocate for them."
The full Thinking of Biology article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biag085 .
