July 2026 • Nebraskaland 47
Red is one of those colors that instantly catches your
eye. In the wild, it rarely shows up by accident. Whether
it's a flash of warning, a signal to attract a mate or a clever
form of camouflage, red is a powerful color that Nebraska's
wildlife uses in some fascinating ways.
Re d c o l o r a t i o n u s u a l l y c o m e s f ro m p i g m e n t s —
compounds that absorb some wavelengths of light and
ref lect others. One of the most common is carotenoids,
the same pigments that make carrots orange. Animals
can't make carotenoids on their own, so they get them
from their diet. That's why birds, such as cardinals or
house finches, with richer red tones are often healthier
and better-fed. That brilliant red is a signal of health
and vitality — only the strongest males can maintain
such vivid coloring, which helps them attract mates and
defend territory.
Insects and reptiles might use other pigments like
pteridines or ommochromes, which naturally produce red,
orange or yellow hues. Unlike blue, which is often a trick
of the light, red is usually true pigment — color built right
into the body.
Take the common milkweed beetle, for example. These
bright red beetles with black spots are a striking sight
on milkweed plants during the summer. Their vivid
coloration isn't just for decoration — it's a classic example
of aposematic, or warning, coloration. Milkweed beetles
feed on toxic milkweed, and their bodies store those
chemicals, making them taste bad to predators. That red
color screams, "Don't eat me!" to birds and other hungry
animals, who quickly learn to avoid them.
And we can't forget the milk snake, one of Nebraska's
most striking reptiles. With its bold bands of red, black
and cream or yellow, the milk snake is a true showstopper.
This pattern is a classic case of Batesian mimicry, where
a harmless species imitates a more dangerous one. In
this case, the milk snake's red and black bands resemble
those of the venomous coral snake, which doesn't live in
Nebraska but is well-known in other parts of the country.
Radiant Red
LEFT: A house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) stands
at a feeder in Chadron. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
BELOW: A red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) sits
on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
ABOVE: A female milk snake photographed in the Nebraskaland
Magazine studio. (Lampropeltis triangulum).
JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
