It's true that most people wouldn't put the words "beautiful" and "insect" together unless they were thinking of butterflies. But there are some beautiful insects that are not butterflies. Like butterflies, these beautiful insects didn't evolve colorful appearances for humans to admire, but to camouflage themselves, warn predators about their bad taste or attract mates.

1. Scarabs

One of the jewel scarabs, this exotic little beetle is not only the most beautiful insect in the world, but arguably the most beautiful animal in the world. The reason is simple. It looks like a drop of molten gold. Even though it has an exoskeleton made of chitin like the lowest cockroach, the light hits it in a way that makes it look gleaming.

2. Orchid Mantis

The orchid mantis bears a striking resemblance to orchids and can easily disguise itself among the flowers. When this colorful insect inhabits an orchid's petals, it's nearly impossible to see it. Four of its six feet look like orchid petals, while the other two are used to catch prey, from butterflies to moths to flies, bees and beetles. The rest of the body is the pale green color of the orchid stem, although the mantis is able to change color. These beautiful insects also eat each other.

3. Picasso bug

Picasso bugs are nature's works of art. Picasso bugs grow to only 1/3 inch long. Its base color is green, but it has eleven red and black spots and a red and yellow wavy band near its head. These colors warn predators that the insect is poisonous, but if that doesn't work, the bug will emit a nasty smell.

4. Rose Maple Moth

With bright yellows and pinks, the rose maple moth is one of the prettiest moths in the world. The rose maple moth is a silk moth, and this family contains some of the most beautiful moths. It gets its name because its caterpillars feed primarily on several species of maple trees, sometimes defoliating them in the process. The smallest silk moth, the rose maple has a wingspan of only 1.25 to 1.75 inches, with females slightly larger than males. Their wings are especially pink and yellow, and they have pink or rosy legs and antennae. Their furry bodies are also yellow, and males have more fuzzy antennae than females.

5. Mourning Capes Butterfly

No list of the prettiest insects would be complete without butterflies and moths, so the butterflies on this list are mourning capes. This gorgeous butterfly looks out of the ordinary. The tops of its wings are a velvety deep maroon. The edges are jagged and the edges look like gold leaf. There are iridescent blue dots between maroon and gold. The underside of the wings is full of grey stripes and the golden edges of the wings can be seen. The mourning coat is the longest-lived of the butterflies and can live for a year. One reason is that they hibernate in winter, which gives them an advantage. Sometimes the mourning cloak emerges from hibernation even before all the snow has melted. Instead of getting nectar from flowers, they drink sap, liquid from rotting fruit, and honeydew from aphids.