When people tell me they don’t like beetles, it makes me want to laugh. Have you had a proper look, my friend? If you like bright colour and metallic shine, then you like beetles. If you’re intrigued by complex structures and intricate machines, then you like beetles.

Here are five beauties, photographed by Udo Schmidt (I very rarely use a single source for my posts, but this is a worthy exception).

1. Eupholus amalulu Porion: Powder blue, stripy, and with the elongated face of a hippo.

2. Stolas mannerheimi: This Peruvian beauty is less than 1.5cm long. So much detail on such a tiny little beast.

3. Henosepilachna reticulata reticulata : Burnt orange with mahogany markings. This one reminds me of a sea shell.

4. Onthophagus schwaneri Vollenhoven: A royal blue scarab

5. Gastrophysa polygoni: Under original post, someone has written ‘nature makes me weep’.

So far, we’ve discovered about 400 000 species of beetle, and we’re probably not even halfway there yet. Out of all the species ever discovered on earth, beetle species make up 25%. That’s impressive, no? Respect to the beetles.