All things bright and beautiful
As Sir David Attenborough’s new series about animals and colour begins, Sarah Marshall reveals where to see the world’s most eye-popping displays by creatures great and small
In the early days of his career, Sir David Attenborough was desperate to make a series about animals and their use of colour, but the restraints of black and white television put his innovative idea on hold. Several decades and multiple technological advances later, the natural history veteran has finally been granted his wish with a BBC One two-part series, Attenborough’s Life in Colour, starting tonight at 7pm.
From the kaleidoscopic canopies of Costa Rica’s rainforests to the perfectly pristine backdrops of snowy Scotland, the programmes decipher nature’s most dazzling displays. Some creatures use colour as a camouflage, while others prefer to stand out from the crowd by warning predators to stay away. On occasion, bright attire can signify status and dominance. Universal to all species, good looks are also a useful tactic for attracting a mate.
Colour communicates messages, but more than anything it is a marvel. Fashion designers, interior decorators and artists continually copy from nature, pillaging pelt prints and recreating exotic hues. Post-pandemic, trendsetters are predicting an age of maximalism, a celebration of all things bright and bold as we emerge from months of dull and dreary monotony. And there is no better place to worship the colour wheel than in the natural world.
Inspired by the series, we have created our own Pantone palette of wildlife’s greatest spectacles. Blinding, occasionally baffling but always beautiful, they guarantee a visual delight.