Things That Are Blue (In Nature, Animals, & The Rest Of Our World)

Blue is the world’s favorite color. And I’m not just saying that.

Surveys and studies have shown time and again that the majority of people all over the world like blue best.

So, why is blue such a popular color?

It’s all about how our brain processes this delicate hue.

Check out our visual list of blue things found in nature and popular culture to get us started with the color blue.

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The Psychology of Blue

In studies across the world, blue has been found to have a calming effect.

Or at least that’s what outcomes seem to demonstrate.

Installing blue lights or blue fixtures has been shown to reduce crime, increase sales, and even prevent suicides.

Basically, the color blue does very good things to us mentally, so it’s worth it to seek blue out in your everyday life.

Here’s where you can find blue in nature and society –

Blue Things in Nature

Though it looks like blue is everywhere when standing under a great blue sky or at the edge of the ocean on a bright day, blue is actually one of the rarest colors found in nature.

Check out this article from The University of Adelaide to see why blue is so rare.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of naturally blue things around us.

Here’s a list of things that are blue in nature, from foods and flowers to animals and gemstones.

Blue Elements

The Earth: When viewed from space, the Earth appears mostly blue in the deep, dark sky.

The Sky: Blue light waves are shorter than other colors and scatter more easily when sunlight reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, making the sky appear blue most of the day.

Lightning: For the same reason the sky appears blue, lightning often appears blue to us.

The Ocean: Water absorbs red light waves, and when all the red waves are pulled from the light, the light reflects as blue. The deeper and larger a body of water, the more red light it absorbs and the bluer the water appears.

Fire: Gas fires burn blue instead of orange-red due to the level of oxygen.

The Grand Prismatic, Excelsior Geyser & Morning Glory Pool: The deep hot springs in Yellowstone National Park appear blue for the same reason as the ocean. They absorb all red light.

The Great Blue Hole: Off Belize, this spot of ocean is deeper than surrounding waters, making it appear deeper blue.

Blue Moon: The term “blue moon” actually refers to an extra full moon in a calendar year, but rare disruptions in the Earth’s atmosphere, like smoke from a forest fire or volcanic eruption, can scatter light waves and cause the moon to appear blue.

Bioluminescent Waters: Bioluminescent plankton typically appears blue, due to red light absorption from surrounding waters.

Seashells: Seashell coloring comes in a variety of colors, depending on the surrounding habitat and what a mollusk eats. Some environments and diets produce blue shells.

Blue Planets

Neptune: Neptune has been described as The Blue Planet. Its methane atmosphere absorbs red light much like an ocean.

Uranus: Uranus also has a methane atmosphere that absorbs red light, making the planet appear a very light shade of blue.

HD 189733b: This planet, discovered in 2005, was determined to be blue in 2013. It looks more like Earth than any other planet.

Naturally Blue Things in Biology

Eyes: Blue eyes are the result of a single genetic mutation in the human race that eliminated melanin from the iris. They contain no blue pigment, but reflect blue like the ocean.

Veins: Veins appear blue because they are observed through layers of skin and fat, which absorb the red light waves.

Robin Eggs: Robin eggs contain biliverdin, a pigment deposited by the mother when she lays the eggs. Researchers believe the blue tint may provide the perfect amount of UV light absorption.

Blue Gemstones

Sapphire may be the most popular blue gemstone, but it’s not the most famous blue gemstone in the world. That honor goes to the Hope Diamond, a blue diamond currently under the ownership of the Smithsonian Institute.

Common Blue Gems

These gems are always (or almost always) blue.

• Sapphire
• Lapis lazuli
• Turquoise
• Indicolite (blue tourmaline)
• Aquamarine
• Chalcedony (naturally)
• Tanzanite
• Larimar

Gemstones That Can Be Blue

These gems can be blue under certain conditions.

• Diamond
• Spinel
• Topaz
• Moonstone
• Opal

Blue Minerals

Along with fully-formed gemstones, there are also a number of minerals that take on blue hues as they develop. Many of these minerals are used as non-traditional gemstones. Here are a few of the most common blue minerals found in the natural world.

• Azurite
• Chalcanthite
• Chrysocolla
• Dumortierite
• Jeremejevite
• Linarite
• Sodalite

Blue Plants

Blue’s rarity in nature extends to plant life. But that doesn’t mean no plants have managed to produce blue varieties.

Blue in plants is most commonly found in the petals of flowers, but a few other sources of blue do exist.

Blue Trees & Hedges

Blue Spruce: Some species of this spruce can look very blue, especially when set against a green landscape.

California Lilac: Technically the blue part of a lilac bush is its flowers, but the blooms are so ample, the entire tree changes color during the growing season. California lilac looks much bluer than common lilac.

Blue Wood

Naturally blue wood is extremely rare, but there are a handful of trees and conditions which do produce it.

Blue Mahoe: National tree of Jamaica. Some of its natural wood can appear very blue.

Buckeye Burl: Mis-formed growth on a buckeye tree. Wood comes in a variety of colors, including (occasionally) blue.

Beetle Kill Pine: Just what it says. Pine trees killed by beetles. The blue coloring, or blue stain, is caused by a fungus carried by the beetles.

Blue Flowers

These are flowers that naturally grow in various shades of blue.

• Agapanthus
• Anemone
• Aster
• Bachelor Button
• Balloon Flower
• Birdbill Dayflower
• Daisy
• Blue Dandelion
• Lithospermum
• Poppy
• Bluebells
• Passionflower
• Bluestar
• Campanula
• Centaurea
• Chicory
• Clematis
• Columbine
• Cornflower
• Delphinium
• Flax
• Forget-Me-Not
• Freesia
• Gentian
• Geranium
• Germander Sage
• Globe Thistle
• Glory of the Snow
• Grape Hyacinth
• Harvestbells
• Hibiscus
• Hyacinth
• Hydrangea
• Ipomoea
• Iris
• Lobelia
• Love in Mist
• Lungwart
• Lupine
• Monkshood
• Morning glory
• Mountain Larkspur
• Myosotis
• Pansy
• Periwinkle
• Pimpernel
• Sage
• Salvia
• Scabiosa
• Sea Holly
• Siberian Squill
• Starflower
• Sweet Pea
• Veronica

Blue Animals

If blue plants are rare, blue animals are practically non-existent. And yet blue animals do existent in nature. In very small number, but, still, there are a few animal species with blue pigment and coloration.

• Blue Whale (a light blue-grey)
• Blue Iguana (ranges in color from barely tinted to deep blue or turquoise)
• Blue Lobster (blue color caused by genetic defect)
• Blue Crab (has blue claws)
• Blue Linckia (a starfish with blue pigment)
• Blue Dragon (a blue sea slug with wing-like appendages)
• Crayfish (Appalachian crayfish with blue pigment)
• Blue-Ringed Octopus (octopus with a vibrant blue circular design)
• Shark (top of body is deep blue)
• Moor Frog (males turn blue during mating season)
• Poison Dart Frog (some are mostly blue, others have blue markings)
• Ribbon Eel (males mostly blue, females have some blue)
• Blue Coral Snake (blue stripe down each side of body)
• Blue Gecko (males are shades of blue from turquoise to true blue)
• Bluestripe Garter Snake (nearly neon blue striping down sides and belly)
• Carpathian Blue Slug (adults turn shades of blue from vibrant to purple)
• Blue Clam (some clams have piercing blue or blue-mottled mantles)
• Sinai Agama (males turn blue during mating season)
• Blue Racer Snake (some Eastern racers have deep blue scales)
• Bluebottle Jellyfish (Portuguese Man O’ War)

Blue Fish

You might think blue would at least be common in the ocean or deep lakes, where it could serve as a sort of camouflage from potential predators.

But animals see color differently than humans, and blue pigment is as sparse in the water as it is on land.

There are, however, a few water-residing creatures with blue coloring (as already demonstrated in the blue animal list above).

These are some of the blue fish found in the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers –

• Siamese Fighting Fish/Betta (may be mostly blue or include blue in a rainbow of colors)
• Humphead Wrasse (areas of solid blue with blue mixed into its unique patterning)
• Blue Spotted Pufferfish (most blue integrated into pattern, but some can be mostly blue)
• Blue Rockfish (when blue, they are more of a bluish gray)
• Lingcod (very rare, but when blue, they are blue all the way through their inner flesh)
• Blue Marlin (can range from very light blue to almost navy or be striped blue)
• Blue Sailfish (the “sail” or dorsal fin can be very vibrant blue)
• Blue Swordfish (member of marlin family, can be equally blue)
• Blue Tang (vibrant blue with black stripes, aka “Dory” in Finding Nemo)
• Mandarin Dragonet (some can appear mostly blue)
• Eastern Blue Groper (males are bright blue)

Birds That Are Blue

Despite what your eyes may tell you, not a single bird carries blue pigment in its feathers.

Yet there are many “blue birds” that appear blue to the human eye.

These are blue birds as far as humans see them:

Birds That are Mostly Blue

• Mountain Bluebird
• Asian Fairy-Bluebird
• Blue Jay
• Steller’s Jay
• Blue Starling
• Honeycreeper
• Blue Dacnis (a bright turquoise honeycreeper)
• Peacock
• Hyacinth Macaw
• Spix’s Macaw
• Blue-eared Starling
• Cerulean Warbler
• Indigo Bunting
• Blue Grosbeak

Birds That Have Some Blue Coloring

• Eastern Bluebird
• Western Bluebird
• Blue Heron
• Kingfisher
• Macaw
• Eurasian Blue Tit
• Blue-footed Booby
• Tree Swallow

Blue Insects

When it comes to blue insects, almost all of them use the same trick of the light utilized by other creatures in the wild to achieve their blue coloring. (They don’t contain blue pigment.)

Still, these insects can appear quite blue to us:

• Dragonflies (Blue Dasher and Emperor)
• Damselflies (Eurasian Bluet)
• Bees (Ceratina, Cuckoo)
• Cuckoo Wasps
• Beetles (Steelblue Ladybird, Dung Beetle, Rosalia Batesi)
• Caterpillars
• Leafhoppers
• Shield Bugs/Stink Bugs
• Ants (Bluebottle)

Blue Butterflies

Perhaps, the most striking demonstrations of blue in the insect family come in the form of blue butterflies.

Butterflies can appear in quite vibrant blues, and be more visible than most insects in nature, given their airborne natures and sizable wingspans.

These are the bluest butterflies:

• Mazarine Blue (male is blue)
• Miami Blue (both sexes blue)
• Emperor (male is blue)
• Morpho (both sexes blue)
• Holly Blue (both sexes blue)

Blue Spiders

Not truly insects, but related enough, blue arachnids are even rarer than blue insects.

But there are a few spiders that appear to have blue coloration.

• Tarantulas (Cobalt Blue, Sazima’s)
• Red-Headed Mouse Spider (blue body)
• Blue Jumping Spider
• Blue Wolf Spider

Naturally Blue Foods

Since blue pigment is so sparse in nature, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that so few foods are naturally (or truly) blue.

But there are a few blue foods (and drinks) that take on naturally blue tints.

Blue Fruits

• Blue Marble Fruit (Blue Fig)
• Blueberries

Blue Vegetables

• Blue Corn
• Blue Potato

Blue Mushrooms

• Indigo Milk Cap

Other Naturally Blue Foods

• Blue Cheese (technically, it’s the mold that’s blue)

Blue Drinks

• Butterfly Pea Flower Tea (Blue Tea)

Famous Blue Things in Society

While blue may be rare in the natural world, it’s a popular color in the human world.

Probably due to the fact it’s the world’s favorite color, blue is associated with many iconic features and fixtures of society.

These blue items may not be naturally blue, but they will always be blue in the hearts and minds of humanity.

Iconic Things That are Blue in Color

• The TARDIS
• Lightsabers
• Van Gogh’s The Starry Night
• Blue Man Group
• Blue Jeans/Denim
• Blue Suede Shoes
• Blue Angels
• Logos (Walmart, Lowe’s, Ford, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• Delftware
• Recycling Bins
• Police Lights

Blue Candy

• M&Ms
• SweeTARTS
• Blue Raspberry Twizzlers
• Easter Candy (Peeps, Jelly Beans, etc.)

Blue Characters

• Superman
• Captain America
• The Smurfs
• Cookie Monster
• Gonzo
• Blue (Blue’s Clues)
• Stitch
• Dory
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Mystique

Blue Buildings & Places

• The Blue Mosque, Istanbul (interior)
• Blue Domes, Santorini
• Blue City of India, Jodhpur
• Blue City of Morocco, Chefchaouen
• Pacific Design Center (The Blue Whale), West Hollywood
• Capela das Almas, Porto
• São Bento Railway Station, Porto (interior)

While there is very little blue pigment in nature, and it’s believed people couldn’t even see the color blue for most of human history, blue has quickly captured the hearts of humanity to become our collective favorite color.

Whether you are looking for blue colored objects in everyday life or blue objects in nature, things that are blue in color live everywhere from our daytime skies to our most beloved pants.

Just look around you. The world is full of color.