Welcome to our visual list of things that are PINK in nature!
When it comes to the color pink in the natural world, most of us tend to think of flowers. It’s certainly true that pink is one of the most popular flower or plant colors seen anywhere in nature, but that bright, cheerful color can also be found in a wealth of other objects.
If you’re looking for a way to brighten up your day, pay attention to all the incredible pink things you can find outside. From minerals to manta rays, the world is far more colorful than it may first appear!
Here are some examples of things that are naturally pink:
1. Alabaster Caverns State Park
Located in northwestern Oklahoma in the United States, Alabaster Caverns State Park was once a hideout for gangs of bandits. Today, most people who visit the park are there to admire the purplish pink and white gypsum walls that make up the park’s cave system.
2. Amazon River Dolphins
As the Amazon river dolphin matures, it changes color from a dark gray to a pale pink or mottled pink and gray pattern. According to Amazon river folklore, these freshwater dolphins transform into beautiful men or women at night and come onshore to seduce unsuspecting travelers or villagers living nearby.
3. American Flamingos
Sometimes called the “Caribbean flamingo”, the American flamingo is native to the tropical regions of North, South, and Central America. Its iconic pink color is the result of its diet, which consists primarily of briny shrimp. Flamingos are mostly monogamous and will work as a pair to raise their young.
4. Angels Landing
Angels Landing is an enormous rock formation found in Zion National Park in Utah. Depending on the time of day and the weather conditions, the giant rock face can appear pale red, orange, or even pink due to the pink sandstone that makes up the majority of its height.
5. Axolotls
Also known as the “Mexican walking fish”, axolotls are actually salamanders, which means that they’re amphibians, not fish. In the wild, these little amphibians tend to be dark greenish brown, but the axolotls prized by pet collectors and aquarium lovers alike have pale pink or white skin with dark pink frills.
6. Azaleas
Native to multiple continents around the world, azaleas have been a popular garden plant for thousands of years. In some parts of Turkey, beekeepers deliberately feed their bees on the highly toxic pink and red flowers in order to produce “mad honey” that acts as a powerful hallucinogenic.
7. Begonias
Begonias are mildly toxic, too, but that doesn’t stop people from eating the pink, red, or white flowers. Their mildly sour taste makes them a unique addition to many dishes, but portion control is key, as eating too many begonia blossoms can lead to some serious health effects.
8. Betta Fish
The most famous betta fish is the Siamese Fighting fish, but other varieties of the same fish species have long been a popular mainstay in many home aquariums. Their bright colors and relatively high intelligence have earned them a spot among some of the most popular fish breeds kept worldwide.
9. Butterflies
Pink butterflies are actually far less common than popular culture would have you believe. With the exception of a few butterfly specimens including the Montezuma’s Cattle Heart butterfly, which has dark red or pink crescent shaped spots along the bottom edges of its wings, most pink “butterflies” are actually moths.
10. Cameron Falls
Most of the time, this series of waterfalls in Alberta, Canada, is an impressive display of force and movement. During the rainy season, however, iron ore and argillite deposits upstream are stirred up by the rain and mixed into the rushing water. The end result is a startlingly bright pink waterfall. The pink color is also visible on the rock walls.
11. Carnations
Carnations have been around for at least two thousand years, and they don’t seem to be going away any time soon. With their frilly petals and their bright blossoms in shades of red and pink, it’s not hard to understand why they’re still as popular today as they were when they first appeared.
12. Carpodacus Thuras
Carpodacus thura may be this little bird’s scientific name, but its “common” name is hardly any less of a mouthful. The Himalayan white-browed rosefinch is found throughout the Himalayan mountains, where its pink, brown, and white feathers help it blend in with its surroundings.
13. Cherry Blossoms
Despite their name, the trees that produce cherry blossoms don’t produce any actual cherry fruit. Nevertheless, these are some of the most iconic and beloved flowering trees found anywhere on the planet, with their pale pink and white blossoms that have long been a symbol of Japanese culture, artwork, and society.
14. Chrysanthemums
As popular with butterflies as they are with humans, chrysanthemums are large, round flowers that come in a wide range of colors. Although yellow and red are the most popular varieties, chrysanthemums often grow in a bright and vivid shade of pink that more than earns them a spot on this list.
15. Clay
Pure clay is a plain white or white-gray color, but most clay deposits found in nature have small amounts of iron oxide mixed into their chemical composition. As a result, most of the abundant clay deposits found worldwide have a natural red, red-brown, or red-pink color palette.
16. Common Pinks
The color pink is literally named after these flowers, so it’s hardly surprising that they’re one of the best examples of a true pink color in nature. They range in color from vivid magenta to pale baby pink, and their name predates the first known use of the word pink (in the color sense) by more than two decades.
17. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Located in southwestern Utah in the United States, the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park looks pretty much exactly the way you’d expect it to, based on the name. Its color comes from the erosion of red Navajo sandstone, which is bleached by the sun into a dark pink shade.
18. Cosmos
Technically part of the sunflower family, cosmo is the name given to an entire genus of small flowering plants. Most of the flowers produced in this group grow in shades of red, pink, purple, or yellow, although more unusual varieties are common.
19. Dahlias
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, dahlias were primarily grown for their roots, which the Aztecs enjoyed as a major food crop. Today, however, most dahlias are prized for their large, colorful blossoms, which range in color from purple to orange to pink.
20. Delphiniums
Butterflies may love to sip from these delicate, blue, white, or pink flowers, but humans tend to steer clear of the blossoms for a reason. Despite their innocent look, delphiniums are highly toxic and can trigger a bunch of heart and nerve or muscle symptoms that can ultimately result in death.
21. Diamonds
“Pure” diamonds will always have that transparent crystalline color that makes them so treasured, and corruptions of the crystalline structure are relatively rare among most diamonds. Nevertheless, small impurities and changes to the structure itself can result in some diamonds having a definite pink tint to their crystal faces.
22. Domestic Pigs
Domestic pigs are probably the animals that pop into your head whenever you hear the word “pig”. Domestic pigs are highly intelligent animals with an omnivorous appetite and a unique resistance to snake venom, all factors which have made them an object of public and scientific fascination for several centuries.
23. Dragonfruits
Dragonfruits may be native to Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, but they’re enjoyed around the world for their bright vivid color, creamy white flesh, and tart flavor. The cactus on which dragonfruits grow is one of a few specimens of plant that actually bloom at night, rather than during the day.
24. Elephant Hawk Moths
As mentioned earlier, most of the pink creatures we think are butterflies are actually moths, and the elephant hawk moth is the most well-known of all confusing culprits. Although these very large insects start their lives as dark brown, almost black caterpillars, they emerge from the chrysalis as soft pink and brown moths.
25. Female Orchid Praying Mantises
Orchid praying mantises generally tend to blend in with the flowers that make up their homes, but it’s the females who really take it to another level with their bright pink and white coloring. Praying mantises are also some of the only insects to display protective instincts towards their eggs.
26. Guavas
On the outside, guava fruits may be pale green or dark green, but it’s really what’s on the inside that counts. The vivid pink flesh of the guava fruit usually has a sharp and sweet taste with just a little bit of tartness.
27. Guppy Fish
Guppies are small, brightly-colored fish, which can make these little animals a popular choice for larger predator fish. As a unique defense mechanism, guppies are some of the only prey animals in the world to participate in “predator inspection”, in which they approach the predator in quick darting moves to gather information before retreating.
28. Hairy Squat Lobsters
Despite its somewhat off-putting name, the hairy squat lobster is a unique and fascinating sea creature that’s sometimes referred to as “the fairy lobster” due to its delicate build. Like hermit crabs, these spindly, pink or purple animals, with their long spiny coverings, are not actually “true” crabs.
29. Hibiscuses
Before they were known by their more common name, hibiscus flowers were widely known as “rose mallow” flowers. No matter what you call them, these tropical flowers are renowned around the world for their large blossoms, lack of perfume, and bold colors in shades of pink, red, and yellow.
30. Himalayan Salt
Despite what you may have heard, Himalayan pink salt has no real health benefits other than the same properties found in regular table salt. The unique color mostly comes from less than 1% of calcium, iron, magnesium, and other trace amounts of minerals that corrupt the plain white color of traditional sodium chloride.
31. Hyacinths
In Greek mythology, the hyacinth was named after Hyakinthos, a beautiful young man beloved by both Apollo and Zephyr, one of the many wind gods. However, many modern cultivators of this brightly colored flower believe that the flower the Greeks knew as a hyacinth was different from the one we see today.
32. Hydrangeas
Hydrangea plants may look like bushes, but they’re actually a variety of small trees native to the Americas and Asia. Regardless of the plant’s size, it’s the flowers that really set hydrangeas apart, growing in small clusters that turn into bursts of soft purple, pink, or blue.
33. Kingfisher
The bird in the illustration is an Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, which is a colorful bird that has bright pink feathers on its back. For nearly one hundred and fifty years, the South Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher has dodged researchers’ attempts to study it, as its small size and zipping flight patterns make it hard to spot. In March of 2020, however, a photographer snapped a once-in-a-lifetime shot of the bright pink and purple bird.
34. Kunzite
Discovered in 1902, kunzite is named after George Frederic Kunz, who at the time was the chief jeweler of the famous Tiffany & Co jewelry house. This pale pink is actually a variety of spodumene, a lithium-based mineral that usually is found in some shade of yellow, purple, or green.
35. Lake Hillier
Located off the south coast of Western Australia, Lake Hillier is a salt lake with a bright bubblegum pink color. Like many other saline lakes, there are no living organisms found within Lake Hillier except for the red and pink microorganisms that give it its distinctive color.
36. Lake Retba
Unlike Lake Hillier, Lake Retba, less than twenty miles away from Senegal’s capital city of Dakar, is home to a few species of fish that have evolved special mechanisms for pumping out extra salt and continuing to live in the extremely salty and dark pink waters.
37. Lotuses
The internationally recognized floral symbol of both Vietnam and India, the lotus blossom is one of the most iconic and well-known pink flowers found worldwide. With its wide petals, gently spreading shape, and soft pink and white color, these aquatic flowers are sacred to both the Hindu and Buddhist faith.
38. Lychees
Native to southeastern China, the lychee tree has spread throughout east and southeast Asia, where it is cultivated both for its bright pink fruits, which must be eaten fresh, and for its decorative evergreen appearance. The pink rinds of the fruit hide a soft white interior with a floral smell and a sweet, mild flavor.
39. Magnolias
Although they’re often associated with the American South, magnolia trees are native to both southeast Asia and the Americas as a whole. Thought to predate bees, these pink, white, or purple flowers have an extremely tough center to protect them from the beetles that would have served as their original pollinators.
40. Mandacaru Fruits
Another cactus fruit, mandacaru fruits closely resemble the dragonfruit, but without the spiny exterior. The tough outer rind of the fruits can range in color from a dark purplish pink to a paler, brighter shade, although the inside of the fruit is always white with black seeds.
41. Meadowsweets
“Meadowsweet” is the name given to several different flowers within the same genus, all of which are popular with butterflies, bees, and other pollinating insects. The flowers range in color from white to pink but are almost never seen in any shade darker than a pale pink.
42. Moonstones
Part of the feldspar group, moonstones have a shimmering, unearthly glow that made them popular with the ancient Romans, who believed that the stones were frozen moonbeams that had fallen to earth. They were also popular during the Art Nouveau period thanks to their clean purple, blue, and pale pink hues.
43. Morganite
Discovered off the coast of Madagascar in 1910, morganite is a pale pink form of beryl named after banker and financier J.P. Morgan. Some morganite crystals may have patches of yellow within their faces, but these can be removed by exposing the stone to low-level heat in a controlled environment.
44. Neon Lights
All neon lights are made by ionizing a gas inside of a glass tube so that it gives off visible light. Technically, neon gas only produces an orange glow, but hydrogen produces red, mercury glows blue, and helium is the gas that’s used most often to produce a bright pink light.
45. Nudibranchs
Even though they’re sometimes referred to as just “sea slugs”, nudibranchs are actually a type of sea slug known for their frilly mantles, external symmetry, and bright colors and patterns. They have relatively few natural defenses and are one of the few mollusk species known to make noises.
46. Onions
Onions have been a staple of human cuisine since before recorded history, and they’re still popular to this day. Although red or yellow onions are the most well-known varieties, pink onions are often the result of a hybridization between the two species.
47. Opals
The most common opals are usually found in shades of blue or green, while darker colors like black are far more rare. Pink opals often lack some of the characteristic iridescence that makes opals so popular, which means that they’re usually considered a “common” opal variety.
48. Orchids
Orchids are one of the two most populous families of flowering plants, so it should hardly come as a surprise that many of the Orchidaceae family’s twenty-eight thousand species should come in pink. Some of the most popular pink varieties include “foxtail orchids”, “butterfly orchids”, and “pink finger orchids”.
49. Peonies
The peony may look like a rose, and the woodland bush has a lot in common with its more famous counterpart, but it belongs to a completely different species. Peonies are often seen in some shade of pink or red, and their blossoms and leaves provide a staggering number of natural and bio-active compounds.
50. Petra
Located in southern Jordan, Petra is a beautiful city that dates back to well before the time of Rome and is carved into the sandstone face of a desert valley basin. The golden-pink color of the sandstone has earned Petra the moniker of the “Rose City”.
51. Pezzottaite
Sometimes known as “raspberry beryl” or even “rasberyl”, pezzottaite was originally believed to be a form of beryl, when it’s actually a blend of beryl, lithium, aluminum, and several other earth metals that give it its red, pink, or orange-pink color.
52. Pine Grosbeaks
The pine grosbeak’s scientific name, Pinicola enucleator literally translates to mean something along the lines of “the bird that lives in the pines and shells the seeds”, which should give you a pretty good idea of its habitat and behaviors. What the name doesn’t reveal, however, is that the males of this species have a bright reddish pink coat of feathers.
53. Pink Chinese Cedars
Your average Chinese cedar tree will have dark green leaves and reddish bark, but the pink variety produces pale pink or pinkish-brown leaves that make them a popular choice for gardens and outdoor ornamentation. Both varieties produce the same pink flowers, regardless of the colors of the leaves.
54. Pink Coral
Like sea anemones, coral growths may look like plants, but they’re actually a type of invertebrate that either hunts their prey or live off of nutrients produced by smaller microorganisms that live within their tissues. These same microorganisms are often responsible for producing the brilliant colors that make coral so visually appealing.
55. Pink Corn Snakes
Corn snakes are small, nonvenomous snakes that prey on mice and rats and are often found lurking around grain supplies that might tempt their chosen food sources closer. Domestic corn snakes come in literally hundreds of different colors, including lavender purple, pale pink, or even bright pink with white spots.
56. Pink Cyanide Millipedes
Also known as the “shocking dragon millipede”, the pink cyanide millipede is a brightly colored and extremely toxic arthropod that grows to about three centimeters in length and produces a natural form of cyanide. As a result, these creatures often smell faintly like almonds.
57. “Pink Delight” Butterfly Bushes
The term butterfly bush is usually applied to a group of more than one hundred and forty individual plants, all of which produce flowers that are particularly attractive to butterflies. The “Pink Delight” variety is well known for the high number of bright pink blossoms that it grows.
58. Pink Elephants
There’s technically no such thing as a truly “pink” elephant. Instead, what we may see as a pink elephant is actually an albino or white elephant, as albino elephants tend to appear as a pale red or pinkish-brown color.
59. Pink Eye
It may not be as fun or as glamorous as some of the other entries on this list, but pink eye is a common viral (or bacterial) infection that affects up to six million people per year in the United States alone, inflaming the “white” of the eye and turning it pink or red.
60. Pink Fluorite
Fluorite is sometimes referred to as “the most colorful mineral in the world” thanks to its crystalline structure, which can easily be mixed with various metals that lend it a different color. Nevertheless, pink and red are among the most rare and unusual colors for this crystal.
61. Pink Grapefruits
While it’s true that there are yellow or orange varieties of grapefruit, the most well-known variety by far is the pink grapefruit. As a general rule, the darker the flesh of the grapefruit is, the sweeter it will taste, so pink grapefruit is relatively sweet, but still has a little bit of acidity.
62. Pink Iguanas
The pink iguana is found only on a single volcano on a single island within the Galapagos Islands. This pink and black lizard has only one natural predator, the Galapagos hawk, but its population numbers are so low that it’s still considered to be an endangered species and is therefore protected.
63. Pink Katydids
Sometimes known as “bush crickets” or “long-horned grasshoppers”, katydids are usually pale green bugs with leaf-shaped wings. Due to a rare mutation, however, some katydids take on a pale pink color that doesn’t do much to help them blend in with their preferred tree or bush environment.
64. Pink Malaya Garnets
One out of two garnet types on our list, Malaya garnets are a dark pink or pale red garnet that’s actually a hybrid stone. A cross between pyrope and spessartine, these unusually orange or pink-colored stones are primarily found in a single valley that lies on the border between Tanzania and Kenya.
65. Pink Whiptail Ray
Usually, stingrays are brown or gray in color to blend with their surroundings, but the pink whiptail ray is brownish or grayish pink dorsally, with a white underside. It has a long tail that can be up to three times as long as its width. Pink whiptail rays are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region from South Africa to Micronesia, and they feed on fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and worms.
66. Pink Noise
You’ve heard of using white noise to help you fall asleep, but pink noise is actually quite similar. White noise is a collection of all wavelengths of sound, just like white light is all visible wavelengths of light. Unlike white noise, however, pink noise dampens the higher pitches that some might find irritating, and the end result is a natural static sound with a pink power frequency.
67. Pink Pearls
A lot of the pink pearls you see being sold in jewelry stores have actually been dyed to achieve that soft golden-pink glow. However, pink pearls are naturally occurring, as pearls tend to mimic the color of the shellfish in which they were formed, which can absolutely include the color pink.
68. Pink Pineapples
After nearly sixteen years of careful development, fruit industry giant Del Monte revealed their pink pineapple in late 2020. Technically speaking, this fruit isn’t “found in nature”, as it is the direct result of careful breeding and selection, but its soft pink color is very much real.
69. Pink Rhodochrosite
Pink rhodochrosite may have a beautiful pale color and a gently glowing tone, but you’ll hardly ever see this mineral on a piece of jewelry. Pink rhodochrosite is a relatively soft mineral with “perfect” cleavage, which means that it splits along its crystal structure and is very difficult to cut or shape.
70. Pink Robins
The pink robin looks almost identical to the red-breasted robin that appears as a harbinger of spring, with one crucial difference: its chest is pink, not red. The males of the species are also distinguished by a single white spot on their heads, right at the base of their beaks.
71. Pink Sand Beach
Many beaches located throughout the Bahamas have a distinctly pink tint to their sand, but Harbour Island is perhaps the most well known. The pink color is the result of foraminifera specimens, a tiny organism with a reddish pink shell that often makes the beaches and shallow waters its home.
72. Pink Sea Anemones
Even though they were named after a type of flower found growing on land, sea anemones are actually animals, not plants. Nevertheless, their colorful appearances and flower-like shapes have long captured the imagination of undersea explorers, who have marveled at the sheer amount of colors and patterns that they display.
73. Pink Spinel
Often found growing alongside rubies, spinel is a stark crystal that grows in a wide range of colors, from black to red to green to pink.
74. Pink Terraces of Lake Rotomahana
In the late 1800s, European tourists flocked to northern New Zealand to see the vivid pink and white layers of stone that bordered one edge of Lake Rotomahana. In 1886, the eruption of a nearby volcano blasted a crater into the entire area, and up until recently, the famous terraces were believed to have been destroyed. Today, they are buried beneath the surface of the lake that formed in the crater.
75. Pink Topaz
When found in nature, most topazes are brown or yellow in color, thanks to the aluminum that makes up part of their crystal structure. If that aluminum is replaced with chromium, however, the semiprecious stones take on a distinctive pink or red hue, although this is extremely rare.
76. Plums
When we think of plums, we tend to picture dark purple or even red fruits, but Victorian plums and cherry plums tend to veer a little closer to the pink side of the scale, even if only in a very dark shade of pink.
77. Primroses
During the 1800s, primroses were extremely popular garden flowers, and many gardeners competed to produce new varieties of the originally yellow blossoms. As a result, today we have several hundreds of different cultivars, including multiple pale purple or bright pink varieties of the same small flower that so captivated the public attention two hundred years ago.
78. Pygmy Seahorses
The pygmy seahorse wasn’t officially discovered until 1969, and one glance at these tiny sea creatures makes it easy to see why. Hiding among coral growths and clocking in at less than two centimeters in height, these pale pink seahorses have easily been able to avoid detection for centuries.
79. Radishes
A staple addition to salads and other dishes around the world, radishes are small, pink and white vegetables with a delightful crunch and a peppery bite. No one knows exactly where radishes came from, but they’re described in ancient texts dating all the way back to the third century BC.
80. Raspberries
Raspberries come in a wide range of colors, including yellow and white, but by far the most popular shade is a pink so dark that it almost looks like red. Russia is the most dominant raspberry producer, with about 20% of the world’s raspberries being grown and processed in western Russia.
81. Rhodochrosite
We’ve already looked at the pink shade of Rhodochrosite specifically, but the family of semiprecious stones is a lot bigger than just the pale pink variety. While the most famous stones are a pale bubblegum pink, rhodochrosite is also found in shades of vivid magenta or almost red.
82. Rhodolite Garnets
Rhodolite stones are technically a part of the pyrope group, which is technically a part of the garnet group. However, the name “rhodolite” specifically refers to stones that range in color from rosy pink to pure red, although some stones may lose their color when they’re heated.
83. Riberries
A coastal rainforest tree found primarily in Australia, the riberry tree grows pear-shaped fruits in a large cluster. These bright pink fruits have a very distinctive flavor, like a cranberry but with a hint of cloves, and are very popular for making jams and preserves or just for eating straight off the tree.
84. Rocktrumpets
Found growing in rocky terrains or regions throughout South America, Central America, and the southern parts of North America, rocktrumpet flowers grow on a climbing vine and produce large, dark pink blossoms that open outwards like a trumpet.
85. Rose Apple Trees
While the trees in the Rose Apple family may not be pink, the fruits that most of these different tree species produce definitely are. Despite the name, not all rose apple trees produce edible fruits, but the ones that do tend to produce fruits that range in color from a deep magenta color to a pink so pale that it almost looks white.
86. Rosefinches
The rosefinch is a pinkish red bird native to Asia and Europe. Despite their continental existence, their closest living relative is the Hawaiian Honeycreeper, a bird of similar size and habits, but without the distinctive rosy shade that sets these cheerful little birds apart from their more tropical cousins.
87. Rose Quartz
Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals in the natural world, so it should come as no surprise that a pink variety exists. Rose quartz generally has a pale pink, deep red, or cloudy pink hue as the result of trace amounts of metal found within the crystal’s structure.
88. Rose-Breasted Cockatoos
The rose-breasted cockatoo is native to Australia and is one of the more common members of the cockatoo family. These pink and gray birds can live up to seventy-two years in captivity, and they are known to be intelligent birds with a particular talent for mimicry.
89. Roseate Spoonbills
The roseate spoonbill may look a bit like a flamingo at first glance, but the bill gives it away. The long flat bill has a rounded swell at the end that heavily resembles the spoons you’ll find in your kitchen, and the pale pink color of the bird’s feathers explain the “roseate” part of its name.
90. Roses
With more than three hundred different flower species in the rose family and tens of thousands of specific breeds or “cultivars”, it’s hardly surprising that pink roses are easy to spot in nature. Red and pink roses are the two most popular varieties of these famous woodland flower bushes.
91. Rubies
Most rubies are famously red, and true red stones tend to be more highly valued, but pink rubies are relatively common. Nevertheless, in order to be classified as a ruby, the stone has to reach a minimum color saturation level. If it fails, it’s just relabeled as a pink sapphire.
92. Salmon
Adult salmon tend to have a bluish gray color for most of their lives, but during the “spawning” phase, male salmon will turn a brilliant pinkish-red color with a green face and fins. At the same time, these fish will also start to grow sharp, canine-like teeth.
93. San Francisco Salt Ponds
If you’ve ever flown into San Francisco Bay, you’ve probably seen the pinks and blues of the San Francisco Salt Ponds. These vast ponds have been used to refine sea salt since the mid-1800s, and the combination of brine and tiny microorganisms found in the seawater gives the ponds their distinctive, multicolored appearance.
94. Sea Stars
Famed both for their star-like shape and for their ability to regrow severed limbs, sea stars are strange, slow-moving sea creatures that are often found in various shades of red, orange, or pink. They’re also notable for their ability to intentionally remove any foreign objects from inside of their bodies.
95. Sea Urchins
Sea urchins are spiny animals with hard outer shells that sometimes pack a powerfully venomous punch. These outer shells tend to show a wide range of colors, shapes, and patterns, but pink and purple are some of the most common color variations for many different sea urchins around the world.
96. Seashells
People have been finding and collecting seashells for thousands of years, and we’re still as fascinated by these fragile objects today as we were way back then. Although many seashells have been bleached by the sand and the waves, many more retain a delicate pink tint to their fascinating structures.
97. Shrimp
While they’re swimming around in the open water, shrimp can be found in a wide range of colors and patterns, some of which include pink and red markings. Once they’ve been cleaned and cooked, however, the shells and flesh of the little animals turn a bright shade of vivid pink.
98. Smithsonite
Smithsonite is the nicer name, but this globular mineral is sometimes called “turkey fat” in reference to its pale color and unusual shape. White or gray crystals are most common, but smithsonite crystals can be found in a pale pink, pale blue, or even a dark olive green shade.
99. Snapdragons
Sometimes known as “dragon flowers”, snapdragons are named for their small pink or purple flowers, which some believe resemble the face and open mouth of a dragon. Despite their pink color, the flowers are often used to produce a green dye for clothes or other pieces of textile work.
100. Stargazers
The Stargazer lily is one of the most popular lily varieties in gardens and florist’s shops today. With its broad, speckled petals and deep pink tone, the Stargazer lily is often recognized by its distinctive and not always pleasant perfume.
101. Sunrises (or Sunsets)
As the sun sinks low in the sky or just stops to peek above the horizon, the path that the sun’s light takes to your eye is longer than it is throughout the rest of the day. As a result, different wavelengths of light are scattered or absorbed, and the end result is a colorful sunrise or sunset in a mix of pink, orange, and red light.
102. Tulips
When you think of a tulip, you’re probably picturing a flower with warm-toned colors like red, orange, or yellow. Pink tulips may not be as dramatic as some of their showier counterparts, but they still have been a staple of flower development and design for the past few centuries.
103. Web-Footed Geckos
A small lizard native to Namibia and South Africa, the web-footed gecko has webbed toes that allow it to run quickly over the hot sands of its native terrain. Their pale pink skin helps them blend in with the desert, and their large, bulging eyes help them see in the dark.
104. Zinnias
Zinnias are actually part of the sunflower family, but they’re much smaller than their more famous cousin. They usually grow in some shade of red or purple, but paler varieties have a distinctive pink tint to their petals that makes them a popular choice for home gardeners around the world.
105. Zircon
The primary source of the metal zirconium, zircon is named after the Persian word zargun, which is usually translated to mean “gold-hued”. Most zircon stones are red, yellow, or orange, and are often called “hyacinths” after the flower of the same name, but pink zircon crystals are far more rare and therefore far more valuable.
106. Chinese White Dolphins
The official species name might make you think that these dolphins belong on a list of white things in nature. However, like some other “white” animals, these dolphins have more of a pinkish hue. Many live in the waters surrounding Hong Kong. Hong Kong even considers these dolphins to be a “handover mascot,” commemorating Britain’s 1997 return of Hong Kong to China. These strange yet beautiful animals are nearing extinction, though. In 2003, their total population was 188. But by 2018, that number had dwindled to just 32.
107. Pink-Headed Fruit Doves
These beautiful doves are native to mountainous forests in Indonesia. Their pinkish-purple heads are just part of their unique, almost painted appearance. Males tend to be a bit brighter than females, but both have greenish upperparts, grayish underparts, and some hints of yellow. The pink on their breasts and heads is outlined with a collar-like marking of white and black. And while they certainly look exotic, they aren’t at risk of extinction; the International Union for Conservation of Nature ranks them as being a species of least concern.
108. Southern Purple Mint Moths
At first glance, this moth kind of looks like a less-fuzzy version of the rosy maple moth. And despite the name, the yellow-purple wing patterning sometimes looks more pink than it does purple. The moth is found in many parts of the United States, although it doesn’t typically live in the colder far north.
109. Scarlet Hedgehog Cacti
Despite its name, the scarlet hedgehog cactus does not always have red flowers. Depending on the plant, flowers may be red, white, yellow, purple, or pink. Many wild scarlet hedgehog cacti have magenta-pink flowers like the ones in the picture. Though they’re native to suitable climates in Central America and North America, these cacti also make beautiful landscape plants in warm enough areas.
110. Pink Radicchio
Though it looks like a flower, pink radicchio is actually a type of chicory. It has the sweetest and mildest taste of any chicory plant, and it makes a colorful addition to salads (or an interesting alternative to regular romaine lettuce). It has a fairly balanced flavor that does have some bitterness. Pink radicchio is rich in vitamin E and vitamin K, but you may need to venture to a health food store or specialty farmer’s market if you want to find it.
111. Pink Skunk Clownfish
The pink skunk clownfish looks different from the specific fish species most people know as a clownfish, but both are species of anemonefish. Like all anemonefish, they form a relationship with a specific sea anemone. Pink skunk clownfish are a pretty blush pink in color. They have a bright white dorsal stripe and a descending white cheek stripe on each side. These fish have a wide range and can be found in the waters surrounding Northern Australia and Southeast Asia. They currently don’t appear to be threatened with extinction, but both environmental issues and collection for the pet trade pose threats to the population.
112. Roseate Skimmer
Dragonflies are some of the world’s most colorful insects. But how often do you see a pink one? The male roseate skimmer has a beautiful pink and red abdomen that sets it apart from other dragonflies. And while its distinctive bright colors might make you think this insect is native to Australia, the roseate skimmer is actually native to the Americas. Thanks to its love for warmer climates, it has been introduced successfully in Hawaii as well. The roseate skimmer is an adaptable species; it can thrive in an impressive range of habitat types as long as there is open water available.
113. Carambola Flowers
You may not already be familiar with the carambola plant or its flowers. But this is the plant that grows the starfruit, the sweet and bright-colored tropical fruit. The tree’s flowers have a base color ranging from white to pale lilac. Each petal is streaked with purple or bright pink. Thanks to the beauty of both the fruits and flowers, carambola trees often are grown as ornamental species in areas with warm enough climates. They are native to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia but are now cultivated in many tropical areas of the world.
114. Cobaltoan Calcite
Cobaltoan calcite is a variation of calcite, a common carbonate mineral that is usually white or whitish in color. Based on the “cobalt” in the name, you might think cobaltoan calcite would be blue. However, the cobalt traces in cobaltoan calcite actually give it a vivid magenta hue. Believers in the metaphysical properties of crystals assert that cobaltoan calcite will help the holder access suppressed feelings while promoting peace and relaxation. But thanks to its stunning colors, this stone is collected even by those who want to admire the crystal’s beauty.
115. Banana Squash
Many banana squashes are yellow-orange in color. However, some, like the one in the picture, are a pleasant peachy pink. This banana-shaped squash has bright orange flesh similar to that of butternut squash. Banana squash is not a separate squash species, as it is technically a cultivar of Cucurbita maxima, one of the world’s most widely cultivated squash species. Buttercup squash, candy roaster squash, Hubbard squash, and Kabocha are also cultivars of Cucurbita maxima. The species came from South America, but it is now widely cultivated in many different parts of the world including North America and Japan.
116. Bleeding Heart Flowers
These beautiful and bright pink flowers are members of the poppy family. They have striking heart-shaped blooms with small protrusions at the bottom that make them look as though they are bleeding. Bleeding heart flowers are originally native to Asia, but they were introduced to England in the 1840s. The flowers are naturally pink with white inner petals, but there are a range of cultivars, including some with all-white flowers, some with pink and white flowers, and some with red and white flowers. There’s even an interesting cultivar called “Gold Heart” that has yellow leaves.
117. Southern Carmine Bee-Eaters
There are a surprising number of pink-feathered birds in the world, and this is one of them. It can be found in parts of Africa below the equator. Though this bird’s coloration is characterized as being mostly carmine (bright red), many adult birds appear to be bright pink rather than red. Southern carmine bee-eaters usually have chestnut red upperparts, sky-blue rumps, and red or pink throats and bellies. Since they mostly hunt flying insects, they tend to perch up high. Sometimes, their chosen perches include the backs of large birds. And since wildfires tend to displace bugs, these birds like to circle high above fires to catch the bugs that are flying away.
118. Bald Uakari
You might not expect to find a monkey on a list of pink things. The bald uakari is not entirely pink, but its face is bright pink. The bald head is especially noticeable against the monkey’s long, reddish coat. Its facial coloration is not caused by pigment. Rather, the skin itself is not very pigmented, allowing the many red facial capillaries to shine through. This smallish monkey has a fairly small range, as it can only be found in the western Amazon. It is currently classified by the IUCN as being vulnerable to extinction.
119. Canterbury Bells
These delicately beautiful, bell-shaped flowers are thought to be representative of constancy, faith, and gratitude. They are native to parts of southern Europe. Because Canterbury bells have blooms that last an extremely long time, they are excellent landscaping plants. They are also very useful for making honey. When honeybees have access to Canterbury bells, they make honey that is extremely sweet. This popular plant comes in a range of different-colored cultivars. Many are soft, rosy pink. Some are various shades of purple and blue, while others are pure white.
120. Pink-Winged Stick Insect
You’re probably familiar with the odd-looking stick insect. But have you seen the pink-winged stick insect? These bugs are primarily greenish in color, but when they open their wings, you’ll see bright patches of energetic pink. And unlike many bug species, pink-winged stick insects will often play dead when they see a predator coming. Like many other colorful animals, these insects are native to the forests of Madagascar. Deforestation has had a major impact on their population and they are now considered to be endangered. They can be kept as pets in captivity, and captive breeding efforts may be able to eventually replenish wild populations.
121. Cassin’s Finches
These striking and unusual little birds can be found in parts of the western United States, though their populations also extend to Mexico and Canada. They are named for John Cassin, a curator of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. The females of the species are mostly brown, but the males have several rosy pink markings. Their heads, backs, and breasts are a lovely pink shade. It’s part of a group of “American rosefinches.” Somewhat surprisingly, these birds are not closely related to the European rosefinches. These pretty birds are not currently thought to be at risk for extinction.
122. Scarlet Ibises
The scarlet ibis is one of many birds in the world that is described as being red but looks more like deep pink. This bird is one of almost 30 different ibis species, but it’s the only one with this impressively bright color. It lives in South America and parts of the Caribbean, and it’s a bird of significant cultural importance. It is one of the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago, and it appears on the country’s coat of arms. Its name is also incorporated into many city names in Brazil. Despite the color difference, it is a very close relative of the American white ibis.
123. Purple Harlequin Toads
Most of us picture toads as being dull, brown, and warty. But the purple harlequin toad is certainly different. This little toad has a black base color, while its belly and upperparts are both marked with rich magenta pink (or purple, depending on the individual toad). Lots of people call it the purple fluorescent frog. It’s native to parts of French Guiana, although you can also find it for sale in the pet trade. The purple harlequin toad’s bright colors serve as a useful warning to predators, as its skin is highly toxic!
124. Rainbow Sharks
The unusual-looking yet beautiful rainbow shark has a body that is blue or black, but its fins are bright red or pink. Despite its name, this fish is not a true shark. It’s a popular aquarium fish thanks to its lovely colors, but make sure you’re careful; it can sometimes be aggressive to other fish. Rainbow sharks are also useful to owners of fish tanks, as they will eat algae and effectively clean the tank bottom and sides. If you choose to keep some, it’s important to have a large tank. In a tank that is too small, rainbow sharks will persistently chase and scare other fish.
125. Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos
These birds are easily among the most beautiful large parrots. Their bodies are a soft, rosy pink. But when they extend their crests, you’ll see a stunning band of red and orange. They are native to Australia. Their beauty makes them desirable as pet birds, but they often don’t make great pets. Young birds are affectionate and loving, but many adult Major Mitchell’s cockatoos become very aggressive. If you do choose one of these birds as a pet, it’s essential to make sure it was hand-raised. It’s also wise to consider the commitment these birds need, as they can live to be almost 100 years old.
Pink in the Natural World
Overall, plants and minerals make up the vast majority of pink objects in nature, but there are just enough animals and other objects to make the list interesting. Of course, this is by no means a complete list, and there are lots of other pink things waiting to be discovered in the world around you.
Read Next: 42 Pink Animals Found in Nature
