There’s no one way for an insect to fly, but they’re all amazing in close up and slo-mo

The US research biologist Adrian Smith uses powerful cameras to study – and delight in – how small winged creatures go from grounded to airborne in the blink of an eye. In this video, Smith walks viewers through slow-motion footage of 11 of the most fascinating moths and beetles he’s captured taking flight at the Evolutionary Biology and Behavior Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, which he heads. Highlights include a trio of bioluminescent glow-worm beetles taking off in synchrony, and a waved sphinx moth launching from the tip of Smith’s finger. Combined, these clips form an awe-inspiring peek into the varying strategies insects use for moving into, and through, the air. For more lush visual investigations of insect-flight physics from Smith, watch Moths in Slow Motion and Insects Take Flight.