Camouflage

Do you love to play hide-and-seek. I am the very best at it. I have been playing since the beginning of time. I help a bright green lizard disappear on a leafy branch. I can make a fluffy brown rabbit look just like a pile of dirt in a field. In the chilly north, I wrap the great polar bear in a coat of white so it looks like just another mound of snow. Animals use my special tricks to stay safe from hungry predators or to sneak up on their own lunch. My secret is all about blending in, becoming part of the world around you so no one can even see you are there. I am Camouflage.

For a very long time, only animals knew my secrets. But people are clever, and they learned by watching. Early hunters would cover themselves in mud and leaves so they could get closer to their dinner. But for many years, soldiers did not use my tricks at all. They would march into battles wearing bright red or blue coats. Can you imagine playing hide-and-seek in a bright red jacket. You would be found right away. Around the year 1902, the British army realized their bright coats made them easy targets for their enemies. So, they started wearing dusty, brownish-yellow clothes called 'khaki' to blend in with the dry ground. It was a smart move. Then, during a very big war called World War I, the French army got even more creative. In 1915, they created a whole team of artists to help them hide. An artist named Abbott Handerson Thayer had studied animals and helped people understand my hiding powers. The army's artists painted trucks, cannons, and even helmets with splotchy patterns of green, brown, and gray. They were the first to give me my official name, Camouflage. Another man, Norman Wilkinson, had a different idea for ships at sea. Instead of hiding them, he painted them with wild black and white zigzag lines. This was called Dazzle camouflage. It was a brilliant trick that confused enemies, making it hard for them to see which way the ship was going.

Today, I am still very busy helping people. Soldiers all over the world still use my patterns to stay safe when they are working. But I help lots of other people, too. Wildlife photographers wear my colors to get very close to shy deer and beautiful birds without scaring them away. Scientists who study nature use my patterns to watch animals in their homes without being noticed. You might even have me in your own closet. Have you ever seen a jacket, a backpack, or a pair of pants with my special leafy or splotchy patterns. I have become quite popular. My greatest job is helping people look at the world more carefully and discover its hidden beauty. The next time you are in a park or a forest, stand very still and look closely. You might be surprised by the secrets hiding right in front of you.