Camouflage is a way of hiding by blending into your surroundings. Animals use camouflage to survive: a brown rabbit disappears against autumn leaves, a green tree frog vanishes on a lily pad, and an arctic fox's white fur makes it nearly invisible against snow. These creatures aren't trying to hide. They just naturally match their environment, which helps them avoid predators or sneak up on prey.

People use camouflage too. Soldiers wear uniforms with green and brown splotches that break up their outline in forests, or tan patterns that blend with desert sand. Hunters dress in camouflage clothing to avoid spooking deer. A photographer might drape a camouflaged net over her camera to get close-up shots of shy birds.

Camouflage can be used as both a noun and a verb. You might wear camouflage (the patterned clothing), or you might camouflage yourself (hide by blending in). The key idea is matching your appearance to your background so completely that you become hard to spot. Whether it's a stick insect looking exactly like a twig or a submarine painted to match ocean water, effective camouflage makes something nearly impossible to see, even when it's right in front of you.