Another stinging caterpillar, a saddleback caterpillar (Acharia stimulea), showing off its fine green livery while waiting for a fairy knight (in spine-proof armor) to ride it into battle.
Perhaps not as bonkers as last week, but this is a rather large and slightly spiky flower weevil (Pteracanthus smidtii) hailing from the cloud forest in western Colombia
@futurebird@ChristineMalec
Don't know what was going on here. These ladies were swarming up through a crack in the sidewalk. All workers as far as I could tell.
A beautiful crane fly, hanging inside a sunlit bush. (This is who I was trying to photograph when I took the picture of the syrphid fly I posted yesterday. I recommend sticking your head under a bush occasionally. There's a whole other world in there.)
Ich weiß ja nicht, ob in meinem letzten Beitrag ein aufmerksamer Betrachter das Tierchen entdeckt hat. Aber dieser #Pinselfüßer verdient es einmal im Rampenlicht zu stehen.
This Synema globosum is sometimes called the Napoleon spider, because of a supposed resemblance of the markings on the abdomen (not visible here) to a silhouette of Napoleon wearing his iconic hat.
It is here on a Caryophyllaceae flower, commonly called the pink family or carnation family.
The reproduction by cross-pollination of many species depends on wild bees. With them, the survival of certain species of animals is also threatened (such as certain birds, butterflies, bumblebees...).
The bee collects pollen and nectar from the flower. Some of this nectar (which is located on the stamen) gets stuck to the bee's hairs during transport to another flower. When she lands on the other flower, this nectar is deposited on the stigma, or pistil (female reproductive organs). It is thanks to this that fertilization is possible, and that seeds can develop.
Unfortunately, the number of pollinators is decreasing more and more, especially in industrialized countries. And yet, there are 45% more hives worldwide in the last 50 years. But too many pesticides, plants rich in nectar that are becoming increasingly rare, especially in urban areas, and many other factors contribute to the decline of pollinator species year after year.