Three beautiful hummingbirds with iridescent plumage are sitting on a branch. It is raining, as we can tell from the dark green forest background heavily spotted with droplets. This saturates the bird's feathers, giving them a wonderful glow. A weak shaft of light singles out the bird in the middle, who is exceptionally beautiful with a brilliant neon near-lime green bib and throat paired with vivid violet underparts. The birds on either side sit looking at him. They too have gorgeous flashy purple/violet underparts, but their color is matched with black heads and bibs and snow white undertails. All have their bills somewhat lifted as if to greet the rain-shower. The central bird is an adult male Crowned Woodnymph. The two flanking birds are Velvet-purple Coronets. Dona Dora, Colombia. Nov 2025. Photo by Peachfront.
A silly photo that is a largely out of focus blur of a displaying Coppery-bellied Puffleg with HUGE white "boots" and an iridescent blue tail, coppery-gold belly, and green bib and face approaching some pinky-red berries. However, from the lower right hand corner of the image, a Swordbill hummingbird is popping into view sharply IN focus. I think there were small insects / protein sources on these berries since they were hotly contested by the Pufflegs & Swordbills. El Zoque, CO. Nov 2025. Photo by Peachfront.
a frustrating moment when i fired off the shot when the focus was on the bee not the birb, however, it gives you a nice size comparison of bee vs. birb
A photograph of a bee flying by. The bee's background is the out of focus blurred green and blue of the Steely-vented Hummingbird. Aracauna Lodge, CO. Nov 2025. Photo by Peachfront.
Free online symposium on using environmental DNA to detect insects. Feb 13, 2026, 11:30-3:30 EST. Multiple talks will be given by eDNA researchers, on bees, butterflies, pollinator networks, and more.
There will be a panel at the end if you have any questions about using eDNA in your own work.
Flyer for the seminar, "Environmental DNA as a tool for inferring insect species presence and characterizing communities" by the USGS. It has a picture of a bumblebee. There is a QR code to sign up for the zoom.
Natives are beautiful. We are growing as many varieties as we can. The idea is to have a diverse ecosystem with a seed bank. The positive thinking is that hundreds of varieties will add resilience for nature. These lovely seeds were collected from a two year old swamp rose mallow. We are doing cold moist stratification in damp sand for many native plant seeds. It is an activity that helps the soil and the pollinators. We need them. #nativeplants, #minnesota, #Zone4b, #compost, #pollinators
The closeup photograph shows a score of fuzzy round seeds on grains of white sand. A few seeds are positioned to resemble hedgehogs.
Plenty of Bombus terrestris workers active near Tower Hill station in London today - chilly but not bitter, and almost warm in the sun, so I guess they were making the most of the big flowering Choisya while conditions were good. Workers were collecting pollen, so active winter nest.
Increasingly over the last 20 or so years, Bombus terrestris has been managing a 3rd, winter active, generation in cities and southern areas of the UK in particular. Exotic winter-flowering shrubs like Choisya and Mahonia are important food sources.
I usually like to use current photos for #ArtAdventCalendar (Day 09) but yesterday I was only out long enough to cut a little wood + too lazy to take photos of decorations..lol So! as we approach Winter Solstice, views from the opposite side of the year as we approached Summer Solstice. I chose shots with a lot of shadow as a reminder that there always needs to be a balance between Light + Dark #animist#pagan#summer#florespondence#Bloomscrolling#butterfly#inverts#NativePlants#pollinators
The tip of a native pea plant (Lathyrus ochroleucus) emerges from dark green shadow to a bit of sun that lights a couple of golden green leaves and bracts along with a cluster of narrow tubular cream coloured flowers. One small butterfly- silver grey with white fringed wings adn almost electric blue painted on its centre- sits on the flower cluster while another flies toward the flowers, about to land. The background is shadowed foliage, with the edges darkened and blurred to enhance the already dark shadows, while the green -gold of leaves has been intensified emphasising the idea that the height of summer still holds darkness even while Sun is at peak.
Day 5 of #artAdventCalendar - For the Manufactured Ecosystems art show about the future of pollination I looked at what nature-inspired technologies exist or are already proposed or that I could envision to pollinate plants, faced with a precipitous drop in pollinator numbers. But, I am also turned an artist’s eye to larger implications.
There are already researchers working on artificial pollination with tiny 🧵
My linocut print on 16” x 20” Arches paper with deckle edge with collaged washi paper of branches of pink cherry blossoms with a hummingbird clearwing moth in burgundy, sage green and black and a tiny black pollination drone called a Robobee. The drone has two wings, a vertical structure and tripod feet and is smaller than the moth.
A Dione vanillae butterfly (Also called Agraulis vanillae, Gulf fritillary, or passion butterfly) was visiting a Tagetes flower in Norman, Oklahoma, United States on October 11, 2025.
A Dione vanillae (also called Agraulis vanillae, Gulf fritillary, or passion butterfly) was visiting a yellow flower in Norman, Oklahoma, United States on October 5, 2025.
Tiny wonders of nature – stingless bees at the entrance to their nest. Small in size, yet playing a huge role in pollination and keeping ecosystems in balance.
Among the most successful of the TX natives I planted in the spring are the Turk’s Caps, all have thrived & grown big, all are still blooming. And they’re very popular with the hummingbirds and #butterflies, such as this Gulf Fritillary.
"Vincetoxicum nakaianum (a #dogbane species native to #Japan described only a year ago) mimics the smell of #ants attacked by #spiders. This scent attracts #flies that feed on these injured #insects and pollinate the #flowers in the process."
photo of a small plant with inconspicuous dark flowers in a forest
A close-up of a vibrant green Black Swallowtail caterpillar with black and yellow markings, resting on a green fennel stem. The background is blurred, featuring foliage in natural light.
A Monarch butterfly with vibrant orange and black wings is perched on a cluster of purple Butterfly Bush flowers. The background features various other plants, creating a colorful natural setting.
Close-up of two bees on large, vibrant yellow flowers with orange centres. The bees are in the process of pollinating the blossoms, which are surrounded by a lush backdrop of more yellow flowers and green foliage. The image is bright, detailed, and captures a moment of natural activity.
A small burnt-orange butterfly (Pearl Crescent) with many brown markings rests on a burning heart false sunflower. The butterfly is small, but large enough to cover the orange-red center zone of the flower. To the right, is another burning heart flower with its red and golden yellow petals.