Why so cute?🙃

🦗 Sickle bush-cricket nymph,
Phaneroptera species

🌼 Oak-leaved hydrangea,
Hydrangea quercifolia

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🌸🐝 The fall-blooming anemone (Eriocapitella species) is already opening its flowers.

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This green shield bug (Palomena prasina) has strayed into the stairwell... 🦸🪲

☠️ There was a risk of spiders, dehydration or drowning from the neighbor's dog's saliva.

🕸🕷🏜🐶💦

These and numerous other dangers lurk in the everyday life of this urban insect. 🚗🏡🌳

It lives in trees and bushes and sucks their sap.Actually, everyone in Germany should know it, with its bright green color and smelly secretion.

🛩🪂 It often just crashes into somewhere. Its flying abilities can certainly be described as enduring, but it lacks speed, precision and maneuverability.

☝️🔒My fingerprint has been manipulated.

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Warm air and colorful summer sunsets 🥰🌄

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Catching fireflies in a maize field 🌌✨️

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Move your body! 💃🌿
You must have moved while watching this 😜

The thorny stick insect (Aretaon asperrimus) relies on its branch-like appearance and begins to wiggle when it's "branch" moves, which makes it blend in with the movements of the vegetation in nature.

This is an old recording from 2017.
I no longer keep them.

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Chilean rose tarantula,
Grammostola rosea

Adult tarantulas molt every one to two years.
The last molt was two years ago.

1. Pumping
2. Molting
3. Hardening

The place is secured with spider webs. The spider lies on its back and pumps a molting hormone through its body. The upper shield bursts open and it frees itself from the old exoskeleton. After that, the spider is exhausted and not yet fully hardened.

Pumping:
The tarantula pumps a molting hormone (ecdysterone) from its rear end to its front end. This process takes several hours. I found it in this position at 3 p.m. At just after 8 p.m. it burst out of its upper shield. Since it is lying on its back, the upper shield is down. The video is at 200x speed.

Molting:
After the tarantula has burst out of the upper shield, it moves out of the exoskeleton with rhythmic movements, carefully pulling out its legs. This lasted two hours from about 8 to 10 p.m. The process seems well thought out as its old shell falls off perfectly. The video is at 100x speed.

Hardening:
The tarantula lies on its back, peaceful as a baby. It is still very soft and therefore very sensitive. It stretches its limbs by increasing body pressure, actively moving the limbs and then hardening the new exoskeleton. The spider web is nice and soft and not only protects against injuries, but also against intruders such as hungry insects or harmful microorganisms.

After half an hour the tarantula has gotten up again, but is not yet completely hardened. It remains in this safe place for the next few days and recovers.

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⛅️ When we look at the clouds, we rarely think about life, but dream ourselves away into our own world of imagination. Suddenly, I'm telling you about an ocean in the sky where life is spread out. What lives in the clouds? Birds? Insects? Angels? Probably not. So high up, in the harsh conditions of cold and radiation, there is only very special life. I will now open your eyes to the fantastic world of microorganisms.

🦠 One of these many microorganisms is Pseudomonas syringae, a plant pathogen. It likes to live on and in plants and has a special trick to attack them. The bacterium forms a structure on its surface that acts as an ice nucleus, causing water above the freezing point to freeze. This means that ice crystals form more quickly at low temperatures, damaging the plant tissue and making it more accessible to the bacteria.

❄️ Many microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, are transported into the upper layers of the atmosphere by atmospheric buoyancy and strong winds. Some species have adapted to survive these conditions. The ability of Pseudomonas syringae to form ice crystals even influences cloud formation and precipitation. In this way, microorganisms not only influence the weather but also reach new places, encountering new plants and new genes.

🧬 Bacteria are an important factor in horizontal gene transfer. This means the direct transfer of genes to other life forms without reproduction, for example, from bacteria to animals and plants and vice versa. In very rare cases, this even influences the germ line and thus the evolution of more complex species.

♻️ Microorganisms are often only visible to us when they cause disease. However, they play a crucial role in our ecosystem. Infected plants, for example, are made accessible to other living creatures.

🌍 In other words, countless highly complex processes take place, influenced by the dynamics between life and climate - above our heads, under our feet, and within us.

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Purity and goodness 🤍💧

As children, we were asked which color we liked more: black or white. I chose black simply because I liked the color. Another child chose white, explaining that it represents purity and goodness. Interestingly, this person often acted in a scheming and spiteful manner, contrary to the symbolism of white.

This personal anecdote taught me that choosing a symbol doesn’t always reflect a person’s true values or behavior. Psychologically, it is known that there can be a significant gap between self-perception and actual behavior. Honesty and authenticity in self-expression are more important than striving for an idealized image.

I’m skeptical when someone claims they never lie or act toxic. Studies show that a strong emphasis on moral purity can sometimes indicate a distorted self-perception or even inner conflict. People who idealize themselves or fail to recognize their mistakes often struggle with personal growth, as they are less likely to engage in self-reflection and self-improvement.

Such people can strain relationships and undermine trust in their sincerity. Authenticity and the ability to admit mistakes and learn from them are crucial for personal and interpersonal development. Authenticity fosters deeper connections and greater trust within relationships.

Everyone has some narcissistic traits, and a healthy level of self-love is important. However, on social media, people often share oversimplified, polarizing opinions, promoting toxic positivity that ignores negative feelings and weaknesses. Toxic positivity, as defined by scholars, involves dismissing negative emotions and responding to distress with false reassurances rather than empathy.

Those who claim to have no narcissistic traits often seem inauthentic and are more likely to display toxic-narcissistic behavior. Authenticity means admitting one’s own flaws and weaknesses. Those who are open about their imperfections show a healthier attitude towards themselves and others, which is essential for genuine self-esteem and growth.

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Loki: "Nothing to eat? You are of no interest. 😒"

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