The Abbey of Averbode in Flemish-Brabant, Belgium, was founded in 1134 on initiative of Arnold II, Count of Loon. The church was built between 1664 and 1672 and is a synthesis of Baroque and Gothic, with Renaissance ornament details.

It's a nice place to visit, especially in combination with the nearby nature reserve. The abbey also runs a cafe and shop where they sell their own gingerbread, cheese, bread and beer.

That's my nevus flammeus🔥, better known as port-wine stain🍷. It's a harmless capillary malfunction in the skin. The fine blood vessels that run below the epidermis are increased and widened, which causes the reddish color. It's already present at birth. In most cases, it's linked to a somatic mosaic mutation with exchange of a base pair in the GNAQ gene🧬. Mosaicism is a condition in which a single organism possesses more than one genetic line. Getting rid of it wouldn't be a problem these days. But I like the feature!✌️

My Chinese zodiac animal is tiger, element fire.🐯🔥

When you think about the universe, don't forget to take a look inside.

Aerial view of the city of Frankfurt am Main in 2004. The Taunus rests in its majesty and cuddles with clouds.

The St. Christopher's Cathedral in Roermond, Netherlands. It was built in the 15th and 16th centuries. The main church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond has already been through a lot:

1554: City fire
1556: Iconoclasm
1572: Looted by the troops of William the Silent
1591: Collapse of the vault
1614: Storm damage
1892: Tower burns down
1921: Spire collapses during a storm
1945: Germans blow up the tower
1992: Earthquake

The tower has been restored to its old form after the war.

As soon as the sun sets, a lot of lizards start scoping. Purple sky, golden reed. What's green is green and blue is hoping.

Wish you a pleasant weekend! 😊

A reptile that hugs you is only looking for your warmth or tries to eat you.

Kleptothermy, theft of warmth, is a form of thermoregulation. It occurs in a wide variety of animal species, including human. For example when we cuddle up because it's cold.

Reptiles* cannot create body heat themselves. Their metabolism is dependent on external heat sources.

When your reptile hugs it body against you, it certainly feels safe. But it doesn't do it out of affection, but because you are warm.

It's still a nice feeling.

You should always keep in mind, that it's better for the animal not to take it out of the terrarium.

My leopard geckos are about to winter rest. I initiate a near-natural rest at a temperature of around 12°C.
It's important to get an accurate picture of the animals health beforehand. This includes taking fecal samples, scanning the body for abnormalities and assessing the strength of the animal.

*From a cladistic point of view, which is the scientific standard today, the reptiles as a monophyletic taxon, i.e. as a natural (complete) descent group (Reptilia as clade), should at least also contain the birds, which are warm-blooded.

Desert locusts (Shistocerca gregaria) only do two things 🤷‍♂️

I feed them alive to my animals.
I have also tried freeze-dried grasshoppers myself. Tasted a little like sunflower seeds. Did you ever eat insects and did you like it? 😋