⛅️ 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.

🤗 For a more nuanced discussion, please feel free to use the comments section, private messages or the anonymous contact form on my website.

🪻The gradual flowering of the garden lupine allows for extended pollination periods, maximizing resource utilization. As the plant blooms over time, it attracts pollinators and ensures continuous reproduction.

Additionally, the symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria enriches the soil with nitrogen, enhancing its fertility. The chemical signals from the plant's roots attract Rhizobium bacteria, which transform into bacteroids within root nodules. These bacteroids receive nutrients from the plant and, in return, convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients such as ammonia, benefiting both the plant and the soil ecosystem. This symbiosis contributes to the productivity of the garden lupine and its surrounding environment.

However, this popular neophyte tends to become wild and its rapid and widespread growth can alter native ecosystems and lead to a loss of biodiversity. It can displace native species as it takes up space and water. Its ability to make nutrient-poor soils more fertile can contribute to the loss of habitats that depend on nutrient-poor soils.

Habitats that are low in nutrients include dry and poor grasslands, dunes and heathlands. These biotopes are home to unique species that only live there. Non-native species contribute to their loss and over-fertilization is one of the biggest problems.

🤗 For a more nuanced discussion, please feel free to use the comments section, private messages or the anonymous contact form on my website.

Beautiful shiny hoverfly!✨🐝

I suspect it is a Melanostoma species. Pretty sure a male.

The distance between the eyes of hoverflies is always narrower in males than in females.👀

Their larvae eat aphids and the adults feed on flower nectar and pollen.🌺🌼🌸

📊 Around 48,000 animal species have been identified in Germany, including over 33,000 insect species. Insects make up around 70 percent of all animal species in Germany.

🤗 For a more nuanced discussion, please feel free to use the comments section, private messages or the anonymous contact form on my website.

Sunflowers are my favorite flowers🌻 Honey bees and meadow bugs also love them 😊

The common meadow bug (Lygus pratensis) is a mirid bug. In January I introduced you to the mirid bug Deraeocoris ruber. Both wear a striking triangle on their backs. A major difference is that the meadow bug only sucks on plants.💚🥤

It is native to almost the entire northern hemisphere and is very common. Because they are attracted to light, they are often found around lamps or when they stray into your home.

Help them out again! It's important to be good to animals. And it goes down well with other people too. Yesterday I was walking to the grocery store and an aphid landed in my eye. A woman approaching me saw how I carefully placed the animal in a hedge and was totally impressed.🥰 Damn! Now I've revealed the aphid trick! 😜

🤗 For a more nuanced discussion, please feel free to use the comments section, private messages or the anonymous contact form on my website.

This little beauty is a mirid bug (Deraeocoris ruber)🤠🐞

They inhabit forests, but occur mainly on sunny forest edges and open areas.🌳🌞

Mirid bugs prey on various small arthropods such as caterpillars, but particularly aphids.🌿🐛
The prey is killed and sucked out by a sting that is also painful for humans.🧃😋

But that rarely happens.😄

The species is useful and harmless.🤗 However, nature is full of phenomena. In Germany, 2016, a related species (Psallus varians) - within the same family (Miridae) - spontaneously developed an increased appetite for blood and attacked humans and animals in very large numbers.😵🩸🌳

The mirid bug is widespread in almost all of Europe (except the far north and few islands in the Mediterranean and Atlantic) - you find it in North Africa - and further east to the Caucasus. It has been introduced in some areas of North and South America.🌍🌎

🤗 For a more nuanced discussion, please feel free to use the comments section, private messages or the anonymous contact form on my website.