While Chico the day gecko has already enjoyed much of your attention, this nameless young leopard gecko lady has kept very hidden until now. Along with Chico, she is one of the three geckos I adopted two months ago.

Unfortunately, the previous owner was not in the mental state to offer them species-appropriate accommodation. He kept two leopard geckos in a terrarium together with a day gecko. Actually, his supervisors should have taken care of it, whether that's okay.

The surprise was big, because my friend and I didn't know anything about the leopard geckos. But the good thing is that I have 22 years of experience keeping this species.

At first there was a huge shock because it seemed like only one leopard gecko was alive. Both were in a large sea shell, looking out. But this girl looked like she'd been dead for weeks. To play dead believably, she shut her eyes tight, opened her mouth a little, and contracted her body.

When I got the male out of the sea shell, she authentically fell inside and disappeared. When I first heard a noise, I thought I had just imagined it. Dead geckos don't make sounds!

What a feeling when she suddenly looked alive and beautiful out of the sea shell!

Like all my animals, she is a very beautiful sight. Nothing is known about her age and origin, but she looks to me like a young animal of about one or two years. As soon as I have a few nice photos of the male, I will of course also show him to you. 🥰

I guess you could say Dakota is a bit of a mouse-etarian!🐁

Nature's hide-and-seek ❄️🦆☃️

Seemingly endless..
along the Grote Nete river.

In search of magic.. ✨

I wish you a merry Christmas!🎄🍪💝

So crazy about his sweets 🥰🍌🦎

The heath in Kessel, Belgium is characterized by heather, swamps, drifting sand and ponds. Heath landscapes are a beautiful example of the interplay of culture and biodiversity. 6000 years ago 80 percent of Europe was still covered by forests. Heath areas naturally occurred only in very rare cases on coasts, in moorland areas and in the mountains. Then people started to use the forests for themselves. They required grazing land and thus not only changed the landscape, but also created new habitats for many different species. The extensive use of deforested and cleared areas resulted in increasingly nutrient-poor soils and grazing animals were bred that are particularly suitable for these areas. The upper layer of soil was regularly removed, mixed with animal manure and burned or applied to fields as fertilizer. The rain washed out the last nutrients and specially adapted plant species settled there, followed by rare animals.

These unique ecosystems survive only through active human intervention, which has been achieved through centuries of heath farming. However, this type of farming has become uneconomical, and a large part of the land has been converted into arable land by applying fertiliser. Other areas became forest again because keeping animals on nutrient-poor areas is associated with lower yields. With the loss of the heathland, numerous animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. And all the beauty that has always inspired painters and poets could simply disappear. It could hardly have been the biodiversity alone that led to active conservation efforts, but rather the cultural connection to this romanticized landscape form. We keep what we find beautiful and we can only find beautiful what we can see.

🌺 A reminder of spring, against the winter blues. 😊

❄️🕸️❄️🕸️❄️

This morning the whole balcony was hung with white spider webs. It was very foggy at minus 5 degrees. A beautiful, enchanting sight that did not last long. The webs collapsed after a short time. These were the works of garden spiders (Araneus diadematus).🥰
I couldn't stand it for long either and I'm back in quickly! 😄☕

Vincent spent a year and a half in a tight suitcase. If your son is a stuffed animal, you can do that. For me, looking at him was painful because Vincent was a gift from a woman I loved dearly. The magic of our bond breathed life into it. He became a real baby sloth. I have many fond memories of Vincent. He guarded the fruit basket and mistook kiwis for his eggs. He stuck his round head out of my backpack on hikes. He sat with us watching TV and always had a more or less clever comment ready. He slept in bed with us and lost filling quite quickly from being cuddled so much. Vincent van Sloth, a real sloth with personality. I miss the passion in my life, somehow all the magic has gone. I always had this vibe, the trust in the universe, I could feel the beauty of the world in my body and mind. And I always wanted to convey this feeling to others, or at least share some of it. I'm used to being alone. That's not it. I feel exhausted from the experiences of the past two years. All this insane German bureaucracy on the way to my professional goal. Half a year ago I temporarily stopped my Instagram activities because I needed my energy. I'm feeling better now because I was able to win an important stage. But there is a lot of work to be done in the next few months. The magic will come back on its own one day, and maybe my posts will get some of that as well. I brought Vincent out again because my grudges have faded and suffering has dissolved into heartwarming memories. And now I want him back with me, my little Vincent.