The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) has a much calmer temperament than the common wasp. It has a wide range of hunting habits, including different insects and spiders. The European paper wasp is a social insect and absolutely worth learning more about its interesting behaviour. Originally native to Eurasia and North Africa, it has now spread to all continents, replacing native species there.

The ivy bees (Colletes hederae) are one of the 15 species of plasterer bees native to Germany.

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Their nests are lined with a cellophane-like plastic using secretions from two glands at the end of the abdomen and on the labium ("lower lip"). That's why they are also called polyester bees. In Germany we call them silk bees "Seidenbienen".

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They live solitary in colonies, in sunny locations with no or sparse vegetation, where they dig their holes. Each species of plasterer bees specializes in the pollen of a particular plant, as does the ivy bee.

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The distribution area of ​​the ivy bees in Germany is concentrated in the Upper Rhine Plain and the Middle Rhine (where these photos were taken) as well as the Moselle Valley. However, since 2006 there has been a major wave of spread. The bees have also developed a novel preference for kindergarten sandboxes.

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They are peaceful animals who were not disturbed at all by my presence. The females have a very weak stinger, which they only use in extreme danger. There are no known allergic reactions.

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September heatwave 🌡️🔥🌊🌞

The beginning of autumn was only pretended.
Now it's back to ice cream and tropical nights.

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Just bought a new cap and feel like a young sloth right away 😅✨ I lost my old cap on an adventure.. 🤠🦖🛸🌋

Thanks for your attention!🙃

My almost invisible summer eyebrows ✨😏🌞

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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.

If insects can feel joy, what a wonderful world.🌺🐝

At least there are experiments that suggest something like fun in insects. For example, bumblebees like to play bumblebee ball.🏀🐝

But there are also observations in many other animal species.🐟🐸🐌🐎🦜

I like the idea of ​​happy insects buzzing around.
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Mammalian Skin 🐒🌞

I went hiking in the Andes again.

No, I wasn't. I just used Photoshop.🤪

More specifically, the generative AI fill of the latest beta. In the past, you had to laboriously select the motif, research the right background image, consider copyrights, insert it, edit the edges and make many adjustments. Today, all you need is a click and a text prompt. What do you think? 🤔

Now anyone can fake just about anything with ease. Admittedly, a closer look reveals a few discrepancies, but only a few look closely. Influencers no longer need to travel and dating profiles can be so much more interesting! On the other hand, if you want to be creative, a lot of work is saved and you can invest more time in other things. Also, almost everyone is already changing their "landscape" anyway, which others would call a beautiful face (wrinkles are natural and beautiful!).😉

Image 1 was created with the input "Mountain hike in the Andes", Image 2 "Landscape of the 2009 film Land of the Lost", Image 3 "Amazon River" and Image 4 is the original (in my neighborhood).

Authenticity is important to me, which is why I always mention content manipulation or generated representations. Except for the Easter eggs, of course, but nobody discovers them anyway.😄

Maybe I should devote myself more to classical painting again. It's not that easy to fake and you still have to do something.👨‍🎨