Catti226

Phew! I'm finally back home from travels and back to wrapping up the Waymakers Challenge birds for 2025. Thanks to all of you who donated in the final stretch!

The most amazing part is how the water droplet magnifies the Hornet's mouth parts, so you get to see them up-close!!!! It was FASCINATING to witness!

Here's some of my favorite still shots from that video:

Purple-crowned Lorikeets (Psitteuteles porphyrocephalus), parents with chicks, family Psittaculidae, order Psittaciformes, southern Australia

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticola), male, family Parulidae, order Passeriformes, MA, USA

Patterns & textures of plants 🌱🥀

Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University

🏵️ Ceramic hummingbird hawk-moth sculpture 🏵️

Beelieve it or not, this blue bee is the real deal! 🐝 Meet the blue carpenter bee (Xylocopa caerulea). This large bee can reach lengths of up to 1.1 in (2.8 cm); compare that to a European honey bee which typically grows up to 0.7 in (1.8 cm) long! Unlike honeybees, this critter doesn’t live in large hives, but instead spends most of its time alone. This insect can be found in parts of India, China, and Southeast Asia where it plays an important role in pollinating its habitat.