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Osmia avosetta is a very rare species of mason bee that was just discovered about 16 years ago. These are solitary bees, meaning that they don't form colonies or live together in hives; each female builds her own nest instead, placing her eggs in a small batch of enclosed brood capsules and then burying the capsules in burrows and other cavities.

Each capsule contains a single egg, along with enough pollen and nectar to sustain the larva until it reaches adulthood.

Above: the photo at the top shows a capsule that was made by Osmia avosetta, and the image at the bottom shows several capsules buried in the ground at a nesting site in Turkey

Osmia avosetta builds its nesting capsules with petals from the flowers Onobrychis vicilifolia or Hedysarum elymaiticum (depending on the region). The bee uses its mandibles to trim the petals and then carries each of the pieces back to its nesting site, where the petals are carefully folded together and then formed into several small, rounded capsules. Nectar and mud are both used to "glue" the petals together.

As this article describes:

Both practical and beautiful, the mother bee first sources the perfect petals and brings them back to her nest site. She then digs a 1.5 cm-deep burrow and lays down multiple layers of overlapping petals and mud. After filling the nest with nutritious pollen and nectar, she then lays her precious egg on top. Finally, she seals the cell by folding the scale-like petals inwards and plugging the hole with mud. While the exterior dries like a hard shell, the interior stays humid, allowing a cozy environment for the larvae to grow and mature as they wait out the winter.

Above: the inside of a nesting capsule, with a tiny egg resting atop a glob of pollen and nectar

The finished capsules are a colorful, delicate patchwork of pink, purple, blue, and yellow flower petals.

This species was first discovered and described in 2009. Two separate research teams in two different countries actually discovered the species on the very same day; one team discovered it at a site in Turkey while the other discovered it in Iran, and the two teams then published their findings together in a single paper.

Above: more capsules from the nesting site in Turkey

Osmia avosetta has scarcely been documented in the 16 years that have passed since its discovery, and the research that has been published on this species primarily focuses on the nesting behavior. There are very few photos of the actual bees themselves.

Above: Osmia bee from Turkey

The photos of the nesting capsules are pretty stunning, though.

There are several other mason bees that use flower petals and/or leaves to line their nests, and bees of the family Megachilidae are also known to engage in a similar behavior, as I explained in my previous post about petalcutter and leafcutter bees.

Sources & More Info:

My Modern Met: Rare Bee Species Makes Colorful Nests from Flower Petals

NPR: Busy Bees Use Flower Petals for Nest Wallpaper

American Museum Novitates: Nests, Petal Usage, Floral Preferences, and Immatures of Osmia avosetta, Including Biological Comparisons with Other Osmiine Bees

Tonight all these lives converge here The mosaics of laughter and cocktails of tears Where fraternal souls sing identical things And it’s beautiful  It’s rapturous. It is frightening. ____

I can’t tell you how proud I am to share this with you, an album that just feels so right. A forever thank you goes out to my mentors and friends Max and Shellback for helping me paint this self portrait.

If you thought the big show was wild, perhaps you should come and take a look behind the curtain… 

The Life of a Showgirl is out now.

https://taylor.lnk.to/TSTheLifeofaShowgirl

Album Producers: Max Martin, Shellback and Taylor Swift

i'm sorry, i keep turning and thrashing i keep fighting, screaming, crying, i keep holding on too hard until i can't anymore and my hand bleeds.

i'm sorry that i'm bleeding all over this page, i'm sorry that its blurring all my words, i'm sorry that you can't see it clearly, not my idea, my vision, not me

people say that the more you feel pain the more words flow through your veins more poems, more stories, more emotions because until you are bleeding inside, how could you possibly bleed on the page?

i'm sorry but i don't believe that's true not when blood smears all over the words rather than water it with love, and watch as the seeds grow into a flower laden tree.

From Star vs. the Forces of Evil - Bon Bon the Birthday Clown.

Hey it’s me singing! Here are the lyrics: Darned if I knew / that I’d find you / in the last place I thought you would be / What could I do / ‘till I saw you / waiting for me / And if I catch your eye / it feels like I could fly / Out from my lonely world into yours

I'm in the breeze

My footsteps on the ground

You'll see my face in every place

But you can't catch me now

Through wading grass, the months will pass

You'll feel it all around

I'm here

I'm there

I'm everywhere

But you can't catch me now

what should’ve happened all those years ago…

┏ · ──────── ·𖥸· ──────── · ┓

-> 1) Blue-Moon Weed [蒼月草│Sō gessō]

The Blue-Moon Weed (Sō gesso │ 蒼月草) is a blue, fictitious flower in the universe of Sousou no Frieren endemic to Himmel's hometown. The flower can be described as having blue anthers, yellow filaments as well as five petals that range from deeper blue at the tips to lighter blue in the centre. Although the Blue-Moon Weed is fictional, it appears to be inspired by real-life plants—namely Baby Blue Eyes and the Asiatic Daylily.

During episode 2, Frieren cleans a statue of Himmel the hero, afterwards a local herbalist proposes planting some flowers around the statue to brighten the area. This causes Frieren to recall how Himmel once told her his favourite flowers were Blue-Moon Weeds. This motivates her to search for these flowers over the next six months, despite these plants not being sighted for decades. After much frustration on Fern's part, the two eventually discover a small meadow of Blue-Moon Weed flowers atop an abandoned watchtower. This allows Frieren to use her spell to decorate the area around the statue with these flowers.  During this incident, we learn that Frieren’s penchant for collecting odd spells partly stems from Himmel expressing his appreciation for them—particularly the flower bed-making spell which is currently her favourite. Although Frieren couldn’t grant Himmel’s desire to show her Blue-Moon Weed flowers before his death, she was still somewhat able to fulfil this desire by finding the flowers and planting them around his statue as a tribute. Her willingness to devote half a year towards finding the flower showcases her remarkable dedication and nuanced sentimentality.

-> 1,2) Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila sp.)

The most apparent inspiration for the Blue-Moon Weed is likely Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila sp.). Although the leaves of the Blue-Moon Weed have an elongated shape, the shape and method of attachment differ from those of Nemophila—the shape and colour of the flowers are very similar to Nemophila. Baby Blue Eyes flowers are known as Rurikarakusa (ルリカラクサ) in Japan. In hanakotoba, Nemophila symbolises success everywhere, daintiness and forgiveness. In Western floriography, they represent victory, tenderness, sensitivity, harmony and trust. These symbolic connotations are closely linked with Himmel’s personality and accomplishments. Nemophila also represent the transient nature of beauty and life, encouraging us to treasure every moment and appreciate simplicity—which is a core theme in the series and is a lesson that Frieren is slowly learning throughout her journey.

The scientific name for Baby Blue Eyes, Nemophila, is derived from Greek and roughly translates to "loves small woodlands". This is derived from Nemophila's tendency to grow around the margins of woodlands. In a way, this is reminiscent of Himmel and Frieren's first encounter in the forest when the former became lost. After pointing him in the right direction, Frieren casts the flower bed-making spell leaving a lasting impact on Himmel. Specifically, it is hinted that Himmel sought Frieren out to be the party's magician since that event was the first time he perceived magic as being beautiful.

-> 1,2) Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis)

Another possible inspiration for the Blue-Moon Weed is the Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis). In Japan, this plant is known as tsuyukusa (露草) meaning "dew grass“. However, in ancient times it was called tsukikusa (月草) meaning “moon grass” which is similar to the name of Blue-Moon Weed. Although the two plants both possess blue-coloured flowers and similar leaf shapes; how the leaves attach to the stem differs, as does the shape of the flowers. In hanakotoba, the Asiatic Dayflower symbolises nostalgic relationships, secret love, transience and changes of heart in love. In Western floriography, they symbolise harmony, growth, prosperity and abundance. These symbolic associations—particularly those of nostalgic relationships, growth and changes of the heart in love—resonate heavily with Frieren’s relationship with Himmel. While the flower’s symbolism of secret love and transience resonates with Himmel’s feelings towards Frieren.

-> 2) Mirrored Lotus [鏡蓮華│Kagami renge]

The Mirror Lotus (Kagami renge │鏡蓮華) is a fictitious flower in the universe of Sousou no Frieren. However, its name suggests it is based on a real lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). Furthermore, the shape of the flower on Fern's bracelet is quite similar to that of a real lotus, which lends credence to this notion. In episode 14, it is noted that the silver bracelet Stark bought Fern for her birthday features a Mirror Lotus design. As Frieren studies the bracelet, she realises it has the same design as a ring she received from Himmel in the past. Sein then reveals that the Mirror Lotus symbolises eternal love.

Although Fern, Stark, and Frieren were unaware of the flower's symbolism, Himmel's interest in flowers suggests he recognised the meaning behind the ring he bought for Frieren—despite her assumption otherwise. As Frieren recalls receiving the ring, we see that after she selected it randomly Himmel was struck into silence and stared at it with a pensive expression. He then knelt before Frieren and placed it on the fourth finger of her left hand. This event, resembling a marriage proposal, reinforces the impression that he understood the significance of the flower. Furthermore, Himmel never married anyone else, alluding to the fact that Himmel must have pledged his eternal affection to Frieren through this ring. The significance of Himmel gifting Frieren a ring that symbolises "eternal love," as well as the multiple sculptures he had constructed around the world serve as a reminder of his existence. They serve as proof that his love for her transcends time and continues to accompany her on her journey.

Although Fern’s bracelet Fern and Frieren’s ring both have a mirrored lotus motif, the designs of the flowers differ in shape. The mirror lotus flower on Frieren’s ring is in bud state while the flower Fern's bracelet is in full bloom. This distinction references the difference between the two pairs’ relationships. While it is inferred that Himmel knew about the flower’s meaning, Frieren wasn't aware and only discovered it after his death. Himmel's romantic feelings for Frieren are still unknown to her, corresponding to the flower's bud shape on the ring, as their relationship remains frozen, unable to fully blossom due to the distance between them caused by their differing lifespans and Frieren's unintentional obliviousness. However, Fern and Stark discover the flower's significance together almost immediately after buying the bracelet. Although Fern, like Stark, was unaware of the mirror lotus' symbolism when she accepted the bracelet, she continued to wear it after learning about it and was enraged by Stark's proposal that she replace it with another design. If Fern hadn't had any romantic feelings for Stark, she would have been reluctant to wear the bracelet after this revelation. This, in conjunction with the flower's full bloom design on her bracelet, suggests that the pair will become mutually conscious of each other's romantic feelings and eventually end up together.

-> 2,1) Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

In Japan, lotuses are called ren (蓮) or hasu (はす) and symbolise eloquence, sacredness, detached love as well as a pure heart in hanakotoba. Its symbolism of a pure heart is derived from how the lotus blooms into a noble and pure flower despite rising from muddy water. This symbolic connotation resonates with Himmel’s character, particularly his remarkable accomplishments despite his humble background. Lotuses are also globally associated with purity, rebirth, transformation and enlightenment. The lotus’s symbolic representation of enlightenment and transformation resonates with Frieren’s journey to learn and understand humans better to alleviate her regret of not getting to know Himmel better. In Asia, two lotus flowers blossoming from a single stem represent a desire for harmony and a shared heart. While in Western floriography, lotuses represent grace and estranged love. This sharp contrast between the lotus’ romantic symbolism in Asia and the West correlates with the difference in dynamic between the series’ main two pairings and their narrative conclusions. Additionally, despite Himmel’s feelings remaining unknown to Frieren, due to her leaving after their 10-year journey (i.e. estranged love), she shows a desire to understand him (i.e. a desire for a shared heart) after his death.

┗ · ──────── ·𖥸· ──────── · ┛

╰➤ Other anime & donghua hanakotoba posts

[A/N: It'll probably be a while until I make another one of these posts—but if anyone has any requests feel free to send them. Also, lmk what other kinds of posts I should do in the meantime? Lastly, if you liked this post, check out my other hanakotoba analysis posts✿]

I could never choose to love another

Maybe, one day

I can learn to love you too

“You okay?” “I am now”.

cat pics that gave me krkn inspo