Spring @hedgehogs-and-flowers - Tumblr Blog

autumnic

virtualblanketfort

Ooo…late autumn moodiness with more than a touch of spooky.

cpahlow

acatnamedbinx

coyot3-bon3s

"A Cozy Spring in Joshua Tree"

aimeekb

The Milky Way rising over Joshua Tree National Park, California

leahberman

voices down the corridor; joshua tree, california

instagram - twitter - website

virtuallyinsane

marography

"And the spring will come, and we will meet once again."

withdreamsofhereafter

Hexagonal growth in a black olive tree

lindamarieansonsnaps

Forget-me-nots

michaelnordeman

Migrant Hoverfly/E⁠upeodes corollae/nyfiken blomfluga.

Hoverflies might look like bees or wasps at first glance, but they’re completely harmless and can’t sting at all. This clever disguise — known as mimicry — helps them avoid hungry predators like birds and dragonflies.

Hoverflies play a vital role in nature. As larvae, they are fierce aphid hunters, protecting plants from pests. Once they grow up, they switch to a vegetarian diet, sipping nectar from flowers and helping with pollination along the way. In a world where good pollinators and natural pest control are more important than ever, hoverflies are true unsung heroes.

They also have fascinating differences between the sexes. Males often have joined eyes that almost look like a single big eye on top of their head, while females have separate eyes. Their yellow markings differ too: males usually have merged patterns, whereas females’ markings are narrower and more distinct. Their large compound eyes, made up of thousands of tiny lenses called ommatidia, give them excellent vision for spotting flowers and potential mates. Pictured here is a female migrant hoverfly.

Värmland, Sweden (July 16, 2023).