Mihaela Limberea

[mihaelalimberea]

My Online Shop Just Got a Wild Makeover—Come Check It Out!

I’m thrilled to share that my online shop is freshly updated!

Snag stunning nature & wildlife prints—greeting cards, canvas, framed masterpieces—plus awesome gifts like mugs, phone cases, notebooks & more! Something for every budget. Check it out & bring the wild home!

Mihaela Limberea Shop | Redbubble

Mihaela Limberea is an independent artist creating amazing designs for great products such as t-shirts, stickers, posters, and phone cases.

[mihaelalimberea]

We spent the whole afternoon tracking this pride at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve. We knew the lions were lying under bushes and trees somewhere in that area, most likely sleeping and completely invisible in the tall grass. Lions are champion resters: up to twenty hours a day, if you let them.

Then the light started to drop, and the mood shifted. This lioness got up, stretched, and set off down the red sand track, her cubs following at their own pace behind her. Two adult males and another lioness with her cubs were nearby, outside the frame. She’d picked the track for a reason: lions use cleared paths like this one to move quietly at dawn and dusk, without the crunch of dry grass underfoot. The evening hunt had begun, and we watched them disappear as the mountains turned blue behind them.

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🦁 Lion (Panthera leo)

📸 Canon R5 & Canon RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM

📍Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa

[mihaelalimberea]

There's a colony of habituated meerkats at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, and I was looking forward to watching them in the morning as they start their day sunning, grooming themselves, and foraging. They didn't disappoint, and I spent several hours low on the ground, trying to keep pace with these oh-so-fast small animals.

This is one of my favorite meerkat photos, because it's not doing what you usually expect from a meerkat photo: standing sentinel. I wanted to show something different; you've probably seen thousands of meerkats standing at attention before.

And if you look closer, you’ll see the tiny ants 🐜 🐜 clinging to its’ whiskers.

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🆔 Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa

[mihaelalimberea]

Four seconds is about what I got before this red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) vanished into the canopy above Vienna's Zentralfriedhof (cemetery).

It came up through the ivy at a sprint, stopped mid-climb with one paw braced against the bark, ear cocked toward some sound I couldn't hear. The cemetery's old trees and undisturbed ground cover have turned it into one of the better spots in the city to find squirrels doing exactly what they'd do without an audience: climbing, pausing, listening, gone.

[mihaelalimberea]

Morning light in the Kalahari does something particular to a cheetah's coat, it turns the pale fur almost golden and makes every spot stand out like ink on paper.

This one had climbed onto a low, weathered limb and sat scanning the bush, mouth slightly open, completely uninterested in me. Cheetahs aren't natural climbers, but they'll use a sloping trunk as a lookout when it's on offer.

[mihaelalimberea]

Painted Warriors: African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus)

 

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The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), or painted wolf, is one of the world’s most endangered mammals. According to the IUCN, only 3,000 to 5,500 remain. African wild dog numbers are notoriously hard to pin down, and estimates vary quite a bit by source. However, they all agree they are endangered.

 

Human expansion and habitat loss have limited them to small areas in southern and eastern Africa, though they once lived across the continent.

 

To witness African wild dogs in the savanna is a rare privilege, as they are notoriously elusive and require massive home ranges. Experts say their social structure is one of the strongest among animals. Unlike other predators that compete within the group, painted wolves focus on the pack’s survival instead of individual power. Before hunting, they have "greeting ceremonies" with high-pitched sounds, muzzle-licking, and play-fighting, like what we saw. This helps the pack get in sync and strengthens their bonds. They are also very caring; the whole pack looks after injured members and pups, and hunters will even bring back food for those who stay at the den.

 

African wild dogs are the most successful hunters in the world, with a kill rate of roughly 80%, far outperforming lions who succeed in only about 20-30% of their attempts.

[mihaelalimberea]

A male common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) perched on an Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ flower.

Common blue males typically have wings that are blue above, with a black-brown border and a white fringe, similar to the one in my photo. The females are usually brown above with a blue dusting and orange spots.

These butterflies drink nectar from plants like clovers and bird’s-foot trefoil. Their caterpillars eat leguminous plants and even team up with ants for protection. The adults only live about three weeks, and the males often chase each other around to defend their territory.

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🦋 Male common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus)

🌸 Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea var. Magnus)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Lidingö, Sweden

[mihaelalimberea]

The regal profile of a hunter waiting for the perfect moment. You don't need to show the whole animal to feel her weight.

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🦁 Lion (Panthera leo)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa

[mihaelalimberea]

Glad Midsommar from Minette, who tolerated her flower crown with the dignity of a cat who knows the daisies were not her idea.

For those outside Sweden: Midsummer (Midsommar) marks the summer solstice and the longest days of the year — celebrated here with maypoles, herring, new potatoes, and, yes, wreaths of wildflowers worn in the hair. It's one of the most beloved days on the Swedish calendar, a bright pause when the whole country seems to step outside and stay there until very late. The flowers in this crown — daisies and red clover — are the same ones you'd find woven into wreaths across the meadows this week.

Minette is not impressed. She is, however, festive.

[mihaelalimberea]

From my garden: a peacock butterfly on echinacea.

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🦋 Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io)

🌸 Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea var. Magnus)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Lidingö, Sweden

[mihaelalimberea]

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas)

The Yellow-billed Hornbill is affectionately nicknamed the 'flying banana' due to its massive, down-curved yellow beak. That beak is more than just eye-catching; the hornbill uses it like a pair of needle-nose pliers. The narrow tip plucks insects, seeds, and spiders off the ground or out of low vegetation, while serrated inner edges let it crush and break apart tougher items before swallowing.

Fun fact: hornbills hire a mongoose security team! Yellow-billed hornbills form a real working partnership with dwarf mongooses. They forage together: the mongooses scratch and dig through the ground, flushing out insects that the hornbills snap up, and in return the birds sound the alarm when a raptor appears, sending their mongoose buddies dashing for cover. The birds are so reliable that they sometimes arrive at the den in the morning and call down to wake their partners. Isn’t Nature amazing?

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🆔 Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa

[mihaelalimberea]

Giraffe in high key

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🦒 Cape Giraffe (Giraffa giraffa)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Marakele National Park, South Africa

[mihaelalimberea]

When Life hands you lemons... We were floating slowly on Matlabas River in South Africa, hoping to find hippos. We could hear them somewhere in the distance, and kept going, but never found them. We had to turn back eventually, empty handed, tail firmly tucked between our legs. Still, I had my camera, and the scenery was beautiful. Water lilies were blooming, and I found one just begging to be photographed.

I didn’t get any hippo photos that morning, but I did take lots of pictures of the landscape and flowers. This water lily, glowing in the sunlight, became one of my favorite photos from the trip.

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🪷 Water lily

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍 Matlabas River, Marakele National Park, South Africa

[mihaelalimberea]

Australian white ibis (Threskiornis molucca) photographed at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. It was raining, and while most people took cover in the nearby cafe, I stayed put and took a lot of photos.

A little rain has never stopped me. I use a shower cap over the camera body, and the lens is weather-sealed, up to a point, obviously. I draw the line at downpours. But a soft, persistent drizzle? That’s when things get interesting.

It’s fascinating to see how animals and birds keep going through situations we often try to avoid. They don’t wait for better weather or change what they’re doing. An ibis looks for food in the rain, a squirrel moves along wet branches, and a sea lion relaxes on a windy beach. They just live in the moment. What really stands out is not only their endurance, but also how easily they accept the world, while we tend to resist it.

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🐦 Australian white ibis (Threskiornis molucca)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍 Sydney, Australia

[mihaelalimberea]

A grebe pair I photographed on a chilly April morning near my house. Living on an island with so many nature reserves and so much wildlife is something I really appreciate every single day.

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🦆 Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

📸 Canon R5 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Gråviken (Lidingö), Sweden

[mihaelalimberea]

A hamerkop I photographed during our last year’s safari in South Africa. The hamerkop may look like a modest wetland bird at first glance, but it is one of Africa’s most fascinating and unusual species.

The hamerkop is the only species in its genus (Scopus) and family (Scopidae). For a long time, scientists couldn’t agree where it belonged; it shares traits with herons, storks, and pelicans.

One of the hamerkop’s most remarkable traits is its nest-building ability. These birds construct some of the largest nests in the avian world relative to their body size. Built from sticks, reeds, and mud, a single nest can reach nearly two meters across and weigh more than 50 kilograms. Inside, the structure is surprisingly complex, with multiple chambers and even false entrances that may help confuse predators. Once abandoned, these nests often become valuable real estate for other animals, including owls, eagles, snakes, and small mammals. Isn’t Nature amazing?

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🐧 Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, South Africa

[mihaelalimberea]

A close-up of a muskox enduring heavy snowfall from my February trip to northern Sweden has quickly become one of my favorite photos. I had edited other photos from that trip, but I kept coming back to this one time after time. I liked the ox’s stoic attitude, standing still in the cold, heavy snow falling silently across the white landscape.

Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are some of the most interesting and rare wild mammals in Sweden. They disappeared from Sweden and the rest of Europe about 9,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age. The muskoxen found in Sweden today are descended from five animals that wandered across the border from the reintroduced Norwegian herd in Dovrefjell and settled in the Härjedalen mountains.

Muskoxen are more closely related to sheep and goats than to oxen. Their incredibly thick coat (including the ultra-warm qiviut underwool) allows them to survive temperatures as low as –40 °C! In Sweden, they are perfectly adapted to the harsh, long winters.

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🐂 Muskox (Ovibos moschatus)

📸 Canon R5M2 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

📍Sweden