Nihal T.

I'm a hobbyist/amateur photographer from Turkey. I enjoy observing, documenting and learning about all living things! I mainly photograph Aegean & east Mediterranean species. All of the photographs on my blog are my own work. here's my flickr: https://rb.gy/7r4s4h

[nihalsthings]

My beautiful daughter Shin has crossed the rainbow bridge. She was the smartest, most affectionate, most sensitive girl in the world. She was 12 years old, and I've known her for 10.

I will never be completely okay again. Because this is not okay. This couldn't have happened, but somehow it did. I still can't believe it. I have no words to express how gutted I feel.

Shin, I will cherish every second I had with you forever. Thanks for being there for us and with us. You taught us a lot, and keep teaching even when you're gone. There's nothing in this world that I wouldn't trade for more time with you. I hope we were able to make you feel that you are important and loved. We tried our best.

Wait for us and don't be scared. We'll be together again one day

Good night

[nihalsthings]

I will probably be giving a little break from posting because of a wildfire near where I live. We had to evacuate, thankfully no damage to us, but we can't be happy after experiencing the despair wildfires bring to every living thing around it.

I have documented it as much as I can with a broken heart and will publish the photos to bring awareness when I can

[nihalslivingthings]

Grass snake / Natrix Natrix

Fangirled over this one a lot. One of the many species we saw on a trip to a nearby pond. The way it moves on water looks amazing! It was at least 150 cm long. Photos look very different than each other because it was a low light environment and the snake moved fast!

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Bumble bee / Bombus terrestris

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Talking about cute pests, this is the cutest one. Felis catus.

She's a stray who decided to move into my yard. Follows me around and makes her own little comments by rolling on the ground making faces at me when I'm out taking photos.

She also likes to use my fruit trees as scratching posts and is not ashamed of it at all.

She's not.

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Anisoplia austriaca - Wiki says that it's a pest. Again. A new problem: having pretty pests?

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Common Darter / Sympetrum striolatum

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Bordered Orbweaver / Neoscona adianta

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Green bush cricket / Tettigonia

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Red bellied jumping spider / Philaeus chrysops

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Flower crab spider

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Pycnopogon

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Blue-tailed Damselfly / Ischnura elegans

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Variegated lady beetle (Hippodamia variegata) munching on some aphids

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Painted lady (Vanessa cardui) is the most widespread of all butterfly species. It's on every continent except Antarctica and South America. Probably the most interesting thing about this species is the fact that they can migrate all year round but don't do it regularly every year. Here is the banger; some evidence was found showing that these butterflies crossed the ocean!

They can also mate throughout the year.

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A red bellied jumping spider (Philaeus chrysops) peeking down a leaf

A rather personal note; as a person with severe arachnophobia, jumping spiders are by far the cutest and also hardest spiders to take a photo of! Runners don't usually jump like that and web weavers move in a predictable way. But these jumping dudes are smart, they can follow you around and maybe get too curious about the camera or you, which is easily accessible for them through a little jump. So instead of getting really close I shoot them from behind without them noticing, or stay really far away. In this instance the spider was focused on something out of the frame so I got to get closer.

Still, the only times I was comfortable enough to somehow bond with arachnids were the times I was shooting/spending time around jumping spiders. With web weavers I am just an observer of an artist, but jumping spiders want to interact with me for whatever reason and I find that adorable.

[nihalslivingthings]

Marmalade hoverfly (episyrphus balteatus)