{"id":10629,"date":"2021-04-28T11:24:29","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T11:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/?p=10629"},"modified":"2021-04-29T14:46:31","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T14:46:31","slug":"april-2021-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/28\/april-2021-highlights\/","title":{"rendered":"April 2021 Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>We&#8217;ve added over 3000 images to our site in the last month. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/-latest-highlights\/2021\/april-2021.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">April<\/a><\/span><span>\u00a0highlights include Maxime Aliaga&#8217;s engaging and comprehensive orangutan collection, bold examples of Nordic wildlife, dramatic and revealing aerial landscape images, and lots of beautiful new wildflowers and fungi. You will also find some strong macro coverage on insects and slime moulds, and be able to explore the natural haven of Ethiopia&#8217;s sacred forests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>We asked our photographers for stories from behind the scenes, and the challenges of taking these images.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-window-width'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673462-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) on Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). Hill Country, Texas, USA.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673462-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673462-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673462-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673462-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) on Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). Hill Country, Texas, USA.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Pine (Pinus sp) trees on Colmer&#039;s Hill, in morning mist. Near Bridport, Dorset, England, UK. September 2012.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672960-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Pine (Pinus sp) trees on Colmer&#039;s Hill, in morning mist. Near Bridport, Dorset, England, UK. September 2012.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Barred Owl (Strix varia) fledglings. Washington County, Oregon, USA. June.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666943-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Barred Owl (Strix varia) fledglings. Washington County, Oregon, USA. June.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Hermit crab (Dardanus arrosor), with Shoal of Ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo) Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal, Atlantic Ocean\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671238-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Hermit crab (Dardanus arrosor), with Shoal of Ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo) Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal, Atlantic Ocean\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672285-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Snowy owl (Bubo scandiaca) female in flight. Canada. February.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672285-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672285-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672285-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Snowy owl (Bubo scandiaca) female in flight. Canada. February.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Leopard (Panthera pardus) hunting at night, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666968-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Leopard (Panthera pardus) hunting at night,\nSouth Luangwa National Park, Zambia.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667037-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) silhouetted at sunset, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, USA, March 2020.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667037-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667037-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667037-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) silhouetted at sunset, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, USA, March 2020.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653643-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Group of saddleback moth caterpillars (Acharia hyperoche) eating a leaf in the rainforest understory, Yasuni national Park, Ecuador\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653643-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653643-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653643-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653643-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Group of saddleback moth caterpillars (Acharia hyperoche) eating a leaf in the rainforest understory, Yasuni national Park, Ecuador\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673313-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Autumn European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and pine forest in the background photographed with a wide angle lens on a windy day. Owl Mountains, Poland. November.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673313-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673313-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673313-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Autumn European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and pine forest in the background photographed with a wide angle lens on a windy day. Owl Mountains, Poland. November.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Nick Upton \u2013 Neighbourly Bees<\/h3>\n<p>Several of these big leafcutter bees nested in a new insect hotel in my neighbour&#8217;s garden last summer. They chewed away at the wood to enlarge the burrows so they would fit, and they even evicted some mason bee nests to free up more space. They worked fast, bringing in circles of sycamore leaf every 10 minutes or so, to line the brood cells. Once that was done, they returned at longer intervals to provision their young with pollen, stuck to their hairs under their bodies. To get shots of them flying in, I mounted the camera on a tripod with my macro lens pre-focused to the burrow entrance and waited for its owner to return. As soon as I heard and then saw, a bee approach, I fired the shutter on motor drive with a cable release. I worked over several days during a narrow window of about 90 minutes in the early afternoon, as this was when direct sunlight fell on the nest entrances, providing enough light to achieve a very fast shutter speed, 1\/2000th, to freeze the action.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Wood-carving leafcutter bee (Megachile ligniseca) female in flight, carrying leaf to line brood cell in insect hotel. Wiltshire, England, UK. July.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671643-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Wood-carving leafcutter bee (Megachile ligniseca) female in flight, carrying leaf to line brood cell in insect hotel. Wiltshire, England, UK. July.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Red mason bee (Osmia rufa) female emerging from nest burrow in insect hotel after provisioning brood cells with pollen, completed nests sealed with mud. Wiltshire, England, UK. May.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671631-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Red mason bee (Osmia rufa) female emerging from nest burrow in insect hotel after provisioning brood cells with pollen, completed nests sealed with mud. Wiltshire, England, UK. May.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<p>My neighbour kindly told me she\u2019d seen several bees visiting the edge of her pond last spring and asked me to have a look. I recognised them immediately as Red mason bees and could see they were collecting mud for nest building. I soon found they were using an insect hotel her son had recently installed on a post about 30 yards away, and so I visited daily for a week to get shots of them collecting mud and nesting. They came and went every 10-30 minutes or so, bringing balls of mud to line brood cells with, pollen to provision them and then more mud to seal nest burrows up with. This shot, taken with the camera hand held in bright daylight with a fast shutter speed, shows one just emerged from a partially filled nest burrow she\u2019s just brought some pollen to, near two burrows she\u2019s already filled with several brood cells and sealed neatly with mud. I now have the same design of insect hotel in my own garden and mason bees have just begun to inspect it in the April sunshine!<\/p>\n<h3>Michel Poinsignon \u2013 The Blue Arrow<\/h3>\n<p>The kingfisher is my favourite bird. Every year, as soon as spring returns, I walk the banks of my favourite river in search of the blue arrow. All my senses are heightened with each new walk, excited by the prospect of encountering a kingfisher. When I am out with my camera, I like to blend into the environment so I don\u2019t disturb the wildlife, and so I can savour these irreplaceable moments of emotion. During my photo hides, I try to vary the images. This photo took a long time to prepare &#8211; several flashes and an infrared cell were used to freeze the movement of the bird in flight as it exited the water.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) male, after diving, taking off from water with fish, a Common Roach (Rutilus rutilus) Lorraine, France, July\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01672322-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) male, after diving, taking off from water with fish, a Common Roach (Rutilus rutilus) Lorraine, France, July\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Mateusz Piesiak &#8211; Braving the Elements<\/h3>\n<p>It was hard to get out of my cozy bed that day. The thermometer showed a temperature of -23\u00b0C outside, and it was well before dawn. But I hadn&#8217;t visited Bialowieza National Park to sleep, at least not this time. I had a plan &#8211; I had come to photograph the largest mammal in Europe. Having that in mind I packed up and went looking for European bison. After a couple hours of tracking, I met a herd standing at the forest edge. They were nicely contrasted against the snow and frost.\u00a0I lay down to get a low perspective and am pretty happy with the result. Waking up in the morning was worth it this time! <em>(below left)<\/em><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"European Bison (Bison bonasus) in winter, Bialowieza National Park, Poland. January.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673349-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"European Bison (Bison bonasus) in winter, Bialowieza National Park, Poland. January.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"European Bison (Bison bonasus) in winter, Bialowieza National Park, Poland. January.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673350-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"European Bison (Bison bonasus) in winter, Bialowieza National Park, Poland. January.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<p>A different winter morning, when I was on another trip to Bialowieza National Park,\u00a0I met these three bison. It was -17\u00b0C and they were nicely covered in frost. They were lazily preparing to lay down to digest their latest meal. Soft clouds above them created a natural blend and allowed me to capture this scene in a subtle light and contrasts. <em>(above right)<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Magnus Lundgren &#8211; The Perils of Plastics<\/h3>\n<p>I was surprised to find numerous sea horses in the open ocean, mainly juveniles but once in a while an adult, like in this image. Normally they hold on to the seaweed and other drifting items, but since plastics are so common these days they grab what they find. This shot was taken at night, out in the open sea, while drifting 10 meters from the surface, with the bottom some 200 to 300 meters below. <em>(below left)<\/em><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-5' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Tiger tail seahorse (Hippocampus comes) riding on plastic waste in Balayan Bay from Anilao, the municipality of Mabini, Batangas, the Philippines.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674618-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Tiger tail seahorse (Hippocampus comes) riding on plastic waste in Balayan Bay from Anilao, the municipality of Mabini, Batangas, the Philippines.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Plastic waste in the ocean along with Indo-Pacific sergeant (Abudefduf vaigiensis) Green Island, a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Plastic waste in the ocean along with Indo-Pacific sergeant (Abudefduf vaigiensis) Green Island, a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<p>This image<em> (above right)<\/em> was taken in a &#8216;no take zone&#8217; called Shilang, and it was amazing how friendly the fish were, compared to other sites on the same island where fishing is allowed. The Pacific Ocean move currents along Green Islands shores and unfortunately plastics come in on a steady basis. It is very upsetting as marine life like turtles don\u2019t do well when they mistake a plastic bag for a jelly fish. The turtles eating plastic bags eventually die from starvation, as they are no longer able to absorb food.<\/p>\n<h3>Guy Edwardes &#8211; Focus on Fungi<\/h3>\n<p>Fungi have always been one of my favourite subjects to photograph. I think it\u2019s the sheer variety of colours, shapes and textures that appeals most. Unlike a lot of natural history subjects, they don\u2019t fly or run away and many of them don\u2019t even blow around in the breeze, so I have time to be quite creative when it comes to composition and lighting. I always look forward to the autumn months when fungi tend to be at their most prolific. It\u2019s at that time of the year that I get to work in one of my favourite habitats&#8230;the fabulous pockets of ancient broadleaved woodland in the south of England. Watch out for more on Guy\u2019s fungi photography coming soon.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-6' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-window-width'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Pinwheel mushroom (Marasmius rotula). New Forest National Park, England, UK. October.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670884-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Pinwheel mushroom (Marasmius rotula). New Forest National Park, England, UK. October.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Fly agaric fungus (Amanita muscaria) amongst moss, autumnal Silver birch (Betula pendula) leaf hanging from toadstool. New Forest National Park, England, UK. October.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-375x249.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-900x599.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670834-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Fly agaric fungus (Amanita muscaria) amongst moss, autumnal Silver birch (Betula pendula) leaf hanging from toadstool. New Forest National Park, England, UK. October.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Veined shield fungus (Pluteus thomsonii), close-up of cap. Dorset, England, UK. November.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670767-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Veined shield fungus (Pluteus thomsonii), close-up of cap. Dorset, England, UK. November.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Oak-stump bonnet cap fungus (Mycena inclinata) in broadleaved woodland. New Forest National Park, England, UK. November.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670736-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Oak-stump bonnet cap fungus (Mycena inclinata) in broadleaved woodland. New Forest National Park, England, UK. November.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Parrot waxcap fungus (Gliophorus psittacinus), close up of gills, Duncliffe Wood Woodland Trust Reserve, Dorset, England, UK. November.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-900x599.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670792-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Parrot waxcap fungus (Gliophorus psittacinus), close up of gills, Duncliffe Wood Woodland Trust Reserve, Dorset, England, UK. November.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Fungus (Mycena sp) at night. New Forest National Park, England, UK. October.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01670695-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Fungus (Mycena sp) at night. New Forest National Park, England, UK. October.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Lucas Bustamante &#8211; Feet and Scales!<\/h3>\n<h3>Scaly Dragon<\/h3>\n<p>Laying in the lava rocks, this endemic and colourful male of Galapagos Land Iguana was taking its doses of sun. With my long lens, I tried to fill the frame just showing its stunning eye and the whole pattern of scales of its back, which resembled for me a dragon head followed by the Great Wall of China. <em>(below left)<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Big-footed Hummingbird<\/h3>\n<p>Let me introduce you to one of the hummingbird&#8217;s best adapted to extreme conditions: the Ecuadorian hillstar! This tiny and colourful bird lives on a high-altitude mountain grassland between 3500 and 5200 meters (11000 to 17000 ft). Its main source of food is the orange flowers of the Chuquiraga shrub. Its feet are relatively large for a hummingbird, and instead of hovering while feeding, they usually land and feed while clinging to the plant. This behaviour saves energy in a cold environment where they live. During the night, they go into a torpid state to conserve energy. <em>(below right)<\/em><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-7' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-window-width'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) close up of eye and skin, South Plaza Island, Galapagos\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666974-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) close up of eye and skin, South Plaza Island, Galapagos\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Ecuadorian hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo) male flying from a patch of Flowers of the andes (Chuquiraga jussieu) after feeding. Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666972-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Ecuadorian hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo) male flying from a patch of Flowers of the andes (Chuquiraga jussieu) after feeding. Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Juan Carlos Munoz &#8211; Aerial Wonders<\/h3>\n<h3>Circles and Stripes<\/h3>\n<p>The trees of this olive grove have just provided the hardworking farmer with their fruit, and with the care shown toward the land surrounding them he seems to be thanking the trees for such a generous offering. Since ancient times humans have held olives as one of the essential products of the Mediterranean culture. The traditional work in the fields marks the passing of the seasons. The movement of the tractor creates these circles and stripes in the act of cleaning the surroundings of each tree, in order to promote their growth with the precious water that reaches its roots.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-8' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673732-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Aerial view of tractor plowing olive field, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. February 2020.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673732-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673732-150x101.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673732-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673732-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673732-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673732-157x106.jpg 157w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Aerial view of tractor plowing olive field, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. February 2020.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Water Tree<\/h3>\n<p>With the arrival of low tide, the landscape of the Oyambre Natural Park wetland reveals one of the most fascinating trees of Cantabrian nature. It is born with shallow water threads that, among vegetation and silts, reveal streams and water sources as if they were the branches of a large tree. Its shallow depth allows the light to add to the magic of vision that lasts just a few hours, until the tide rises again. With a palette of bold blues that light up against the surrounding vegetation whose faded greens reflect being at the mercy of the rhythm of the ocean tides. <em>(below left)<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Under the Lines<\/h3>\n<p>The swell that reaches the shore of Antuerta beach, although from Atlantic waters, shows a bright tropical colour of tireless wave activity, only cut out by the foam that finishes off the waves. From the air its force is discovered to be even more intense under the surface, stirring the bottom of the sandy area to which it approaches and leaving clear evidence of the physical force of the tides. <em>(below right)<\/em><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-9' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-window-width'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673706-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Aerial view of Oyambre Natural Park, San Vicente de la Barquera, Cantabrian Sea, Cantabria, Spain. February 2020.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673706-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673706-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673706-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673706-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Aerial view of Oyambre Natural Park, San Vicente de la Barquera, Cantabrian Sea, Cantabria, Spain. February 2020.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673694-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Aerial view of the sea over Antuerta beach, Trasmiera Coast. Cantabrian Sea, Cantabria, Spain. January 2020.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673694-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673694-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673694-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673694-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Aerial view of the sea over Antuerta beach, Trasmiera Coast. Cantabrian Sea, Cantabria, Spain. January 2020.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Edwin Giesbers<\/h3>\n<p>On both sides of the Dutch-German border lies one of the most interesting and most important nature reserves of the Lower Rhine: the Gelderse Poort. In this beautiful floodplain landscape, there are a number of important nature reserves such as Salmorth (Germany) and the Millingerwaard and Meinerswijk (the Netherlands). Due to the periodic floods, agriculture could not develop optimally. By reserving sufficient surface area for nature in the flood plains, more space could be given to natural processes associated with a river, such as flooding, sedimentation, erosion and natural grazing by large herbivores. This has created a more natural landscape with a prominent place for riparian forests. In 1991, Meinerswijk became the first example site of Plan stork in the Gelderse Poort.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most important mammals that live in the Gelderse Poort are the Konik horses and Galloway cattle. The Koniks descend directly from the Tarpan, the extinct European wild horse. The native Scottish Galloway are polled and have a black curly coat. Both animals are self-reliant all year round and can also find their own food in winter. Both grazers provide the necessary variation in the vegetation. They both have their specific grazing habits; the Koniks exploit the short-grazed vegetation by being able to bite off the grass, while the Galloways make more use of the bushes. And of course the importance of grazing is great, because without herbivores an ecosystem will degenerate because the necessary rejuvenation of herbs and shrubs no longer takes place. The importance of grazing is great because without herbivores an ecosystem will degenerate. The necessary rejuvenation of the herbs, shrubs and trees will then no longer take place.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-10' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Konik horses (Equus ferus caballus) interacting at sunset, floodplain of the river Rijn, Meinerswijk near Arnhem, the Netherlands. May\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-600x401.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-320x214.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-900x601.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666929-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Konik horses (Equus ferus caballus) interacting at sunset, floodplain of the river Rijn, Meinerswijk near Arnhem, the Netherlands. May\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Bruno D\u2019Amicis &#8211; Ethiopian Forest Churches<\/h3>\n<p>In the autumn of 2018, after a few years of absence, I returned to the Lake Tana region of Ethiopia on assignment for the German NGO NABU. Our goal was to document the unique \u2018church forests\u2019 &#8211; orthodox sanctuaries surrounded by a belt of large trees and lush vegetation. According to the belief that trees and nature in general are the best adornment for the otherwise quite simple churches, over the centuries thousands of such religious places have managed to preserve until today many patches of forest, the last remaining in most of Ethiopia. Many church forests can be found along shores of Lake Tana where I\u2019ve concentrated my efforts. From the Fasiladas complex in Gondar, where huge fig trees sprawl their roots over walls, to the churches of the Zege peninsula which protect endangered species, like the African yellowwood, I\u2019ve witnessed this unique and positive relationship between religion and conservation. Representing tiny islands of biodiversity in an often overcultivated or overgrazed territory, conservation organisations want to help protect the church forests from further encroachment and help to connect a few of them to restore ecological interchange among them.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-11' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Fig (Ficus sp) trees with roots sprawling over walls of Fasiladas&#039; Bath Complex, women entering through doorway. Gondar, Ethiopia. 2018.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668493-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Fig (Ficus sp) trees with roots sprawling over walls of Fasiladas&#039; Bath Complex, women entering through doorway. Gondar, Ethiopia. 2018.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Priest under East African yellowwood (Afrocarpus gracilior) tree in church forest. Church forests remain largely intact within a degraded landscape as they are considered sacred. Near Zege, Ethiopia. 2018.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668468-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Priest under East African yellowwood (Afrocarpus gracilior) tree in church forest. Church forests remain largely intact within a degraded landscape as they are considered sacred. Near Zege, Ethiopia. 2018.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Franco Banfi &#8211; Pond Life<\/h3>\n<p>How much life can we find inside a simple marsh or a pond? Beyond imagination!<br \/>\nEndless numbers of different eggs, larvae, amphibians, in perfect balance among them and the environment. Blackwaters are liquid microcosms and in those murky ecosystems, armed of great patience and very attentive eyes, we can find eccentric reptiles as coloured and odd as small dragons, like elusive Alpine newts. They are nocturnal animals and spend most of the year on land, hidden among leaf litter and burrows. They leave no traces of their passage in the forests, therefore are quite difficult to find. But I have an ace up my sleeve &#8211; they return to water for breeding.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-12' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-window-width'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Wild Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) male, Lago Nero, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671480-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Wild Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) male, Lago Nero, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Wild Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) female Bedretto valley, River Ticino, Switzerland\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671474-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Wild Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) female Bedretto valley, River Ticino, Switzerland\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<p>Being a diver, I\u2019m privileged to enter a world hidden to many. I spent several hours in the mud (as happy as a kid playing in a puddle!), fascinated by the metamorphoses of Alpine newts. During their aquatic life (from larvae to juvenile) they breathe through external feathery gills which sprout from behind the head. In late summer, after losing their gills, juvenile leave the water and start their terrestrial ordeals. The terrestrial juvenile \u201cefts\u201d will mature into adults at around three years.<\/p>\n<p>It was really challenging to take good pictures at dawn and dusk (when newts are more active), in low light conditions typical of ponds hidden in forests. They were filled with rotting leaf matter which immediately formed clouds of brown particles suspended in the shallow water as soon as the housing touched the bottom. At the beginning I went crazy, then slowly became more selective and the chose the better sites.<\/p>\n<h3>Maxime Aliaga &#8211; At the Edge of Extinction<\/h3>\n<p>Orangutans are found only in Indonesia and Malaysia and are listed as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Until recently, it was thought that only two species of orangutan existed; the Bornean and Sumatran. In November 2017 the Tapanuli orangutan was officially described as a new species in a paper published in &#8216;Current Biology&#8217;. It took around 20 years to find out that these orangutans were a distinct species from the Sumatran orangutan. DNA and morphologic analysis eventually showed significant differences between these two orangutans&#8217; populations, and it now appears that the Tapanuli orangutans are actually closer to the Bornean orangutan. Scientists have been evaluating the Tapanuli orangutan population and it thought to be made of only 800 individuals, living only in the Batang Toru forest on the North west of Sumatra. They are already Critically Endangered with extinction, the highest status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In fact they are the great Apes the most endangered of extinction on earth!<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-13' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Flanged dominant male Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) Batang toru forest, North Sumatra\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671939-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Flanged dominant male Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) Batang toru forest, North Sumatra\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<p>This hydrodam in the Tapanuli region <em>(below left)<\/em>, is a small example of what might be an impending disaster. A huge hydro-electric power project is under construction in Batang Toru. Although it sounds \u2018green\u2019 it would be the biggest disaster to the Batang Toru Ecosystem. This hydro project has been planned in the richest area of the Batang Toru Ecosystem, in a beautiful primary forest gorge area that has the highest densities of the last remaining Tapanuli orangutans. The project sits at the crossroads of three subpopulations of the Tapanuli orangutan and is likely to separate them permanently, which increases the risk of extinction. Scientists and conservationists are fighting to stop the project from the beginning and avoid its devastating impact on the local ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the other great apes, orangutans are solitary animals. Big flanged male are territorial, they reign over a large territory marking their presence by long calls. Due to the destruction of the habitat they are critically endangered with extinction. Scientists estimate the entire population of Sumatran orangutan to be less than ten thousand individuals. If immediate conservation action is not taken to protect its habitat, they may well disappear in a few decades.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-14' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"View of rainforest from hydro electric dam, Batang Toru, North Sumatra\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671933-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"View of rainforest from hydro electric dam, Batang Toru, North Sumatra\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Flanged male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) male, Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671905-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Flanged male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) male, Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Oliver Wright &#8211; Macro Marvels<\/h3>\n<p>This wolf spider was photographed in my back garden during the 1st lockdown &#8211; when my back garden was really my only option for photography. These spiders were sub adult and very small, so I decided I wanted to try really high magnification portraits. I used the Canon MP-E 65mm lens at 5 times magnification and a set of extension tubes, bringing the magnification to approximately 7 times. I would find them on my garden fence in the mornings, and you can just about see my house and some ivy from the fence reflected in the 2 largest spider eyes. <em>(below left)<\/em><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-15' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-window-width'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667019-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Wolf spider (Pardosa amentata) close up, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK, April. Focus stacked image.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667019-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667019-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667019-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667019-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Wolf spider (Pardosa amentata) close up, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK, April. Focus stacked image.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Striped slender robberflies (Leptogaster cylindrica). Ledston, Yorkshire, England, UK, June. Focus stacked image.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-900x599.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667013-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Striped slender robberflies (Leptogaster cylindrica). Ledston, Yorkshire, England, UK, June. Focus stacked image.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<p>I had found Striped Slender Robberflies many times at my local pond site in Yorkshire a few times previously, but always perched on their own. A few times this year I found pairs perched opposite each other. This was taken early in the morning and the dew which had formed overnight. This is a great time of the day to photograph these subjects as they are yet to warm up and therefore don&#8217;t move. But you are on the clock because as soon as they get warm, they become active and they are very hard to find perched in thick clumps of grass. <em>(above right)<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Emanuele Biggi \u2013 A Rare Jewel<\/h3>\n<p>The Aurora\u2019s salamander is a very peculiar subspecies of the Alpine salamander. It only lives in a very small patch of woods in the Asiago Plateau in Northern Italy, where it thrives in very humid montane habitats, with lots of mosses and shadow from trees like fir trees. I dreamt about seeing this uniquely golden-patterned salamander since I was very young and tried a few times with no luck. But last time I was lucky enough to be there at the perfect time of year, and right after very heavy rains, which trigger the activity of this elusive amphibian. I was completely soaked in rain water and finally I just found one, but it was enough to make my day (or maybe even my year)! It\u2019s an endangered subspecies, unique to my country and beautiful, a real jewel to protect and love. <em>(below left)<\/em><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-16' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Aurora&#039;s salamander (Salamandra atra aurorae), endemic to Asiago plateau, Italy, August\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666903-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Aurora&#039;s salamander (Salamandra atra aurorae), endemic to Asiago plateau, Italy, August\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Vast swarm of Mayfly (Ephorom virgo) long exposure, emerged at the end of the summer, Tudela, Navarra, Spain, September.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01648618-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Vast swarm of Mayfly (Ephorom virgo) long exposure, emerged at the end of the summer, Tudela, Navarra, Spain, September.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Eduardo Blanco &#8211; Mayfly Mayhem<\/h3>\n<p>The mayflies hatch en masse at night and some approach the streetlights deceived by their light. Using a flash and a long exposure, I was able to freeze the action of the insects while their path was painted by the light from the streetlight. <em>(above right)<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>John Waters &#8211; Precision Cutting<\/h3>\n<p>On a window sill overlooking my back garden I have a piece of drain pipe filled with bamboo sticks &#8211; a \u2018bee hotel\u2019 which is used every year by leaf-cutter bees to lay their eggs. The females seal up each egg in a compartment with a wadge of leaves. I\u2019ve watched them flying in, hugging a freshly cut roll of leaf to her body, and disappear down the tube. A few minutes later she emerges and flies off to get another one, and so on. I wanted to see how they do it but they always seemed to fly in from another garden so I couldn\u2019t pinpoint where they were getting the leaves from. Then I got lucky! Near the window sill was a small fuchsia bush and one morning I noticed an almost perfect circle cut out of one of the leaves, an hour later there were three leaves that had been cut. I immediately got my camera ready, and didn&#8217;t have to wait for long, because within minutes I noticed a bee leaving one of the tubes and flying to the fuchsia bush and start cutting a circle of leaf! Chomping with her big jaws she rotates her body and rolls the cut leaf into a tube under her body. When the cut is complete she just drops off, fires up her wings while falling, then flies back to the nesting tubes. Cutting the leaf takes about 20 seconds, so I did not have a lot of time to line up my shot but to have it happen many times right in front of me massively increased the chances of getting it right. We all need a bit of luck in this game!<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-17' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Leaf-cutter bee (probably Megachile centuncularis) female cutting leaf of Fuchsia for her nest, garden, Bristol, UK, August.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-600x401.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-320x214.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-900x601.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671319-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Leaf-cutter bee (probably Megachile centuncularis) female cutting leaf of Fuchsia for her nest, garden, Bristol, UK, August.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3>Olga Kamenskaya &#8211; Spectacular Scenics<\/h3>\n<p>Belukha Mountain located in the Katun Mountains, is the highest peak of the Altai Mountains in Russia, and the highest of the system of the South Siberian Mountains. It is part of the World Heritage Site entitled Golden Mountains of Altai.\u00a0Located in the Altai Republic, Belukha is a three-peaked mountain massif that rises along the border of Russia and Kazakhstan, just a few dozen miles north of the point where this border meets with the border of China. There are several small glaciers on the mountain, including Belukha Glacier.\u00a0Belukha was first climbed in 1914 by the Tronov brothers. Most ascents of the eastern peak follow the same southern route as that taken in the first ascent. Though the Altai is lower in elevation than other Asian mountain groups, it is very remote, and much time and planning are required for its approach.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-18' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Belukha Mountain, Katun Mountains, Golden Mountains of Altai UNESCO World Heritage Site, June 2019\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671195-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Belukha Mountain, Katun Mountains, Golden Mountains of Altai UNESCO World Heritage Site, June 2019\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Darashkol, a high-mountain lake in the Altai mountains. Altai Mountains, Golden Mountains of Altai UNESCO World Heritage Site, Russia.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01671177-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Darashkol, a high-mountain lake in the Altai mountains. Altai Mountains, Golden Mountains of Altai UNESCO World Heritage Site, Russia.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<p>Darashkol, meaning \u2018beautiful lake\u2019, is a high-mountain lake in the Altai mountains, 2133m above sea level. The lake is located within the Katunsky ridge, northwest of the Ioldo-Aira glacier, in the upper reaches of the valley of the same name. The lake is located in the natural park \u2018Belukha\u2019, which also includes lakes Kucherlinskoye, Akkemskoye, and is a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage site.<\/p>\n<h3>Animal Illusions<\/h3>\n<p><span>Two-headed giraffes! Phantom impala! Man-eating whales!\u00a0<\/span><span>See how chance timing and spontaneous camera work has turned these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/-stories\/feature-stories\/animal-illusions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mind-bending nature photographs<\/a> into tricks of the eye&#8230;\u00a0<\/span><span>Our full story PDF, including text, can be viewed\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/pictures\/pdfs\/NPL_Animal_Illusions.pdf\"><u>here<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-19' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-standard'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Two Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus) climbing to rookery in spring, looking like one penguin with two sets of wings, Antarctica.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673337-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Two Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus) climbing to rookery in spring, looking like one penguin with two sets of wings, Antarctica.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673333-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Two male Indian Wild Asses (Equus hemionus khur), looking like they share a single head, Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, SW India.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673333-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673333-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673333-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Two male Indian Wild Asses (Equus hemionus khur), looking like they share a single head, Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, SW India.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><span>Check out the full\u00a0<\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/-latest-highlights\/2021\/april-2021.html\">April highlights<\/a>\u00a0gallery for more fabulous images, or why not\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.natureplprints.com\/april-2021-highlights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">buy a print<\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-20' class='gallery gallery-10629 style-window-width'><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Plastic waste in the ocean along with Indo-Pacific sergeant (Abudefduf vaigiensis) Green Island, a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01674613-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Plastic waste in the ocean along with Indo-Pacific sergeant (Abudefduf vaigiensis) Green Island, a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Snail eggs laid inside the pitcher of a Splendid pitcher plant (Nepenthes edwardsiana) a giant carnivorous plant\u2014protecting them from predators, Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Endemic.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673289-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Snail eggs laid inside the pitcher of a Splendid pitcher plant (Nepenthes edwardsiana) a giant carnivorous plant\u2014protecting them from predators, Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Endemic.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Grand Prismatic Springs on cold winter day with mist \/ vapour, Yellowstone National Park, USA, January.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666897-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Grand Prismatic Springs on cold winter day with mist \/ vapour, Yellowstone National Park, USA, January.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Sahara sand viper (Cerastes vipera) burrowing into sand to hide, captive, occurs Mauritania to Egypt, Africa. Sequence 2 of 5\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01668688-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Sahara sand viper (Cerastes vipera) burrowing into sand to hide, captive, occurs Mauritania to Egypt, Africa. Sequence 2 of 5\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Aerial view of horticultural greenhouses for growing fruits and vegetables. The area is known as the \u2018sea of plastic&#039; and contains the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world, covering 26,000 hectares. Almeria, Spain. December 2019\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-900x599.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01666981-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Aerial view of horticultural greenhouses for growing fruits and vegetables. The area is known as the \u2018sea of plastic&#039; and contains the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world, covering 26,000 hectares. Almeria, Spain. December 2019\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas), Straits of Gibraltar, North Atlantic Ocean.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01673651-159x106.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas), Straits of Gibraltar, North Atlantic Ocean.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667866-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Slime mould (Physarum album), dew droplets on two sporangia, close-up. Hertfordshire, England, UK. November. Focus stacked image.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667866-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667866-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667866-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667866-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Slime mould (Physarum album), dew droplets on two sporangia, close-up. Hertfordshire, England, UK. November. Focus stacked image.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653628-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Reventador Volcano erupting at night, red hot boulders ejected from crater rolling down slopes. Rio Quijos Valley, Amazonian Andes, Ecuador. November 2015. Digitally stitched image.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653628-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653628-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01653628-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Reventador Volcano erupting at night, red hot boulders ejected from crater rolling down slopes. Rio Quijos Valley, Amazonian Andes, Ecuador. November 2015. Digitally stitched image.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><figure class='gallery-item col-0'><div class='gallery-icon landscape'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667004-360x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-three-two size-three-two\" alt=\"Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) on drifting sea ice in northeastern parts, Svalbard, Norway, August.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667004-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667004-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/01667004-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"100vw\" title=\"Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) on drifting sea ice in northeastern parts, Svalbard, Norway, August.\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .gallery -->\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ve added over 3000 images to our site in the last month. The April\u00a0highlights include Maxime Aliaga&#8217;s engaging and comprehensive orangutan collection, bold examples of Nordic wildlife, dramatic and revealing aerial landscape images, and lots of beautiful new wildflowers and fungi. You will also find some strong macro coverage on insects and slime moulds, and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/28\/april-2021-highlights\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"button\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-natural-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10629"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10629"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10645,"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10629\/revisions\/10645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}