The unlucky frog.

During a walk through the Chaamse Bossen, we spotted a stork moving methodically through tall grass in a swampy area. At first, it seemed calm—almost slow. But then it struck.

Curious, I picked up my Canon 5D Mark IV with the Sigma 100–400mm to see what was happening. What followed was intense. The stork had found a feeding ground, and it was relentless. One after another, frogs were flushed from the grass, briefly airborne… and then gone.

It felt harsh to witness. There’s something about seeing a life end so directly, so efficiently, that stays with you. And yet, this is nature in balance. Frogs lay hundreds, sometimes thousands of eggs, knowing that only a fraction will survive. Predation isn’t failure—it’s part of the system.

From a photographic perspective, moments like this are unpredictable. Fast movement, shifting focus, and the need to react instantly. There’s no time to perfect settings, only to observe and capture what unfolds.

It’s easy to romanticize nature when it’s still and quiet.

But out here, life and death exist side by side—unfiltered, unsentimental, and real.

#Stork #Frog #Predation #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #Telephoto #ChaamseBossen #DutchNature #InTheWild #NatureIsRaw #CircleOfLife #Ecology #FoodChain #Biodiversity #Wetlands #SwampLife #WildlifeMoments #InTheField #OutdoorPhotography #NatureObservation #RealNature #Untamed #LifeAndDeath #AnimalBehavior #ThroughTheLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens

Not everything in the garden is pretty — but it's all part of nature 🪰
Spotted this silken web on my spindle tree, packed with tiny caterpillars. This is the work of the spindle ermine moth (Yponomeuta cagnagella), a species that feeds exclusively on spindle (Euonymus). These caterpillars spin communal webs to protect themselves while feeding, and can strip entire branches bare within days. Despite looking alarming, the spindle tree almost always recovers fully after the season. The webs attract birds hunting for an easy meal, and the adult moths later provide food for bats and other insectivores. Even a so-called pest plays its role in the food chain.

Niet alles in de tuin is mooi — maar het hoort allemaal bij de natuur 🪰
Dit zijdeachtige web vol kleine rupsen ontdekte ik op mijn kardinaalsmuts (Euonymus). Het is het werk van de kardinaalmutsstippelmot (Yponomeuta cagnagella), een soort die uitsluitend op kardinaalsmuts leeft. De rupsen spinnen gezamenlijke webben als bescherming terwijl ze vreten, en kunnen takken in enkele dagen volledig kaaleten. Ondanks het alarmerende uitzicht herstelt de kardinaalsmuts zich nadien bijna altijd volledig. De webben trekken vogels aan op zoek naar een makkelijke maaltijd, en de vlinders later in het seizoen zijn voedsel voor vleermuizen en andere insecteneters. Zelfs een zogenaamde plaag speelt zijn rol in de voedselketen.

#kardinaalmutsstippelmot
#spindleermothmoth
#yponometacagnagella
#kardinaalsmuts
#euonymus
#rupsen
#caterpillars
#insecten
#insects
#tuinleven
#gardenwildlife
#natuur
#nature
#biodiversiteit
#biodiversity
#voedselketen
#foodchain
#DorgaldirsGarden
#Dorgaldirs_Garden

#FoodChains in #Caribbean #coralreefs are getting shorter
#Fish on modern #coral reefs may face more competition for resources than 7,000 years ago.
Habitat loss and #overfishing push species to compete for fewer resources and repositioned some fish within ecosystem’s #foodchain. Findings suggest fish could be less able to adapt if food sources suddenly become scarce, perhaps making reefs even more vulnerable in an already changing environment.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coral-reef-food-chain-caribbean
https://archive.ph/gi2Jg

☠️Understanding the molecular mechanisms governing #cadmium uptake in #rice is critical to mitigate human #health risks.
🌾Yue et al. review what we know and explore where newresearch might take us!
🍚https://doi.org/10.1111/jipb.70094
@WileyLifeSci
#PlantScience #agriculture #FoodChain #botany