The Pollinator
For Macro Mondays theme 'Flowers'.
A brief opportunity of sunshine (through a dirty conservatory window) provided lovely back light to capture this flower of my Christmas cactus Schlumbergera buckleyi, allowing the light to glow through the tiny translucent body of the snail - the shell was less than 1cm across.
It is a little-known fact that snails can act as flower pollinators, transferring pollen from the anthers on the cluster of the stamens to the stigma at the end of the long style.
No snails were harmed in the making of this photograph. In fact, the snail seemed to enjoy a wee snack of the pollen - as it crawled along the style, it was fascinating to watch the mouthparts gobbling up the pollen that had fallen from the anthers.
He'll be back...
Explored (Number 19) January 26, 2022 for the Explore take-over - selected from submission to 'Best Wildlife' thread from Your Best Shot 2021.
The Pollinator
For Macro Mondays theme 'Flowers'.
A brief opportunity of sunshine (through a dirty conservatory window) provided lovely back light to capture this flower of my Christmas cactus Schlumbergera buckleyi, allowing the light to glow through the tiny translucent body of the snail - the shell was less than 1cm across.
It is a little-known fact that snails can act as flower pollinators, transferring pollen from the anthers on the cluster of the stamens to the stigma at the end of the long style.
No snails were harmed in the making of this photograph. In fact, the snail seemed to enjoy a wee snack of the pollen - as it crawled along the style, it was fascinating to watch the mouthparts gobbling up the pollen that had fallen from the anthers.
He'll be back...
Explored (Number 19) January 26, 2022 for the Explore take-over - selected from submission to 'Best Wildlife' thread from Your Best Shot 2021.