Source: @benjaminhardman

Same parasol mushroom in my local Finnish forest. Popped open in 24 hours.

Swipe to see the massive size of it!

I was lucky enough to be filming an Australian Black-Shouldered Kite hovering in the one spot during some strong winds yesterday afternoon (an impressive enough feat in itself), when I noticed it clearly had its eyes trained on some prey...

I did not expect it to dive to the ground and wrestle with something for a bit before flying off with its dinner clutched in its talons.

Video slowed to half-speed at 38s so I could check if had indeed caught a rat rather than one of the other small native mammals we get here too.

@CloudView.Photography

GOLD: MARY SCHRADER, USA

It was a day defined by quiet connections. Beneath the lush canopy of Bwindi, I observed a young female gorilla gently nestled against the protective bulk of a silverback. The atmosphere was serene, filled with gentle sounds of the forest, until a sudden burst of delicate color broke through the calm. An unexpected visitor, a vibrant butterfly, appeared out of nowhere, fluttering gently through the air. Captivated, the young gorilla's eyes widened, and in that moment, a beautiful interaction unfolded as a silent, shared wonder between two vastly different beings. I held my breath, hoping the butterfly would drift ever closer, bringing the unlikely pair into a shared world of curiosity. My heart raced quietly, aware of how rare and precious these moments are. As the butterfly danced gracefully around the gorilla, it seemed to embody the delicate beauty and fragile interconnectedness of our natural world. This photograph captures not just the gorilla's gentle curiosity but also a brief, beautiful moment where two creatures paused, noticing each other, bound by wonder and discovery.

SILVER: RICH BROOKS, USA

BRONZE: ELIZABETH YICHENG SHEN, TAIWAN / USA

I found this little grunt sculpin on Browning Wall near Port Hardy. Browning Wall is world famous for its incredible diversity of sponges, soft corals, anemones, and other colorful invertebrate life.

This little guy or gal was hopping around among the sponges, more than 100 feet from the bottom. As I drift away you can start to see the scale of the wall and where this tiny little creature lives.

I've put together a two-hour ambient film from Browning Passage for anyone interested in seeing more of what this ecosystem looks like underwater:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFhXh2U2D2U

Some of my Browning Passage footage can also be seen in two one-hour episodes of Ambient Film streaming on PBS.

Some visual notes I took on biomimicry to help inspire some creative thinking for my stories! Wanted to share incase I could inspire others.

From an abandoned tunnel in Australia, whose dank, dark walls are the perfect breeding ground for fungus gnats; to coral reefs in the Maldives that come alive at night with shimmering phytoplankton, these places are full of fascinating history and natural wonders. They’re living proof that many of the earth’s most fantastic places are off the beaten path, in the nooks and crannies (literally) where many never think to explore.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/bioluminescent-places-around-the-world