From the Wile E. Coyote department of the arachnid world.
The ballista spider resides on trees occupied by the aggressive and territorial green tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina, spending the day in webs hidden beneath the underside of leaves. After nightfall, it drops down some 50cm to a leaf, a branch or the forest floor and creates an anchor point using a silk line.
It then spends hours creating a cone-shape "scaffold" of dozens of tension lines, around which it finally wraps a thinner type of silk before retreating upwards. Within moments, scientists found green ants approached the trap and bit it - causing the snare to spring and the prey to be launched into the spider's web at "extreme" acceleration.
The scientists found that these green ants were the only prey captured by the spider, even when they released other nocturnal ants near the trap. They suspect the spider adds pheromones to the trap to lure and anger the green ants alone.
That is unprecedented, Narendra said. "This seems to be the only case where a spider's web is designed to catch a
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From the Wile E. Coyote department of the arachnid world.
The ballista spider resides on trees occupied by the aggressive and territorial green tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina, spending the day in webs hidden beneath the underside of leaves. After nightfall, it drops down some 50cm to a leaf, a branch or the forest floor and creates an anchor point using a silk line.
It then spends hours creating a cone-shape "scaffold" of dozens of tension lines, around which it finally wraps a thinner type of silk before retreating upwards. Within moments, scientists found green ants approached the trap and bit it - causing the snare to spring and the prey to be launched into the spider's web at "extreme" acceleration.
The scientists found that these green ants were the only prey captured by the spider, even when they released other nocturnal ants near the trap. They suspect the spider adds pheromones to the trap to lure and anger the green ants alone.
That is unprecedented, Narendra said. "This seems to be the only case where a spider's web is designed to catch a single prey species, and where the mechanism is triggered by the prey rather than by the predator."
Blue whales are going eerily silent—and scientists say it’s a warning sign
“When you really break it down, it’s like trying to sing while you're starving,” Ryan adds. “They were spending all their time just trying to find food.”
A six-year study off California’s coast shows how marine heat waves and noise pollution are silencing the ocean’s largest singers. Does saving the ocean start with hearing it?
"Do not let Sazan Island become the playground of #billionaires. One of the last #pristine sites in #Albania should be protected and ordinary #Albanians should benefit from its natural beauty, not the #ultra-rich!"
#Nature is for everyone to enjoy, not a luxury commodity to be sold off to the highest bidder. And right now, Albanians are fighting for that right alone against one of the richest families in the world.
Die Natur ist ein Wunderwelt!☺️ Ein Spaziergang bei kaltem, aber sonnigem Wetter tut sooo gut! Und die Chancen für paar Fotos finden sind dann auch. 😉 Ich sende euch sonnige Grüße. 🌞 #Natur #Wald #Spaziergang #meineFotos #mywork
Nature is a wonderland!☺️ A walk in cold but sunny weather feels so good! And it's also a great opportunity to take some photos. 😉 Sending you sunny greetings. 🌞 #nature #forest #walk #myphotos #mywork
Schwedens Karpaten Hykjeberg (594 meter över havet) är ett av Dalarnas mest populära naturreservat . Från toppen av berget har man en fin utsikt norrut mot Nässjödalen och dalafjällen mot söder ser man Orsasjön och Siljan.
Berget består av flera lodräta stup det högsta är 100 meter. Det nordligaste stupet får klättras på och det beskrivs som Sveriges mest storslagna klätterklippa, de första klätterlederna gjordes redan på 70-talet.
Hykjeberg är ett sydväxtberg och producerar rikligt med värme från klipporna och därför trivs flera ovanliga växter och träd så här pass långt norrut, här finns ett av Dalarnas största bestånd av Lind och lönn. Carl von Linné besökte berget 1734 och kartlade floran. Bland djurlivet trivs här Korp , fjällvråk, kungsörn och tornfalk och en massa små djur bl a ett av Dalarnas rikaste bestånd
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Schwedens Karpaten Hykjeberg (594 meter över havet) är ett av Dalarnas mest populära naturreservat . Från toppen av berget har man en fin utsikt norrut mot Nässjödalen och dalafjällen mot söder ser man Orsasjön och Siljan.
Berget består av flera lodräta stup det högsta är 100 meter. Det nordligaste stupet får klättras på och det beskrivs som Sveriges mest storslagna klätterklippa, de första klätterlederna gjordes redan på 70-talet.
Hykjeberg är ett sydväxtberg och producerar rikligt med värme från klipporna och därför trivs flera ovanliga växter och träd så här pass långt norrut, här finns ett av Dalarnas största bestånd av Lind och lönn. Carl von Linné besökte berget 1734 och kartlade floran. Bland djurlivet trivs här Korp , fjällvråk, kungsörn och tornfalk och en massa små djur bl a ett av Dalarnas rikaste bestånd av sniglar och snäckor.
Content warning: Mother Nature is the ultimate artist, but sometimes she needs a little help from her friends. These 22 pieces show what happens when human creativity and the natural world collide. There is something magical about the moment a mural or a sculpture stops b
Mother Nature is the ultimate artist, but sometimes she needs a little help from her friends. These 22 pieces show what happens when human creativity and the natural world collide.
There is something magical about the moment a mural or a sculpture stops being a separate object and starts to breathe with its surroundings. We’ve gathered 22 stunning examples of street art and public installations that use real trees, flowers, stones, and even the earth itself to create something unforgettable.
In Imbabura, El Decertor created a mural that doesn’t just sit on a wall—it merges with the dusty hills and natural light of the landscape. It’s a perfect example of site-specific art that honors its environment. See 2 photos of this mural here.
🌸 2. Flower Power — Fábio Gomes Trindade in Brazil
By positioning his portraits under real bougainvillea and trees, Trindade turns living plants into vibrant, natural “hair.” It’s a whimsical and incredibly lifelike collaboration with the seasons. View 3 artworks from this series.
This iconic mural features a girl in traditional dress who appears to be watering a real, living tree below. It turns a simple wall into a giant, interactive story. Learn more about this legend here.
🧺 4. Giant Clothespin — Mehmet Ali Uysal in Belgium
Turkish artist Mehmet Ali Uysal created this massive clothespin that appears to be literally pinching the grassy earth of a park in Liège. It transforms an everyday object into a monumental piece of surrealism.
✋ 5. The Caring Hand — Eva Oertli & Beat Huber in Switzerland
Rising from the soil in Glarus, this giant stone hand gently cradles a growing tree. It is a powerful symbol of our responsibility to protect and nurture nature. About and more photos here.
🗿 6. Hallow — Daniel Popper in USA
Daniel Popper’s monumental wooden sculptures are famous worldwide. “Hallow” shows a figure opening their chest to reveal a space that perfectly frames the surrounding trees, inviting us into a state of introspection. See more photos of Hallow here.
A beautifully patterned hand reaches out to hold a delicate bird, surrounded by yellow petals. This mural celebrates the quiet connection between humans and wildlife in the middle of the city.
Jon Foreman creates rhythmic spirals from natural stones found on the beach. His work, like “Augere,” is ephemeral, changing with the tides and reminding us of nature’s constant motion. Amazing Sculptures by Jon Foreman! (12 Photos)
🍂 9. Natural Bird Art — Hannah Bullen-Ryner in the UK
Using only petals, leaves, and seeds, Hannah Bullen-Ryner crafts intricate birds on the forest floor. These works are as fragile as they are stunning. 18 Stunning Artworks by Hannah Bullen-Ryner.
This intense ocelot mural uses the red brick of the wall to its advantage, making the animal appear to be prowling directly toward the viewer from a grassy ridge.
🚀 11. Slingshot Bench — Cornelia Konrads in Germany
Cornelia Konrads is known for making heavy objects look weightless. This bench looks like it’s been launched into the air by two giant tree branches, turning a quiet park into a playground for the imagination.
🌳 12. Give — Lorenzo Quinn in Italy
In this peaceful sculpture, two giant hands emerge from the grass to gently hold a young tree. It is a visual manifesto for care and ecological responsibility. More by Lorenzo Quinn here.
🤐 13. Zipper Sculpture — Yasuhiro Suzuki in Japan
Located in Tokyo, this unique sculpture makes it look as though a giant zipper is opening up the earth, revealing a flowing stream of water underneath. It’s a brilliant way to remind us of the nature hidden beneath our feet.
🧔 14. Tree Trunk Face — Nuxuno Xän in Martinique
Nuxuno Xän turned a simple tree trunk into the face of a painted figure, proving that even a single tree can change how we see a city street. Check out this clever piece here.
🏢 15. Rooftop Blooms — OGMillie in New York
Working with Floratorium, OGMillie created a massive floral mural that brings life to a New York rooftop, creating a vibrant oasis in the concrete jungle. See 5 photos of this floral mural.
David Zinn is a master of finding magic in sidewalk cracks. His whimsical chalk characters often interact with real blades of grass or stones, turning tiny corners of the world into delightful scenes. Cuteness overload! 6 photos of David Zinn’s art.
This mural features towering pink coral peonies that rise above the windows of an apartment building, effectively merging architecture with the beauty of blooming nature.
Vinie’s signature style involves murals where a girl’s hair is represented by real, growing foliage. As the plants grow and change with the seasons, so does the art. 24 photos of Vinie’s collection.
In Tulum, this massive wooden sculpture invites visitors to walk through the chest of a figure. It creates a literal portal into the lush green world behind it. See the full sculpture here.
A woman holds a vase of flowers to her face in this large-scale mural. Her patterned robe and the oversized bouquet connect urban walls with the longing for natural growth.
Sometimes, the best art isn’t planned by a professional. In this heartwarming scene, kindergarten children dropped seeds into a crack in the sidewalk just to see what would happen. Nature responded with a stunning line of flowers that brightened the entire street.
Discover the amazing world of Jon Foreman, where nature and art come together in incredible land sculptures.
Using stones, driftwood, and other natural materials, Foreman turns everyday landscapes into stunning works of art. He lives in Wales and creates art that shows how people and nature can work together. Each sculpture is carefully arranged with beautiful patterns and shapes that highlight the wonders of the natural world.
Jon Foreman: Created at Pensarn, Abergele. This was the last piece I made in 2021! I was glad to have gotten the chance to work on a large scale again, it had been a while! As ever I had an idea that changed as I progressed but I love that this one has curves going horizontally and vertically with a kind of half pipe effect (a curved ramp of stones either side). Also very lucky to have had the chance to capture the sea engulfing it. Although it was coming in very fast it was coming very calmly which allowed me to get plenty of photos, got my feet wet for this shot!
Crescent
Jon Foreman: Created at Lindsway Bay, Pembrokeshire. I’m so used to following the circle round further that its hard to break the habit. Glad to have managed it with this one though! It really feels like it merges into the sand, which is something that I’m not sure I’ve succeeded in doing in the past. At least not as well as this one.
Dissicio Quadratum
Created at Freshwater West.
Circumflexus
Jon Foreman: Created for Llano Earth Art Fest Texas. This is the most intensive work I’ve created and took four days to complete! I initially started with the largest stones making the back of the circle, as the stones got smaller I began to realise the time that would be involved. I’d love to know how many there actually are! Photo by Laurence Winram Photography.
Fluidus
Jon Foreman: Yes it looks like a jellyfish, no its not meant to be one. I’m not trying to suppress any imagination but for me I’m essentially trying to create something that doesn’t yet exist so that attachment to something that does exist gets on my nerves haha also feels like its oversimplifying the work a bit… But call it what you want haha!
This one was actually created before “Peruersum” (The 4 day piece created at LEAF) and is what Peruersum was based on. The difference being that I didn’t have the time fill a full circle for this one so I got the opportunity at LEAF. I love creating the familiarity between pieces of work without directly repeating something. Having said that, i don’t know that I could directly repeat a piece of work without it becoming a tiny bit different!
Also the sand was really annoying that day and every time I put a stone into the sand it created the cracks you can see between the stones, interesting effect i suppose
Acervus Circlus
Jon Foreman: Created at Freshwater West. I love working like this, finding colours that contrast well and placing on top of one another. Very satisfying work to do, showing freshwater Wests colours in a different way, although I usually add white too I thought amongst these white may stand out too much.
Expletio Duo
Jon Foreman: Created at Freshwater West. This piece is 1 in a 3 part set that I’m trying to get made. Many of you will have seen “Expletio” which is a single spiral using these same colours and this fractal style of working. I shall at some stage be creating the third in the set which will be a triple spiral in the same style! Anyway this one proved more fiddly than the previous version, I think I must have downscaled it a bit and that coupled with cold/windy weather made for difficult work. Got there in the end though!
Druid Spiral
Jon Foreman: Created at Druidston I love working with the slate at this beach, definitely has a different vibe and colour, I’ll have to get back there again soon!
Sinking Circle
Jon Foreman: Although I don’t consider myself an especially good photographer I’m very happy with how this one turned out, aside from the work itself looking good (and with this angle showing the incline more clearly) aside from the work I think I caught the atmosphere of the day which isn’t often very obvious in my work! Also love the water making the edge of the stones glow and they disappear into the distance, I’m all about depth within the sculpture why not outside the sculpture too.
Lumen
Jon Foreman: Created at Freshwater West. A couple of years back I created a very similar piece to this, the only difference being that the stones were previously placed flat. I feel the sense of movement is enhanced with them placed this way really radiating outward as they disperse.
Nether Flower
Jon Foreman: Created at Freshwater West. Couldn’t resist sharing this angle with the shadows! This one got a little bit messy in the middle because of the nature of the placement in the space available. I have to start in the middle and slot the next layer behind the previous so the more I add the less space there is in the small “hole” I made for this. So yeah they got a little bit squashed but I can live with that!
Above Below
Jon Foreman: Created at Freshwater West. Another mushroom creation, couldn’t resist making use of the massive branch of driftwood. Again these are just stones balanced on sticks accept where they go over the driftwood. A fun one for sure… More mushrooms to come!
Shroom Sheet
Jon Foreman: Created at Freshwater West I’ve done quite a lot now with shrooms, yes they’re stones balanced on sticks, no – its not as difficult as it seems! .. until you start putting them very close together… But until creating this piece I’ve yet to work with them while incorporating colour (or more precisely colour change) as with this one! I’ll likely do more at some stage!
Obnatus Luna
Jon Foreman: These stones are often buried under the sand when there’s been particularly high tides so I have to hope they’re not buried every time!
Flos Tholus
Jon Foreman: At Freshwater West. The only plan I had was to make triangles that go from large in the middle to small on the outside, which, in essence is what i did. However it does really resemble the flower of life when seen from above. You’ll have to wait for that shot though! Stay tuned.
Direct
Jon Foreman: Direct, 2025. Created fairly recently (08/09/2025) at Poppit sands, a first for me making stoneworks. Had a great time that week with a bunch of Land Art friends, more work to come from that time and more shots of this work too! P.S its pretty big, those far strands of stones are longer than they look, its just the angle!
