Shared Moment: Poised to Strike
An ant reacts to protect a nurturing flower
- Photograph by Kristhian Castro
- PhotoZone
- Oct 01, 2019
WHILE PHOTOGRAPHING in Colombia’s Valle del Cauca forests, spotted this neotropical ant () feeding on the nectar glands of a cactus flower. “When I approached,” he says, “the ant took a threatening posture, opening its jaws towards the camera lens.” The insect was attempting to protect the flower that gives it food, an act reflecting symbiosis. “I want people to see the beauty of nature so that they fall in love with it,” Castro says. “I also hope to transmit to the viewers some of the magic that I feel in nature to awaken their awareness towards conservation.”
More from National Wildlife magazine and the National Wildlife Federation:
Nature's Witnesses: Powerful images can inspire conservation »
2018 National Wildlife Photo Contest Honorable Mentions »
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