France

The Chestnut weevil, a garden astronaut.

Carefully perched on the pristine petals of a stitchwort, this Chestnut weevil (Curculio elephas) looks like a creature straight out of a science fiction story with its spectacular rostrum.

This small beetle, an icon of the French countryside, possesses a unique tool: a rigid, extremely thin snout that allows it to bore into plant tissues. In the female, this rostrum is a feat of natural engineering used to pierce the still-soft shells of chestnut to deposit an egg.

A slow and powerful flight, carried by the thermal currents of the summits.

A true survivor from the glacial eras, the Apollo is one of the few butterflies capable of thriving at altitudes exceeding 2,000 meters.

Its sturdy body is covered in fine black hairs that act as a thermal coat, allowing it to absorb every bit of solar heat from the earliest light. Unlike many other butterflies, its flight is heavy and somewhat bird-like, alternating between steady wingbeats and gliding. This energy conservation is vital in an environment dominated by wind and cold. Seeing this white silhouette against the deep blue of the alpine sky remains one of the most magical moments for a mountain photographer.