PlanktonPunkt Designs puzzles available in CreateJigsawPuzzles
link to order print on demand PlanktonPunkt Designs jigsaw puzzles (printed in China)
PlanktonPunkt Designs POD products in Printify
link to order PlanktonPunkt Designs print on demand wares from the source
PlanktonPunkt Designs POD products in Etsy
A link to order from a selection of PlanktonPunkt Designs print on demand wares from Etsy
And now for something different, a silent video of a skipper butterfly I saw September 14th 2025. Yes, I know it is mostly plants, but the butterfly is there, doing nothing very interesting.
Sometimes you need a moment of rest and relaxation.
Cheers to the small life.
Today, while walking with my mobile ready to snap a picture or even a video, I noticed a number of hummingbirds, not as a flock but a hummingbird or two every now and then. More than I could photograph. Aside from being fast, the little birds are well camouflaged when sitting among the green leaves of a tree. Also, they are small, which means my camera’s resolution will not be sufficient for a good picture or a video. Hummingbirds are migratory, moving south for winter and flowers. I don’t know if they stay here in Berkeley for winter, maybe they are just passing through, but some were singing.
A photo of a hummingbird and a bottle brush plant, October 19th, 2025, Berkeley, CA
Monday’s rain had apparently inspired little green shoots to peek from the ground. Hopefully this was not a false start. The best part of the winter is the greenery as the rainy season ushers new growth.
Skipper butterflies were still around, though this time I did not see a swarm. There were also occasional Monarchs and smaller white butterflies.
I was lucky enough to be aiming for a red bottle brush flower, when a hummingbird flew to feed. Quick switch to video mode captured a few seconds of hummingbird and red flower.
A short video of a hummingbird and a bottle brush plant, October 19th, 2025, Berkeley, CA
Sometimes you need to take a break and appreciate the small things
So, I got a temp job as a scientist starting late September and have been busy. But I am planning on keeping posting, even if the intervals between content get lengthy.
About a week ago I was walking around taking snapshot and videos, and was impressed at the amount of butterflies fluttering around, multiple species of them, multiple places. I am still trying to process my videoclips (I have quite a few of them taken this year) into YouTube videos, but here is a little sample at lower resolution.
There was a bush (or a cluster of them) with yellow and pink flowers, which seemed to be very popular with small brown and quick butterflies. I had seen them occasionally around, but their numbers had been increasing towards autumn. They look like online photos of skippers, which are common in California and North America, and though I would not presume to identify the exact species with 100% certainty, an Umber Skipper or a Fiery Skipper seems a possibility.
I think this swarm was from the latest brood that had eclosed and was preparing for winter and / or having a mating season. I have some earlier clips of similar-looking butterflies, but those were difficult to obtain because the insects were skittish and quick to fly. The butterflies in this swarm seemed to be more interested in feeding, occasionally chasing each other, but I could get close to this specimen without it flying away. Maybe they were preparing for winter or for laying eggs.
Pure speculation, since Winter in California is the rainy season, with new green shoots, so it may be a good time for new caterpillars to hatch. On the other hand, maybe the adults were preparing to hibernate through the wet and cold.
A skipper butterfly in pink inflorescence, October 04, 2025
Just another free jigsaw puzzle via Jigsaw Explorer. A depiction of light on Finnish forest lake water.
For people who have only a short break, 24 pieces. Access the puzzle by clicking the image. For those who want more challenge, the number of pieces can be adjusted at the beginning of the game.
Have fun!
I wanted to make something for Pinterest, but of course, it should be here, too.
This is a color saturated bubbles rendering of a close up view of tree bark I photographed this month (August 3rd) in Berkeley. Unfortunately, I have forgotten which tree.
After processing the photo for different versions (maybe one or more of them will make it to POD designs), I uploaded this image here and copied the planktonpunkt.com image link to Jigsaw Explorer to make a puzzle.
42 pieces, click image to access the puzzle
Have fun!
A short clip I posted on YouTube and Pinterest.
I think this butterfly is an immigrant. The video was filmed in early June, meaning it could not have hatched in Finland.
This post is just to announce that I have a Pinterest account for PlanktonPunkt Designs. I’ll use it mainly to publish pictures, jigsaw puzzles (those typically after they have been published here or in CreateJigsawPuzzles.com), designs with links to the PlanktonPunkt Designs online shops, and maybe short video clips. Hopefully, you’ll find something beautiful there!
A short video from material filmed in Finland.
I have been working through my insect clips and this is a bit too short for YouTube as a stand alone but too big for Pinterest, so I posted a mobile phone formatted version here, since the bumblebee and rhododendron video was so pretty.
I hope this little clip will provide a relaxing break, enjoy!
To apologize for the vanished free jigsaw puzzles, here are two until I design more. These are photographs from around Berkeley, CA, which I gave more color and adjusted brightness and contrast. As before, click the picture to open a jigsaw puzzle and, please, have fun!
Unbothered. Moisturized. On my lane. Happy. Focused. Flourishing.
Humble but resilient weed (80 pieces).
( 130 pieces)
I have been planning and working on making short form videos. The Morning Chorus was a test video filmed at one go but this is a slideshow converted into a video.
I hope you like lichens.
Update, July 9th, 2025: I have edited the video, trying to improve the sound quality and changing the text a bit.
Finnish lichens, photographed 2025
I do not know where the crack in voice track and and flicker in video come from. Some programs do not show it, others do. If you have any idea, I’d appreciate the info…
Update, July 9th, 2025, continued: apparently these cracks were a bug in PowerPoint I used for converting a slideshow into a video – I ended up loading the individual slides and separately recorded voice tracks into Clipchamp and cutting, stretching and pasting them there into this updated video.
PlanktonPunkt 