00:00In the far north, the summer sun brings big changes to the tundra.
00:12A time-lapse tracks the sun through 24 hours in mid-July.
00:19It only briefly dips below the horizon before rising again for the start of a new day.
00:37For the Arctic poppy, the near-continuous sunlight makes up for a very short growing
00:43season.
00:45To take advantage of the endless light, they track the sun's movement.
00:52The cup-shaped flowers focus the sun's rays on their center, speeding up the growth of
00:57their developing seeds.
01:09In the Arctic, heat means water.
01:16Almost all the water here comes from melting ice and snow, not rain.
01:25Since much of the tundra is permanently frozen, the water stays on the surface.
01:32And the 24-hour sunlight warms these meltwater ponds to the perfect temperature for a creature
01:38that has been lying in wait.
01:42Across the Arctic, mosquito eggs are awakened from dormancy.
01:49Most were laid last summer, but the eggs can survive up to seven years on dry ground.
01:57Once covered by water, the eggs hatch into larvae.
02:01They're voracious feeders, constantly combing the water for food to fuel their growth.
02:09After several days of feeding, a larva has enough energy to transform into a pupa.
02:19A few days later, the fully-developed adult emerges.
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