Black Blister Beetle – Bug Guide Through most of this portion of the Rio Grande, there are sweeping canyon walls on either side of the river I would not have guessed that I would see this black blister beetle while on a canoe trip on the Rio Grande. We were staying in Big Bend National […]
Large Milkweed Bug – Bug Guide Aposematism is when an organism advertises to its predators that it is not worth eating Unsurprisingly this photo of a large milkweed bug was taken on a milkweed plant. Their common name is in fact “large milkweed bug”. The scientific name for this insect is Oncopeltus fasciatus. The geographic […]
Groundhog – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Groundhogs are also known as woodchucks This fun little rodent is called a groundhog. I had rented a supertelephoto lens one day, and I was out looking to take photos of birds. Then looking off to the left, I saw a groundhog scurrying about in the woods. With great […]
Lilies – Wildflower Center Lilies can grow to be 1 to 6 feet tall! A common flower encountered in the Midwest is the lily. Lilies have the scientific name of Lilium, is a Latin word which comes from the Greek word leirion. The Greek word comes from the Egyptian word for Flower. Lilies grow in southern […]
American robin – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The scientific name for the America robin is Turdus migratorius Pictured here are several robin eggs sitting in a tree about four feet off the ground. I chose this picture because when I think Midwest bird, I immediately think of the American robin. I wanted to use this […]
What inspired you to become a photographer? It was not a conscious decision, and not something that I fully realized what was happening at the time. But I found that I was the one who had the camera, and I was the one who brought it out for birthday parties and carried it along on […]
Virginian Tiger Moth – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data It seemed to be amorphous with no defined front or back Sometimes nature does 95% of the work for you and taking a great photo. I was sitting on my front porch one evening with my wife and donor when suddenly, I looked down and saw […]
Dark-Legged Grass Spider – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Dark-legged grass spiders are a species of funnel weavers Slowing down can be one of the fastest ways to spot beauty in nature. I took this photo of a dark-legged grass spider while on a hike with my brother. He has an incredible knack for spotting […]
Blue-Spotted Cornetfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This family is in the same order of fish as pipefishes and seahorses I took this photo of a blue-spotted cornetfish while snorkeling at Anini Beach on the island of Kauai in Hawai’i. Anini Beach is an isolated spot on the north side of the island. You […]
Moose – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The average adult will consumer 23,000 kilocalories per day This bull moose stood proudly along the side of the trail while I was hiking in Brainard Lake Recreation Area. As noted in Matt’s blog post about moose, I was nearby a lake in moose country, so I was […]