Plum Island It is also famous because of the purple sands that appear at high tide. The sands get their color from tiny crystals of pink pyrope garnet. Matt and I had hiked from the road to the Atlantic Ocean out on Plum Island. The sky was a bit overcast that day, which I have […]
Goldenrod Soldier Beetle
Goldenrod Soldier Beetle – Observations There were thousands of bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies, and other insects moving about around us. This orange and black beetle is a goldenrod soldier beetle. I took this photo while on a short hike at Eagle Creek Park with Matt. We were hiking in a big open field that is […]
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Eagle Creek Park They are known to have solitary nests, but they usually nest in social groups. I took this photo of an eastern carpenter bee on the same day that I took the photo of a goldenrod soldier beetle. Matt had been in Indianapolis visiting, and we went to Eagle Creek Park to take […]
Black Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern These voracious eaters would take down a three-foot-tall plant in its entirety in only a few short days! I took this photo as I was coming down from the summit of Emory Peak in Big Bend National Park. I took a lot of macro photos on this […]
Q and A with Melanie Cheney
Why did you start working with Missouri River Relief? It was the people that enticed me to the organization. Some of my girlfriends and I went to the cleanup and enjoyed it. We met some cool river people, and they convinced me to partake in more cleanups. It was then that I got to know […]
Eagle Creek Sunrise
Eagle Creek Park Learn more about Rayleigh scattering There is a deep sense of peace that can be felt when you are the only one on the water early in the morning. On this particular day, I was kayaking on Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis. From what I could see, I was the only person […]
Alligator Close Up
Alligator – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern In colder weather alligators may even enter a state of hibernation Getting up close and personal with an alligator can sound intimidating! Matt and I are able to safely engage with nature by using the right equipment. In this case, it was a DSLR camera with a super […]
Santa Elena Canyon
Big Bend National Park I would highly recommend taking a trip on the Rio Grande I recently took a canoe trip down the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. This was a great experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area. We had booked the trip a few weeks out […]
Mallards
Mallards – IUCN Conservation Status: LEAST CONCERN Mallards are the most common duck in North America I took this photo while kayaking on Eagle Creek Reservoir. You can often see mallards while at this park. On this day, I was on the far north end of the reservoir when I came across these two. This […]
Mahaulepu Beach Incoming Storm
Hawaiian Monk Seal – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered Maha’ulepu Beach consists of three beaches Have you ever wanted to find a place where you were the only one on a tropical beach with the sun shining and the ocean gently lapping against the sand? If so, then you’ll know the dream that my wife and […]