Eastern Tiger Swallowtail – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data The eastern tiger swallowtail has a unique wing extension on its hindwings This pretty pollinator is called an eastern tiger swallowtail. It is a common butterfly found throughout the Eastern United States, from spring through fall. Their range is as far south as Florida to as far north […]
Northern Harrier Hawk – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Harrier hawks have the longest wing and tail relative to their body size compared to any other raptor in North America This majestic predator is known as a harrier hawk. There are 16 species within the genus. This particular harrier hawk is called a northern harrier hawk. It is […]
Herring Gull – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern There are over twenty gull species in North America, but the herring gull is the most familiar to people We’ve heard about how ravens and crows are intelligent and can even fashion tools. However, most people are not aware that herring gulls have also displayed tool use. There is […]
Tarantula – IUCN Conservation Status: Varies Tarantulas have one pair of eyes in the middle and three eyes on each side of their head. Our gallery theme this month is “Predators”. This predator navigates the dark desert ground using eight legs and eight eyes! Tarantulas have one pair of eyes in the middle and three eyes […]
Ruddy Turnstone – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This ruddy turnstone is missing its right foot This small shorebird is called a ruddy turnstone. They are found on beaches across the world. In the United States, we can find them on both coasts, typically in the spring and fall. Despite sounding like a beach bum bird, these birds […]
Royal Tern – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern As the scientific name implies, royal terns are almost always found near the ocean and often on sandbars completely surrounded by water The scientific name for this bird is “Thalasseus maximus”. “Thalasseus” in ancient Greek means “sea”, and “maximus” translates to “greatest” in Latin. As the scientific name implies, […]
Osprey – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Osprey are apex predators and can be found along coastlines, rivers, and lakes This large raptor is built for fishing. So much so that it also goes by “fish hawk”, “sea hawk”, and “river hawk”. Not surprisingly, fish make up 99% of an osprey’s diet. These birds can be found across […]
White Mountain National Forest Mount Madison is the northernmost peak in the Presidential Range. This photograph was taken in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The cloud cover is right at the summit altitude, roughly 5000 feet. Mount Madison is the northernmost peak in the Presidential Range. Like other summits in the Presidential Range, Mount Madison has a […]
National Weather Service Composing a photo can be tricky when you are contending with current, wind, and an environment that doesn’t allow you to use a tripod. For context, the foreground is the Atlantic Ocean and three seals. The land in the midground of this photo is Salisbury Beach State Park in Massachusetts. The clouds in the […]
National Weather Service Clouds are described in three categories: cumuloform, stratoform, or cirroform. This month our gallery theme is “Clouds”. We will be exploring the different types of clouds that blanket earth. A man named Luke Howard was the first to publish a classification system for cloud types. He published this cloud classification system back in 1802! We still […]