Common Loon – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Loons are often confused with ducks because they are about the same size and also swim like a duck. In the remote northwestern corner of Maine is a large lake with a large name, “Mooselookmeguntic”. The word comes from the Abnaki and means “moose feeding place”. It is technically […]
Big Bend National Park The highest peak in the Chisos Mountains is Emory Peak at 7,825 feet This photo comes from a 2021 trip Ben, Nick, and I took to Big Bend National Park in west Texas. The photo shows the Chisos Mountains about an hour before sunset, commonly referred to as the golden hour of […]
Acadia National Park From the summit of Beech Mountain, you can see Echo Lake Located along Maine’s picturesque coastline, Mount Desert Island is the home of Acadia National Park. There are many trails to explore in this 49,075-acre park. There are also summits providing beautiful landscape views. The tallest mountain along the Atlantic Coast of the United States […]
Snowy Owl – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable Snowy owls only head south once every 4 years or so In this photo, a snowy owl takes off from a tree at sunset. I had been watching it for over an hour. The moment is exciting. As the zoomed-in photo shows, these are heavy birds with big wingspans. Their abundance of […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern They have an anguilliform body plan This creature may appear menacing; however, it is only opening its mouth to breathe. Goldentail moray eels will continuously open and close their mouths as a requirement of their respiration process. These eels don’t have bony gill covers like a fish would have. Instead, goldentail eels […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Their bodies have horizontal blue and yellow stripes This is the head of a snakefish, otherwise known as a blunt-nose lizardfish. This species is found in the Atlantic Ocean, and more specifically this photo was taken off of West Palm Beach, Florida. These fish live on the bottom (benthic) and tend to […]
Big Bend National Park This photo was taken far from light pollution in west Texas This photo was taken far from light pollution, out in west Texas. I took this photo in Big Bend National Park, which sits right on the border of Mexico and the United States. This area is remote. We camped in the desert a […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern These lizards are invasive to the southern United States, Hawaii, California, Mexico, and Taiwan As the name implies, this lizard is native to Cuba, and not Florida where this photo was taken. More specifically, this photo was taken in Everglades National Park. The Cuban brown anole is a highly invasive lizard species […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Data Deficient It’s not until you get close to them that you realize their beautiful coloration and texture. This wild looking creature is called a gypsy moth caterpillar. Along the length of its body there are five sets of blue dots, and six sets of red dots. Along the side are orange dots. The yellow […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern That’s as many alligators as there are people in Miami and Tampa combined! Possibly the best animal to convey our gallery theme of “Textures”, this is the American alligator. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission believe there to be ~1.3 million individuals in the state. That’s as many alligators as there are […]