Monarch – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The lifecycle of the monarch butterfly is complex The first thing that I noticed when I saw this beautiful monarch chrysalis were the rings of gold spots lining its exterior. I thought to myself, how in the world was this color created by an insect?! It actually comes […]
Great Egret – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Adult great egrets will have all white feathers This contorted creature is a great egret. This photograph was taken at Fort De Soto Park, just outside of St. Petersburg, Florida. The water in the background is the Gulf of Mexico. This great egret is using its long and flexible neck […]
Bluespine Unicornfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern In Hawai’i the bluespine unicornfish is known as “kala” The bluespine unicornfish can be found in the Indo-Pacific. Here it is pictured in the calm water off Poipu Beach on the island of Kauai in Hawai’i. It is also known by the common name, short-nose unicornfish. It […]
Carolina Mantis – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data There are more than 2,400 species across 460 genera and 33 families in the Mantodea order This photo was taken while walking about my backyard. I had just picked a few blackberries, and I was looking to see if I needed to prune the apple tree. That’s […]
Conspicuous Sea Cucumber – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data The conspicuous sea cucumber is a bottom feeder The conspicuous sea cucumber is a particularly weird looking sea cucumber. It can be found in abundance in the waters of Kaneohe Bay off the coast of Oahu, Hawai’i. Their local abundance is noted by a rarity throughout […]
Blue-fronted Dancer – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Blue-fronted dancers are a type of damselfly This wild winged creature is called a blue-fronted dancer. It is called a “dancer” because of how it flies. Notice the thin transparent wings. The blue-fronted dancer is a type of damselfly. Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies. The male blue-fronted dancers have a blue thorax […]
Flying Gurnard – IUCN Conservation Status: Varies Flying gurnards walk around using their ventral and pectoral fins We are looking at an overhead image featuring a flying gurnard (left) and peacock flounder (right). Both fish have amazing camouflage skills. This photo was taken at Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach, Florida. Blue Heron Bridge is a […]
Pacific Peacock Flounder – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The Kaneohe Sandbar can turn into a beach with the right tides! We were nearly three hours into a day of kayaking when we decided to hop out of the boat for a snorkel. Jill and I were paddling in Kaneohe Bay, which is home to […]
Yellow Goldenrod Crab Spider The color the spider is matching is the black-eyed Susan flower This month, we are featuring creatures with camouflage capabilities. This spider is capable of changing its color based on the surrounding environment. In this case, the color the spider is matching is the black-eyed Susan flower it hunts upon. Wild Boyz Photography featured […]
American Toad – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern You’ll be gulping down water that averages 143 degrees Fahrenheit! What do Bill Clinton, Al Capone, and Major League Baseball all have in common? They all of ties to Hot Springs, Arkansas. This photo of an American toad was taken while in Hot Springs National Park. It’s […]