Porkfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern With the proper exposure and lighting, a photograph can reveal interesting details Porkfish is a funny name for a fish, especially for a fish that humans generally don’t eat. Porkfish are a member of the grunt family. Like other grunts, porkfish can grind their teeth to make a pig-like grunting […]
Bandtail Searobin
Bandtail Searobin – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern With the proper exposure and lighting, a photograph can reveal interesting details This month we are highlighting “close up” photography, also referred to as “macro” photography. This is my favorite type of photography when it comes to shooting underwater. I enjoy this because as a diver you often can’t […]
Lion’s Head Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon Flash flooding can occur even when there isn’t any rainfall locally Lion’s Head is one of the most iconic photo subjects in Lower Antelope Canyon. I was fortunate enough to take this photo while on a guided tour through the canyon, which is the only way that you can visit this slot […]
Silvery Checkerspot Caterpillar – White Sands National Park
Silvery Checkerspot Caterpillar – Butterflies and Moths of North America Silvery checkerspot caterpillars are typically black with yellow lines and spots This family of caterpillars (Nymphalidae) are known for their branched spines. If you look at the silvery checkerspot caterpillar from above, these spiked spines are easier to see. Silvery checkerspot caterpillars are typically black with yellow […]
Opal Pool Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park [Opal Pool] can eject water up to 70 feet in the air! This lesser-known hot spring in the Midway Geyser Basin is called Opal Pool. This hot spring sits at roughly 132 degrees Fahrenheit. It is classified as a fountain geyser. Although its eruptions are rare and random Opal Pool is still considered active. Typically, the […]
Hualapai Canyon Landscape
Havasupai Tribe The Havasupai Tribe refers to themselves as the “People of the Blue Green Water” The trail down to Havasu Falls begins at Hualapai Hilltop which overlooks Hualapai Canyon. The canyon rim sits 5,200 feet, nearly one mile, above the canyon floor. After 8 miles of hiking, you are rewarded with one of the […]
Hualapai Canyon Looking Up
Havasupai Tribe Website This means that it comes from a time span of 47 million years The hike into Hualapai Canyon is one that is full of beauty. The rock strata of Hualapai Canyon are diverse and cover many millennia. The top layer is Kaibab Formation. Below this is Toroweap Formation. Then comes Coconino Sandstone. […]
Black-Tailed Deer Olympic National Park
Black-Tailed Deer – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern I was hiking Kestner Homestead Trailhead when I came across this black-tailed deer You have probably heard of white-tailed deer, but did you know there is a black-tailed deer? These deer are found in the coastal areas of western North America. I saw this black-tailed deer in the Olympic […]
Swift Feather-Legged Fly
Swift Feather-Legged Fly – Bug Guide Look in grasslands, hedge rows, and crops, which they are likely to inhabit This photo of a swift feather-legged fly was taken in my backyard. The fly was staying around as I was cutting zucchini off the vine. There were a few in the garden, but this one was […]
Black Blister Beetle
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 […]