Rio Grande – Big Bend National Park The Rio Grande is almost 1,900 miles long This photo was taken on a canoe trip down the Rio Grande River in Texas. Ben and I were visiting Big Bend National Park. The left side of the river is Mexico and the right side of the river is the United […]
Slimleaf Plains-Mustard – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data The scientific name is Schoenocrambe linearifolius Slimleaf plains mustard is a perennial wildflower in the Brassicaceae family with a slender stem that can grow to be nearly 5 feet tall. It is found throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Texas, and northern Mexico. The species’ range 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 […]
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 […]
Hedgehog Cactus – IUCN Conservation Status: Varied This is likely either a Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus or a Strawberry Cactus When walking through the desert during the golden hour right before or after sunset, there are so many amazing photos that you can take. This photo is of a hedgehog cactus that I took near the […]
Texas Virgin’s Bower, Clematis – IUCN Conservation Status: Varies This was the most remote night of camping in my life Two of the photos that I took this month were from a trip to Big Bend National Park that I took with Matt, Nick, and a good friend Kenny in the fall of 2021. On […]
Cardinal Catchfly – IUCN Conservation Status: Varies I took this shot with a 1/500th shutter speed This is one of two photos from this month’s gallery that come from Big Bend National Park in Texas. This photo was taken on my first full day in the park. I was descending from the highest point in […]
Katydids – IUCN Conservation Status: Varies The lifespan of a katydid is about a year This wild desert creature is called a Katydid. These grasshopper looking insects can grow to five inches in length. They are generally green, and have long hind legs and long antennae. Their antennae can actually be longer than their body. Katydids are a challenging […]
Mexican Jay – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Mexican jays are closely related to crows and magpies Matt, Kenny, Nick, and I were descending from Emory Peak in Big Bend National Park when we came across this blue bird sitting in a tree. It was just a little bit above head height, as we were […]
Plains Lubber Grasshopper – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Grasshoppers have 5 eyes! Matt, Kenny, Nick, and I were descending from Emory Peak in Big Bend National Park when we came across this plains lubber grasshopper. We were at the end of a long hot hike, and we were all pretty low on energy. I […]