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 […]
This slot canyon hike is located in the southern California desert This might be one of the best “short” hikes out there. It is only a 0.8-mile hike. You can hike the trail in 15 minutes, but you won’t want to. There are too many amazing views. Besides being a short hike, this is also a relatively easy hike, […]
Ocotillo – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The foreground has spherical rocks and ocotillo. I waited as long as I could, but I knew that I would want to share a photo from my trip with Matt, Nick, and Kenny to Big Bend National Park as soon as possible. I took this landscape photo on […]
Slippery stairs, ladders, and slopes stood between us and the base of Mooney Falls It was a harrowing descent down the slippery stairs, ladders, and slopes to get to the base of Mooney Falls. There were backlogs going up and going down on the mostly one person wide trail that took you from the top […]
I saw this Fremont’s cottonwood bathed in sunlight When I came around the bend in the canyon, I saw this Fremont’s cottonwood bathed in the sunlight that was spilling over the top of the canyon wall. This isn’t the first photo from my hike in Hualapai Canyon. In previous galleries we saw Havasu Falls, a […]
Black rain beetles are typically found in California, Oregon, and Washington Just before the CV19 lockdown, I found myself chasing beetles around the southern Californian desert, trying to get photos. So perhaps I was a bit crazy before the lockdown. These black rain beetles are generally associated with the western part of North America (California, […]
We believe nature is most beautiful when it is in nature. This bee is enjoying a California barrel cactus flower. This is a beautiful desert flower to encounter in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, located in southern California, not far from Joshua Tree. This is a beautiful environment, especially if you time it for when […]
Hualapai Canyon descends over 2,000′ during the 11 mile journey Nick and I were together for another adventure when I took this photo. We had spent the previous day and a half hiking through Hualapai Canyon to arrive at the famous Havasupai Falls in Arizona. The 22 mile round trip hike was well worth it […]