Lilies – Wildflower Center Lilies can grow to be 1 to 6 feet tall! A common flower encountered in the Midwest is the lily. Lilies have the scientific name of Lilium, is a Latin word which comes from the Greek word leirion. The Greek word comes from the Egyptian word for Flower. Lilies grow in southern […]
Cabbage White Butterfly – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data There were lots of pollinators amongst the thick vegetation. The last few years I’ve made a concerted effort to visit the few states I have not seen. This summer I made it to Nebraska for the first time. Just south of Omaha is an awesome riverside park called […]
Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee – iNaturalist This is the second largest family of bees This photo is evidence of why everyone should have a native wildflower garden at home. On the day I took this photo, there were dozens of different species, including: butterflies, moths, beetles, and bees. My wife and I planted this wildflower […]
Tiger Wolf Spider These are hardy spiders This is a tiger wolf spider! I spotted him on a poison sumac plant on Macinac Island. Macinac Island is a small island in northern Lake Heron. It is located near where the upper peninsula meets the rest of Michigan. These cryptic spiders can be found across the Eastern United States, Canada, […]
Asian Lady Beetle – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data From there, it quickly expanded to the Midwest over the next 5 to 7 years The eyes staring back at you in this photo come from an Asian lady beetle. This species of ladybug was introduced artificially to the United States to control aphids and scale. […]
Pearl Crescent The pearl crescent can be found throughout North America This incredible looking butterfly is a pearl crescent. I photographed it while hiking at Eagle Creek Park. This particular butterfly species was in abundance on the trail that I was hiking on, but it was no easy feat photographing it. These butterflies move from […]
Zulu Giant This is a sacred place to the Hawaiian culture…called Leina-a-ka’uhane The plant you’re looking at in this photo is a Zulu giant, also known as the starfish flower. This is an invasive succulent that is native to South Africa and Tanzania. I saw this flower while just beginning a hike to the westernmost […]
Haleakalā National Park The park covers more than 33,000 acres Haleakalā National Park is a unique national park found on the island of Maui. It’s known for its stunning sunrises and sunsets that cast the rays of the sun across the Pacific Ocean. The park encompasses the now dormant Haleakalā volcano. It stretches from sea […]
Wild Blue Phlox – iNaturalist Wild Blue Phlox blooms in the late spring and early summer When looking to take a photo of the sun, I often try to find a subject to go in the foreground. I was lucky enough on this sunny morning to have a field of wild blue phlox that I […]
Orange Sulphur – iNaturalist There are complete pink and black spots that run from top to bottom During the summer of 2023, we had an extremely prolific flower garden that was teeming with different perennials. I was walking around taking photos of some of these flowers when I came upon this butterfly. Its common name […]