Spined Micrathena – iNaturalist Their webs are tightly woven with a diameter up to about eight inches This spooky spider is called a spined micrathena. Although it produces venom, this venom is harmless to humans. These spiders are in the orb-weaver family of spiders (Araneidae). Wild Boyz Photography has featured a variety of orb weaver spiders over the years. Below […]
Green Sweat Bee – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Green sweat bees will lick the sweat from human skin Check out this metallic green pollinator. As the name suggests, this green colored bee is attracted to human sweat, primarily for its salt content. Male and female green sweat bees will lick the sweat from human skin. These bees are […]
Groundhog – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Groundhogs are also known as woodchucks This fun little rodent is called a groundhog. I had rented a supertelephoto lens one day, and I was out looking to take photos of birds. Then looking off to the left, I saw a groundhog scurrying about in the woods. With great […]
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 […]
American robin – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The scientific name for the America robin is Turdus migratorius Pictured here are several robin eggs sitting in a tree about four feet off the ground. I chose this picture because when I think Midwest bird, I immediately think of the American robin. I wanted to use this […]
Speckle-Winged Rangeland Grasshopper – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data If you look closely, even their eyes are speckled! This interesting looking grasshopper is called a speckle-winged rangeland grasshopper. Its name is a mouthful so for the remainder of this article we will refer to it as the SWRG. This grasshopper is relatively small. The one in this photo is […]
Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area Kauna’oa Point connects two beaches This photo of four kiawe trees was taken while hiking between Hāpuna Beach and Mauna Kea Beach through the Kauna’oa Point. This hike is called the Ala Kahakai Trail, and it is located along the northwest coast of the big island of Hawai’i. Like almost […]
Shenandoah National Park The shape of this park is unique. It is narrow and long Shenandoah National Park is located in north-central Virginia. The park was created in 1926 and is known for amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The park was formed from a conglomerate of private land, farms, and orchards. This was a unique way to […]
Zion National Park I was able to catch this beautiful sunset which was illuminating the red rocks The tiny community of Springdale, Utah sits just outside of Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. In the 2010 census, Springdale only reported 529 people. The town was originally settled as a farming community by Mormons who evacuated the flooding […]
Snowy Owl – Conservation Status: Vulnerable Back in 2022, I wrote about a snowy owl at sunset This photo was taken at Hampton Beach State Park in New Hampshire, a few minutes from where I live. I was lucky to have spotted a group of photographers as I was driving by. I pulled over and got to […]