Painted Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Painted turtles are the most widespread turtle in North America This painted turtle was quite the surprise. I was on a bike ride about a mile from home when I saw a round disc moving across the road. It was about six inches from my tire. I […]
Slosson’s Mason Wasp – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data We were hiking along the 2,500 foot long Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk when we came across this Slosson’s mason wasp This spectacular pollinator photo was taken when I was on a hike with Matt in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. This park sits right next […]
Checkered Melon Beetle – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data These types of beetles are known as skeletonizing leaf beetles or flea beetles Big Bend National Park is a magnificent desert landscape that includes the Chisos Mountains and border the Rio Grande. Within this park there are many species of pollinators. Some are endemic to the […]
Great Spangled Fritillary – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This great spangled fritillary was enjoying the many native flowers This photo was taken at Brown County State Park in southern Indiana. Jill and I had set up camp and were out for a hike on a hot summer day in July. This great spangled fritillary […]
Garter Snake – IUCN Conservation Status: Varies This garter snake slithered across the trail right as I was about to set my foot down. I took this photo of a common garter snake while hiking back from Round Knob on the Knobstone Trail in southern Indiana. With 150’ of prominence, Round Knob is the third […]
Northern Harrier Hawk – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Harrier hawks have the longest wing and tail relative to their body size compared to any other raptor in North America This majestic predator is known as a harrier hawk. There are 16 species within the genus. This particular harrier hawk is called a northern harrier hawk. It is […]
Raccoon – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern To our great luck, the raccoons had gone the same direction, and I was able to take this photo. This photo of a raccoon was taken with a Tamron 150-600mm lens while hiking in Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis. My brother and I were out taking photos with […]
Herring Gull – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern There are over twenty gull species in North America, but the herring gull is the most familiar to people We’ve heard about how ravens and crows are intelligent and can even fashion tools. However, most people are not aware that herring gulls have also displayed tool use. There is […]
Yellow Garden Spider – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data The yellow garden spider is a very common spider found throughout the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. This yellow garden spider had built its nest in my parents’ backyard. I took this photo one morning in late August. Throughout my childhood […]
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 […]