Greater Earless Lizard

Greater Earless Lizard Live

Greater Earless Lizard – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This has helped them adapt to their lifestyle of burrowing in the sand This photo has a fun story. While visiting Big Bend National Park, our group went for a guided canoe trip along the Rio Grande. Partway through the trip, we stopped the canoes to […]

Red-Spotted Toad

Red-Spotted Toad Live

Red-Spotted Toad – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern That’s when I came across a horde of tiny toads This photo of a red-spotted toad was taken while on a hike in Austin, Texas. I was hiking on a trail with my brother, Nick, who also serves as the scientific advisor for Wild Boyz Photography. We […]

Rio Grande

Rio Grande Live

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 […]

Bitterweed

Bitterweed

Bitterweed – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Bitterweeds are also known as sneezeweed Helenium amarum, commonly known as bitterweed, sneezeweed, or yellowdicks, is a flowering plant species native to North America, particularly found in the southeastern United States, although it is also found in Brazil, Europe, Japan, and Australia. Bitterweed is adaptable and grows in […]

Slimleaf-Plains Mustard

Slimleaf Plains-Mustard

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 […]

Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus

Scarlet Hedgehog cactus Live

Scarlet Hedgehog cactus – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The Scarlet Hedgehog cactus can be found in arid rocky areas The scarlet hedgehog cactus or claret cup cactus is found throughout Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado, primarily in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts. These plants are found in arid and rocky areas, and while they […]

False Dayflower

False Dayflower Live

False Dayflower – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data This flower is found exclusively in Texas I was taking a break between climbs while climbing in Austin, Texas when I took this photo of a false dayflower. My brother, Nick, and I had been climbing along the Greenbelt when we took a break, and I saw […]

Inland Wood Oats

Inland Wood Oats Live

Inland Wood Oats – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Inland wood oats are also known as river oats Hiking along a trail on the Green Belt in Austin, Texas; I saw these whimsical oats dancing about in the sunlight along the trail. I was quite surprised to see these, as I had never seen any […]

Checkered Melon Beetle

Checkered Melon Beetle Live

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 […]

Tarantula

Tarantula Live

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 […]