Oystercatcher and the Egret
An American Oystercatcher traipses by while the snowy egret hunts in the shallow tide pool. Puerto Penasco, MX.
Painted Lady
Painted Lady, aka “American Lady” butterfly, sipping the nectar from a dwarf sunflower. Photo taken near Hartleton, PA, USA.
Phainopepla
Female phainopepla spreading her tail feathers. These interesting birds will actually lay two clutches a year; once in the higher elevations, and once in the lower. Picture Rocks, AZ.
Pied Grebe
When exhibiting the right facial expression, these adorable little divers can actually look quite sinister. Pied grebe photographed in Tucson, AZ, USA.
Pincushion Flowers
The tiny pincushion cactus isn’t so easily overlooked when showing off a full bouquet of flowers! Saguaro National Park West, AZ.
Pretty Pronghorn
What a beautiful, elegant creature! This power pronghorn paused atop a hill just above me. Yellowstone National Park, WY.
Purple Russula
How often do you see purple mushrooms?!?! This purple-bloom russula is relatively common on well-drained slopes of healthy Pennsylvania forests. Bald Eagle Forest, PA.
Pygmy Blue
Meet the world’s smallest butterfly (as far as we know)! This is the western pygmy blue. With a total wingspan of only 0.5″, the name is no surprise! They were all over the place on a recent adventure!
Raccoon
Adorned in the finest Zorro mask, this charming trash panda was perched atop the tree trunk when I encountered him/her. The raccoon seemed to be nibbling on something indistinguishable while up there, but soon turned it’s attention to a thorough cleaning (sorry, no salvageable pictures) before descending and disappearing into the cattails. Tucson, AZ.
Rainbow Grasshopper
This stunner was the very first painted grasshopper I’ve seen and he/she was riding atop the back of a large gopher snake! Chiricahua Mountains, AZ.
Ram on the Run
This young ram chases a ewe that he took an interest in. After a time, he gave up and made a pass at another sheep. Yellowstone Nat Park, WY.
Red Barrel
Presenting one of my favorite succulent flower displays, the barrel cactus comes in yellow, orange, and red. Photographed near Picture Rocks, AZ.
Red-Naped Sapsucker
Pausing between beakfuls of pyracantha berries, this sapsucker assesses his surroundings.
Red-Spotted Toad
Eye-level perspective of a red-spotted toad. Despite their name, the red spots are often not so conspicuous! Chiricahua Nat Monument, AZ.
Regal Stag
Nearing the end of a 5-mile hike, this beautiful stag leapt onto the trail, dead ahead. Exchange, PA.
Ring of Flowers
The tiny pincushion cactus isn’t so easily overlooked when showing off a full bouquet of flowers! Saguaro National Park West, AZ.
Rivendell
Hiking deep into a popular rock-climbing area is the mystical land known as Rivendell. Ironically, there is often little water, but a very wet monsoon has changed the game! Tucson, AZ.
Ruffed Grouse
A ruffed grouse takes a break drumming on his log. During courtship, in early spring, male ruffed grouse will choose a log often next to a forest clearing. They will repeatedly drum on the log with their powerful feet. This process goes on for hours, days, sometimes weeks until a mate is attracted. Bald Eagle State Forest, PA.
Running Fox
This extremely silver-colored “red” trotting straight toward the camera. Grand Tetons, WY
Saguaro Flowers
Springtime in the desert is a stunning scene! As temperatures soar into the 90’s, the poppies and lupine of early spring are quickly replaced by flowering cacti. Among these cacti are the massive saguaros, the icon of our beautiful Sonoran Desert. Their thick bodies offer refuge to a number of birds, following the oh-so-common excavations of gila woodpeckers. The flowers offer nectar and pollen to untold numbers of birds and insects. The fruit feeds many more creatures, especially after falling to the ground where it’s within reach of javelina, coyotes, and rodents. Even in death, the mighty saguaro holds moisture which contains entire ecosystems, while reptiles hide underneath to escape the intense daytime heat. Saguaro Nat Park, AZ.
Salty Stallions
If you’ve never before seen horses fight, it is a vicious ordeal. They bite, kick, and chase each-other, becoming completely oblivious to many of their surroundings. Spectators must be extremely careful around them when this is transpiring as it’s quite easy to get trampled. These two stallions are engaged in a savage dispute.
Sapsucker Profile
This red-naped sapsucker was a very gracious photo subject. He/she hopped around for quite some time. It began by plucking berries off a pyracantha bush, eventually migrating to a sycamore tree right next to me which it spent some time closely inspecting.
Scaled Quail
Can you venture a guess at why it’s called a scaled quail? This beautiful fellow and his mate walked right by my camping site, presenting this excellent photo op! Photographed at Rockhound State Park, NM, USA.
Scaly Contrast
Behold the scale patterns of the most beautiful gopher I’ve met. Willcox, AZ.