Admittedly, some editing was required to lend such a dramatic contrast. That said, this young scaly pholiota mushroom was still a dramatic and beautiful stand-out in the dreary forest. Photo taken in Bald Eagle State Forest, PA, USA.
Few spectacles weather spectacles are quite as spectacular as a lightning storm in the wide, open desert.
Picture Rocks, AZ, USA.
When zooming in extremely close to an insect’s face, one can see the kaleidoscope of panels that make up it’s compound eyes. This wonderful subject is gold-backed snipe fly. Photo taken near Danville, PA, USA.
Encountered in the middle of a hiking trail, I nearly stepped on this sidewinder rattlesnake. This picture depicts it amidst the natural surroundings.
Proudly showing off his bold breeding colors, this zebra-tailed lizard actually ran toward me, prior to having his picture taken. Saguaro National Park West, AZ, USA.
Now estimated to only stand around 20,000 individuals, researchers place the original desert bighorn sheep population to have numbered over half a million. Their current numbers are actually a huge improvement over the 1960’s, when there were only approximately 6,000 left. The population growth of these endangered mammals can largely be attributed to federal and state protections, in addition to strong reintroduction efforts. Needless to say, just seeing these impressive creatures in the wild was an incredible experience. The novelty to watch and photograph them for several hours was extraordinary. Tucson, Arizona.
Clinging to the stem of a goldenrod plant, these two ambush bugs make such an adorable couple.! Photo taken in Bald Eagle State Forest, PA, USA.
It wasn’t the X-files that convinced me aliens exist….it was this Chinese Praying Mantis. She’s in the process of cleaning her pedipalps (claws), while perched on flowering Russian Sage. Photographed near Selinsgrove, PA, USA.
The two eyes are easy to see, but gaze for another moment and you may notice a smiling face. Tucson Botanical Gardens, AZ, USA.
Pictured are two short-eared owls. The individual in flight decided to dive-bomb the perched owl in what appeared to be a territorial stunt. Photographed near Washingtonville, PA, USA.
This unusual insect is a common, yet rarely-seen inhabitant of American gardens. Ambush bugs are tiny predators that, true to their name, sit atop flowers, awaiting tiny flying insects. Photo taken in Winfield, PA, USA.
American snout butterfly, certainly an extremely bizarre/interesting subject. It’s name couldn’t be better suited! Photographed in Winfield, PA, USA.
An old, dead evergreen tree, which I came upon along a hiking trail at Aguirre Springs Recreation Area, NM, USA.
Arizona sister butterfly lapping moisture droplets from a nearby stream. Photographed at Aguirre Springs Recreation Area, NM, USA.
A nice, close look at the underside of a tiny Arrow-Shaped Micrathena spider. These lovely orb weavers are denizens of Northeastern US woodlands, where they build rather unique webs. Photo taken in Bald Eagle State Forest, PA, USA.
Found in shaded forest, this lesser-encountered Orb Weaver species is one of the few spider species to hang on the web with it’s head pointed upwards. Photographed in Bald Eagle State Forest, PA, USA.
A young cluster of scaly pholiota mushrooms in the pre-autumnal forest. Photo taken in Bald Eagle State Forest, PA, USA.
An extremely common, yet (due to their small size and nocturnal habits) rarely encountered lizard, the banded is Arizona’s only native gecko. Picture Rocks, AZ, USA.
These tiny, beautiful wildflowers are a short-lived spring delight in the Sonoran Desert. Photo taken in Ironwood National Monument, AZ, USA.
These common, yet beautiful birds are the bane of many a barn or shed owner, owing to their unusual habit attaching their mud nests to the sides of support beams. Photo taken at John Heinz National Widlife Refuge, PA, USA.
The barred owls in Okefenokee Swamp often liked to sit in trees (sometimes only a few feet above the swamp), constantly scanning the quagmire for snakes and frogs. They weren’t afraid to hunt at any hour, day or night. Photo taken at Stephen Foster State Park, GA, USA.
A very large American Bullfrog, pictured basking over the murky, vegetated waters of his/her swamp home. Photo taken in Harrisburg, PA, USA.
Having finished his/her thistle flower pit stop, this busy honeybee takes off for the next blossom. Photo taken near Hartleton, PA, USA.
The flower of a bishop’s hat cactus, observed at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, AZ.
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