Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7656-Edit--marsh-wren-cattail.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7641-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-sin...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7637-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7636-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7658-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-bir...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7660-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-ang...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7646-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-ang...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7657-Edit-marsh-wren-cattails-bi...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7628-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-bir...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7625-Edit-marsh-wren-cattails-bi...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7641-Edit-2-marsh-wren-cattail-s...tif
  • A young Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) perches amongst common cattails (Typha latifolia) at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. <br />
<br />
The red-winged blackbird is found throughout most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and northwestern Costa Rica. It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations are generally migratory, moving south to Mexico and the southern United States. <br />
<br />
The red-winged blackbird has been considered the most abundant living land bird in North America, with more than a million birds per flock and the total number of breeding pairs across North and Central America exceeding 250 million in peak years. The red-winged blackbird is sexually dimorphic with the male being all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. Red-winged blackbirds are polygynous, with territorial males defending up to 10 females. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the red-winged blackbird's diet.<br />
<br />
Male red-wing blackbirds are 22–24 cm (8.7–9.4 in) long and weigh 64 g (2.3 oz).  Females are smaller.  The build their nests in cattails, rushes, grasses, sedge, or in alder or willow bushes. The nest is constructed entirely by the female over the course of three to six days. A clutch consists of three or four, rarely five, eggs. Eggs are oval, smooth and slightly glossy, and measure 24.8 mm × 17.55 mm (0.976 in × 0.691 in). They are incubated by the female alone, and hatch in 11 to 12 days both blind and naked.  However, they are ready to leave the nest 11 to 14 days after hatching.
    _LPA8205-Edit-red-winged-blackbird-c...tif
  • A brown moth (possibly Archips argyrospila) hides under an Asian Lilly leaf.
    _LPA7282-moth-asian-lilly-leaf-insec...tif
  • A young Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) perches amongst common cattails (Typha latifolia) at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. <br />
<br />
The red-winged blackbird is found throughout most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and northwestern Costa Rica. It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations are generally migratory, moving south to Mexico and the southern United States. <br />
<br />
The red-winged blackbird has been considered the most abundant living land bird in North America, with more than a million birds per flock and the total number of breeding pairs across North and Central America exceeding 250 million in peak years. <br />
<br />
The red-winged blackbird is sexually dimorphic with the male being all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. Red-winged blackbirds are polygynous, with territorial males defending up to 10 females. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the red-winged blackbird's diet.<br />
<br />
Male red-wing blackbirds are 22–24 cm (8.7–9.4 in) long and weigh 64 g (2.3 oz).  Females are smaller.  They build their nests in cattails, rushes, grasses, sedge, or in alder or willow bushes. The nest is constructed entirely by the female over the course of three to six days. A clutch consists of three or four, rarely five, eggs. Eggs are oval, smooth and slightly glossy, and measure 24.8 mm × 17.55 mm (0.976 in × 0.691 in). They are incubated by the female alone, and hatch in 11 to 12 days both blind and naked.  However, they are ready to leave the nest 11 to 14 days after hatching.
    _LPA8206-Edit-red-winged-blackbird-c...tif
  • The Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is found in the tropical rainforests of Indonesia, New Guinea and northeastern Australia, preferring elevations below 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in Australia and below 500 m (1,600 ft) in New Guinea.  Also known as the Double-wattled Cassowary, Australian Cassowary or Two-wattled Cassowary, it is a large flightless black bird related to the emu, ostrich, rhea and its closest relative, the Kiwi, from which it diverged approximately 40 million years ago. <br />
<br />
The Southern Cassowary is the largest member of the cassowary family and is the second heaviest bird on earth, attaining a maximum estimated weight of 85 kg (187 lb) and height of 190 cm (6 ft 3 in). It is currently the largest living Asian and Australian bird.  <br />
<br />
Females as shown here are larger and more brightly colored than the males. A horn-like brown casque, measuring up to 16.9 cm (6.7 in) high, sits atop the head. The bill can be up to 19 cm (7.5 in) long. The three-toed feet are powerful and equipped with a lethal dagger-like claw up to 12 cm (4.7 in) on the inner toe. The blade-like claws are capable of killing humans and dogs if the bird is provoked. <br />
<br />
The Southern Cassowary forages on the forest floor for fallen fruit and can digest fruits toxic to other animals. It also eats fungi, insects and small vertebrates. <br />
<br />
The Southern Cassowary is a solitary bird, which pairs only in breeding season, in late winter or spring. Cassowaries make a booming call during mating season and hissing and rumbling sounds otherwise. The male builds a nest on the ground made of plant material 5-10 cm (2–4 in) thick and up to 100 cm (39 in) wide. The male incubates the eggs and raises the chicks alone. A clutch of three or four eggs are laid measuring 138 by 95 mm (5.4 in × 3.7 in). They have a granulated surface and are initially bright pea-green in color although they fade with age.
    Scan-101211-0024-Edit-southern-casso...tif
  • One hundred feet below the ocean surface off the coast of Belize, a 4 foot high Carribean barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta) rises from admist its surrounding garden of branching gorgonians and a cloud of schooling Brown Chromis (Chromis multilineata).  The Belize barrier reef is the world's second largest, only exceeded in size by the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
    P-000213-barrel-sponge-chromis-beliz...tif
  • Nudibranchs are soft-bodied marine mollusks which shed their shells after their larval stage.  The word "nudibranch" comes from the Latin nudus "naked" and the Ancient Greek βράγχια "gills".  Nudibranchs are often informally called sea slugs, <br />
<br />
All known nudibranchs are carnivorous with some feeding on sponges, hydroids, bryozoans, tunicates, barnacles, anemones, other sea slugs, sea slug eggs, or even their own species.  During evolution, nudibranchs lost their shells and developed alternative defense mechanisms. Some evolved to be well camouflaged, while others as seen here have intensely bright color patterns. Some sponge-eating nudibranchs concentrate the chemical defenses of the sponges in their bodies, rendering themselves distasteful to predators. Certain species produce their own protective chemicals, or release an acid mucus from the skin if physically touched.  <br />
<br />
Some nudibranchs that feed on prey which protect themselves with stinging cells called “nematocysts” can pass the intact nematocysts through their gut without harming the nudibranch or triggering the nematocysts.  The cells are then brought to the tips of the creature's “gills” (cerata).  The colors within the cerata are extensions of the digestive tract, often with a whitish tip where the nematocysts are concentrated, which now protect the nudibranch itself.<br />
<br />
Nudibranchs are hermaphroditic but cannot fertilize themselves. They typically deposit eggs within a gelatinous spiral resembling a ribbon. The number of eggs varies from 1 egg to 25 million!   The nudibranch lifespan ranges from a few weeks to a year depending on the species.<br />
<br />
The nudibranch (Flabellina salmonacea) pictured here is crawling on dulce (Palmaria palmata), an edible alga.  This nudibranch grows to 3.8 cm (1.5 in) with cerata that are colored either brown or orange depending on their prey. The orange color in this case results from a diet consisting of Goniactinia anemones. The whitish tips contain the nematocysts
    Scan-101211-0015-Edit-red-gilled-nud...tif
  • A sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) hides amongst brown Rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) and green Sea Lettuce (Ulva) in 25 feet of water off Folly Cove in Rockport, Massachusetts. Although also commonly known as "sand eels", the sand lance is not related to true eels. The family and genus name (Ammodytes) means "sand burrower", a reference to the sand lance's habit of burrowing into sand to avoid tidal currents.<br />
<br />
Sand lances are most common in the North Pacific and North Atlantic, but are found in oceans throughout the world. These fish do not have pelvic fins and do not develop swim bladders, being bottom-dwelling as adults. The larval form of the Sand Lance may be the most abundant of all fish larvae in areas such as the northwest Atlantic, serving as a major food for cod, salmon, whales and diving birds such as puffins, auks, terns, and cormorants. Sand lances can control the movement of each eye independently.
    Scan-101211-0010-Edit-fish-sand-lanc...tif
  • Sitting at the base of the Temple of the Moon, LB (age 8) gazes at sunrise reflecting off the 400-foot-tall Temple of the Sun in Cathedral Valley, Capital Reef National Park, Utah. The spectacular monolith is composed of Entrada Sandstone deposited 160 million years ago in the Jurassic period.  This fine-grained sandstone is formed by the deposition of silt in tidal flats. It crumbles easily to a fine sand which is rapidly removed by water, thus creating the sheer walls rising directly from their base. Seen two thirds of the way up the face, the Entrada sandstone is covered by a hard cap of grayish-green sandstone and siltstone of the Curtis Sandstone formation, protecting the monolith from erosion. Above the Curtis sandstone formation is the thinly-bedded, reddish-brown siltstone of the Summerville sandstone formation.
    _LPA6214-Edit-temple-of-the-sun-sunr...tif
  • The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution.  A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth shown here typically has orange to red-brown wings.  Each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae and a wingspan between 35 and 38 mm (~1.5 in). The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless.  Several hundred eggs are laid on the outside of the female's empty cocoon, usually attached to a host plant.  The species overwinters in the egg stage. <br />
<br />
The adult moths do not feed, so only live a short time. In North America, only one generation occurs in a year and fly between May and October.  The males are diurnal, flying during the day, but are occasionally attracted to light.  This individual was photographed during the day in August in Kingfield, Maine.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 34 exposures.
    _1LA9545-Edit-Rusty-Tussock-Moth-Vap...tif
  • The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution.  A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth shown here typically has orange to red-brown wings.  Each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae and a wingspan between 35 and 38 mm (~1.5 in). The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless.  Several hundred eggs are laid on the outside of the female's empty cocoon, usually attached to a host plant.  The species overwinters in the egg stage. <br />
<br />
The adult moths do not feed, so only live a short time. In North America, only one generation occurs in a year and fly between May and October.  The males are diurnal, flying during the day, but are occasionally attracted to light.  This individual was photographed during the day in August in Kingfield, Maine.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 34 exposures.
    _1LA9545-Edit-Edit-Rusty-Tussock-Mot...tif
  • The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution.  A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth shown here typically has orange to red-brown wings.  Each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae and a wingspan between 35 and 38 mm (~1.5 in). The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless.  Several hundred eggs are laid on the outside of the female's empty cocoon, usually attached to a host plant.  The species overwinters in the egg stage. <br />
<br />
The adult moths do not feed, so only live a short time. In North America, only one generation occurs in a year and fly between May and October.  The males are diurnal, flying during the day, but are occasionally attracted to light.  This individual was photographed during the day in August in Kingfield, Maine.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 34 exposures.
    _1LA9545-Edit-Edit-Edit-Rusty-Tussoc...tif
  • The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a small migratory North American bird found from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter. It is a small finch, 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in). It weighs between 11–20 g (0.39–0.71 oz). <br />
<br />
The song of the American goldfinch is a series of musical warbles and twitters, often with a long note.  <br />
<br />
The American goldfinch displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration with the male being a vibrant yellow in the summer as shown here, and an olive color during the winter.  The female is a dull yellow-brown, brightening only slightly during the summer.
    _LPA8246-Edit-goldfinch-great-meadow...tif
  • The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a small migratory North American bird found from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter. It is a small finch, 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in). It weighs between 11–20 g (0.39–0.71 oz). The song of the American goldfinch is a series of musical warbles and twitters, often with a long note.  The American goldfinch displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration with the male being a vibrant yellow in the summer as shown here, and an olive color during the winter.  The female is a dull yellow-brown, brightening only slightly during the summer.
    _LPA8246-Edit.tif
  • A male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) stands in a bed of black oil sunflower seed shells as he forages for food.  The Northern Cardinal has a body length of 8-9 inches and a wingspan of 10-12 inches.  The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on fruit or insects.  The cardinal was once prized as a pet, but its sale as cage birds is now banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
    _LPA4554-cardinal-bird-sunflower-see...tif
  • Oncidium orchid grown by the photographer, with one multibranched flower spike 25 inches tall supporting 18 individual blossoms.  Oncidium is a genus that contains over 330 species of orchids.  It is an extraordinarily large and diverse group from varied habitats. Most species in the Oncidium genus are epiphytes (grow on other plants), although some are lithophytes (grow on rocks) or terrestrials (grow in the ground). They are widespread from northern Mexico, the Caribbean, and some parts of South Florida to South America, usually occurring in seasonally dry areas.  This genus was first described by Olof Swartz in 1800, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist and the first specialist of orchid taxonomy.  The name is derived from the Greek word "onkos", meaning "swelling" due to the callus at the flower's lower lip.
    _LPA7260-oncidium-orchid-flower-bloo...tif
  • The Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is a common species of wren found in the eastern half of the United States, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico. Their preferred habitat is in dense cover in forests, farm edges and suburban areas. However, Carolina wrens are wary, and are more often heard than seen This wren is the state bird of South Carolina.<br />
There are seven recognized subspecies of the Carolina wren each with slight differences in song and appearance. The Carolina wren is 12.5 to 14.0 cm (4.9 to 5.5 in) long, with a 29 cm (11 in) wingspan and a weight of about 18 to 23 g (0.63 to 0.81 oz).  It is the second largest wren in the United States after the cactus wren.  Carolina wrens raise multiple broods during the summer breeding season.  This photograph captures the elusive wren enduring a winter snowstorm in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2272-Edit-carolina-wren-bird-sno...tif
  • An autumn Japanese Maple leaf (Acer palmatum) has fallen on a lichen and moss covered rock in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1579-Edit-Japanese-maple-leaf-ro...tif
  • Norway Maple leaves (Acer platanoides) lay scattered upon a bed of moss in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1582-Edit-leaves-moss-Norway-map...tif
  • An autumn leaf from a nearby Japanese Maple tree (Acer palmatum) rests on the moss covered bark of a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1490-Edit-Japanese-maple-leaf-no...tif
  • An autumn Japanese Maple Leaf (Acer palmatum) has fallen on a lichen and moss covered rock in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1556-Edit-square-leaf-maple-japa...tif
  • A girl sits atop a fence contemplating the Andromeda galaxy and a faint display of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) while bathed by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch outside Cody Wyoming.  The Andromeda galaxy is visible as the tilted disk of stars to the upper right of the photograph.  Also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, it is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs (2.5 million light-years) from Earth. It is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.   Andromeda is approximately 220,000 light years across, and it is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which also contains the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and other smaller galaxies. Andromeda contains one trillion stars, at least twice the number of stars in the Milky Way.  <br />
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(single image)
    _LPA9918-Edit-stars-milky-way-androm...tif
  • Under a moonless night sky in Death Valley California, headlights from a passing car light the barren landscape at Zambriske Point making it seem as though one is standing on another planet looking out into the universe.  The upper left star cluster is the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters or Messier object 45) which is a 100 million year old formation approximately 130 parsecs (424 light-years) from earth.<br />
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Zabriskie Point is part of the Amargosa Range located on the eastern side of Death Valley.  The area is noted for its erosional landscape, composed of sediments from Furnace Creek Lake, which dried up 5 million years ago—long before Death Valley came into existence.  This ancient lake began forming approximately nine million years ago. During the several million years of the lake's existence, sediments composed of saline muds, mountain gravels, and ashfalls from the then-active Black Mountain volcanic field collected at the bottom of the lake.<br />
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Camels, mastodons, horses, carnivores, and birds left tracks in the lakeshore muds, along with fossilized grass and reeds. Borates were concentrated in the lakebeds from hot spring waters and decomposition of rhyolite in the nearby volcanic fields. Indeed, the location is named after Christian Brevoort Zabriskie, vice-president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the early 20th century. The company's twenty-mule teams were used to transport borax from its mining operations in Death Valley.
    _LPA3780-Edit-stars-death-valley-Zam...tif
  • _LPA0097-Edit-boy-jump-teton-river-i...tif
  • Ashlyn holds "Kisses" a female Peruvian guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) she raised from a young pup.
    _LPA3343-Edit-girl-guinea-pig.tif
  • The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), also sometimes known as a "chicken hawk", is one of the most common buteos in North America.  These hawks breed throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.  There are fourteen recognized subspecies, which vary in appearance and range. The Red-tail typically has a wingspan of 43 to 57 inches, being 18 to 26 inches in length and weighing 1.5 to 3.5 pounds, thus making it one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America.
    _LPA8169-Edit-red-tailed-hawk-church...tif
  • This eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) built its home below a sewer grate in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  They generally construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, and several entrances.  To hide the construction of its burrow, the eastern chipmunk carries soil away from its hole in its cheek pouches.  <br />
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The eastern chipmunk is the sole living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, and is found only in eastern North America.  The name "chipmunk" is derived from the Algonquian language meaning “one who descends trees headlong.”  <br />
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The eastern chipmunk reaches 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, with a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz).  Interestingly, it has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five toes on each of the hind legs.  They are mainly active during the day, consuming bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs.  <br />
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The eastern chipmunk leads a solitary life, except during mating season. Females usually produce one or two litters of three to five young, usually from February to April and/or June to August. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, although in captivity they may live up to eight years.
    _LPA0849-Edit-eastern-striped-chipmu...tif
  • Early morning reflections dance atop the Concord River as it flows through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.  The refuge consists of more than 3,800 acres of which roughly 85 percent is comprised of freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is a nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, that is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over 220 species of birds have been identified in the refuge.  The first tract of refuge land was donated by Samuel Hoar in 1944.
    _LPA8191-Edit-reflection-tree-river-...tif
  • Early morning reflections dance atop the Concord River as it flows through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.  The refuge consists of more than 3,800 acres of which roughly 85 percent is comprised of freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is a nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, that is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over 220 species of birds have been identified in the refuge.  The first tract of refuge land was donated by Samuel Hoar in 1944.
    _LPA8189-Edit-reflection-tree-river-...tif
  • A Blue Striped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus) passes over a head of Brain Coral (Diploria strigose) 45 feet (14 m) below the Gulf of Mexico off the Riviera Maya.  The Blue Striped Grunt was first described by the English naturalist George Shaw in 1803 and is native to the western Atlantic Ocean ranging from Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean down to Brazil.  The Blue Striped Grunt can travel in schools of up to 1,000 individuals.  The fish commonly grows to a length 10 inches (25 cm,) attaining a maximum recorded length of 18 inches (46 cm) and maximum reported age of 12 years. These grunts can weigh up to 1.6 pounds (750 grams).   The name Blue Striped Grunt is derived from its blue stripes and its habit of grunting underwater by grinding its pharyngeal teeth and having the swim bladder act as a resonator which amplifies the sound.  Its diet consists mainly of shrimp, annelids, bivalves, and crustaceans.
    P4100296-2-Edit-vlue-striped-grunt-f...tif
  • This eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is eating while perched on a small tree branch in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Although they climb trees well, it is rare to see them on such small branches.  They generally construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, and several entrances.  To hide the construction of its burrow, the eastern chipmunk carries soil away from its hole in its cheek pouches.  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk is the sole living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, and is found only in eastern North America.  The name "chipmunk" is derived from the Algonquian language meaning “one who descends trees headlong.”  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk reaches 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, with a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz).  Interestingly, it has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five toes on each of the hind legs.  They are mainly active during the day, consuming bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs.  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk leads a solitary life, except during mating season. Females usually produce one or two litters of three to five young, usually from February to April and/or June to August. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, although in captivity they may live up to eight years.
    _LPA1116-Edit-American-chipmunk-tree...tif
  • An eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) stares defiantly from his seat on an old granite urn in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The eastern chipmunk is the sole living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, and is found only in eastern North America.  The name "chipmunk" is derived from the Algonquian language meaning “one who descends trees headlong.”  The eastern chipmunk reaches 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, with a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz).  Interestingly, it has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five toes on each of the hind legs.  Although they climb trees well, they construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, and several entrances. To hide the construction of its burrow, the eastern chipmunk carries soil away from its hole in its cheek pouches.  They are mainly active during the day, consuming bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs.  The eastern chipmunk leads a solitary life, except during mating season. Females usually produce one or two litters of three to five young, usually from February to April and/or June to August. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, although in captivity they may live up to eight years.
    _LPA1138-Edit-chipmunk-urn.tif
  • A flooded meadow reflects the early morning light illuminating Cathedral Spires in Yosemite National Park, California.
    cathedral-spires-reflection-meadow-y...tif
  • Mini Cattleya orchid bloomed by the photographer.  The cattleya is a genus containing 113 species of orchids that are indigenous from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant),  which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs.
    _LPA6352-cattleya-mini-yellow-red-or...tif
  • Miltoniopsis orchid grown and bloomed by the photographer.  Miltoniopsis is a genus of orchids that consists of 6 species, native to Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia. They grow in locations that range from hot, humid lowlands  to relatively cool, humid cloud forests. They were named after Lord Fitzwilliam Milton, an English orchid enthusiast.
    _LPA6346-orchid-miltonia-flower-pans...tif
  • Raised by the photographer in his basement, a total of 14 flower spikes on 11 Phaeanopsis orchids bearing a total of 76 flowers all bloomed at once.  Phalaenopsis are also known as Moth Orchids and are native throughout southeast Asia from the Himalayan mountains to the islands of Polillo, Palawan and Zamboanga del Norte in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and northern Australia.
    _LPA6323-phaleanopsis-orchid-colorfu...tif
  • The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), also sometimes known as a "chickenhawk", is one of the most common buteos in North America.  These hawks breed throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.  There are fourteen recognized subspecies, which vary in appearance and range. The Red-tail typically has a wingspan of 43 to 57 inches, being 18 to 26 inches in length and weighing 1.5 to 3.5 pounds, thus making it one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America.
    _LPA6159-red-tail-hawk-buteo-perchin...tif
  • The cattail is a member of the genuse Typha composed of about eleven species of flowering plants found mostly in wetland habitats These plants have many common names including catninetail, bulrush, reedmace, cumbungi, raupo, punks, or corn dog grass.  Their rhizomes are edible, being used as food as early  as 30,000 years ago in Europe.  The cattail also serves as food and shelter for a variety of wetland animals such as the muskrat which eats the roots and constructs feeding platforms and dens from the reeds.  In this image, the cattail blossom has already partially gone to seed.
    _LPA5189-Edit-cattail-backlight.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small shy North American songbird usually less than 5 inches long and with a wingspan of about 6 inches.  It is sometimes called a Long-billed Marsh Wren to distinguish it from the Sedge Wren, also known as Short-billed Marsh Wren. The male's song is a loud gurgle used to declare ownership of territory and they often sing both day and night.
    _LPA0714-marsh-wren-cattail-flying-b...tif
  • Snail tracks in the wet sand of low tide sketch a mouse at Rabbit Key, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3829-snail-track-mouse-sand-ever...tif
  • The colors of Eucalyptus tree bark (Eucalyptus botryoides) become vividly evident when moistened by the frquent passing mists along the flanks of Mount Haleakala, a 10,023 foot high volcano in Maui, Hawaii.  Panorama composed of 2 individual images.
    _LPA1101-eucalyptus-bark-haleakala-p...tif
  • The colors of Eucalyptus tree bark (Eucalyptus botryoides) become vividly evident when moistened by the frquent passing mists along the flanks of Mount Haleakala, a 10,023 foot high volcano in Maui, Hawaii.
    _LPA1094-eucalyptus-bark-haleakala-v...tif
  • The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (microptera), native the to southeastern and south central portion of the United States and reaching nearly 3 inches in size, now only exists in Florida and South Carolina
    _LPA8645-eastern-lubber-grasshopper-...tif
  • Dew drops cling to a Funnel Weaver Spider (Agelenidae) web spread over Sedum
    _LPA2016-dew-spider-web-moss-sedum.tif
  • A Funnel Weaver Spider (Agelenidae) tends his dew drop laden web spread across a Sedum groundcover.
    _LPA2009-spider-dew-drops-web.tif
  • Dew drops cling to a Funnel Weaver Spider (Agelenidae) web spread over Sedum
    _LPA1985-dew-spider-web-sedum-rotate...tif
  • A rare winter snow covers Balanced Rock in the desert of Utah's Arches National Park and the Unita Mountains in the distance.
    P-000165-arches-balanced-rock-utah.tif
  • AJ (age 7) and her new friend, a common toad  (Bufo bufo).
    2004-06-09-toad-girl-smile.tif
  • Mini Cattleya orchid bloomed by the photographer.  The cattleya is a genus containing 113 species of orchids that are indigenous from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant),  which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs.
    _1LA0798-Edit.tif
  • Phaleanopsis orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Phalaenopsis are also known as Moth Orchids and are native throughout southeast Asia from the Himalayan mountains to the islands of Polillo, Palawan and Zamboanga del Norte in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and northern Australia.
    _1LA0797-Edit.tif
  • Although not a true spider, Daddy longlegs (order Opiliones) go by many names including harvestman, cellar spiders, granddaddy long-legs, carpenter spider, daddy long-legger, vibrating spider and skull spider.  Daddy longlegs are closely related to scorpions (order Scorpiones) but, because of their appearance, are often mistaken as spiders (order Araneida or Araneae). However, unlike true spiders, in which the body is divided into two distinct segments, daddy longlegs look as though they have only one segment because of a broad fusion that makes the juncture between the two segments almost indiscernible.  They are widely distributed and abundant in both temperate and tropical climates of both hemispheres.<br />
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The body of a daddy longlegs is 0.6 to 23 mm (0.02 to 0.9 inch) long, although the bodies of most species are between 3 and 7 mm (0.12 and 0.28 inch). The legs can exceed 15 cm (5.9 inches) in length.  Many species of daddy longlegs are omnivorous, feeding on small insects, mites, spiders, snails, and vegetable matter.  Daddy longlegs typically have two eyes located on a central knob on the front of the body although certain types lack eyes. Eggs are laid in the soil in autumn and hatch with the warmth of spring. Many species of daddy longlegs live less than one year, although some may survive for several years.<br />
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This individual was photographed on a screen door retroilluminated by the early morning sunlight where over 100 daddy longlegs had congregated to feed on small insects attracted to a nearby light left on overnight.
    _1LA9448-Edit-daddy-longlegs-spider-...tif
  • The Hemlock Looper or Mournful Thorn (Lambdina fiscellaria) is a moth found in North America, from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast and from Canada south to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and California.  The wingspan is about 35 mm (1.4 in) and the moth flies from August to early October depending on the location.  The larvae feed on hemlock, balsam fir, white spruce, oak and other hardwoods.  This individual was photographed in Kingfield Maine in August.<br />
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The image is a focus stack of 6 exposures.
    _1LA9738-Edit-hemlock-looper-mournfu...tif
  • Three autumn leaves from a nearby Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) have fallen onto the moss covered trunk of a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) in Belmont, Massachusetts.  Moments later, a breeze blew the leaves off the trunk.
    _1LA1505-Edit-Japanese-maple-leaf-ba...tif
  • An autumn Japanese Maple Leaf (Acer palmatum) has fallen on a lichen and moss covered rock in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1556-Edit-leaf-maple-japanese-re...tif
  • A grasshopper sits on a young girl's shoulder as they gaze out over Boysen Reservior near Shoshoni, Wyoming.
    _LPA0293-Edit-girl-grasshopper-wyomi...tif
  • _LPA0078-Edit-jump-girl-teton-river-...tif
  • _LPA0078-Edit-jump-girl-teton-river-...tif
  • LB catches a 19.5 inch Rainbow Trout on a dry fly while flyfishing on the Upper Narrows of the Teton River near Drggs, Idaho. The fish was released unharmed after the photograph.
    _LPA0035-Edit-Rainbow-Trout-Teton-Ri...tif
  • On August 21, 2017 the path of the first solar eclipses over the Unites States in 38 years traversed approximately 2,500 miles of the country from Newport, Oregon to McClellanville, South Carolina.  Just outside Shoshoni, Wyoming, the path passed over Boysen Reservoir and these Cotttonwoods (Populus deltoids), as seen here from the western shore.  At this location, totality lasted 2 minutes and 22 seconds, being at its maximum about 11:40 am.  During totality, there was approximately as much light as during a full moon night, and the sunset like appearance of the horizon extended for 360 degrees surrounding the area.  The totally occluded face of the sun surrounded by the sun’s corona can be seen in the upper right of this single exposure image.   <br />
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Boysen Reservoir is located at 4,732 feet above sea level and was formed after the Wind River was dammed repeatedly in 1908, 1947 and 1952, ultimately creating a 20 mile long, 5.5 mile wide, 19,560 acre lake with 76 miles of shoreline.
    _LPA0362-Edit-total-solar-eclipse-bo...tif
  • An eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) basks on a lillypad eye-to-eye with an approaching emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa) and it shadow in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  <br />
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The eastern painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. The adult painted turtle female is 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long while the male is smaller. Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks, or in this unusual case on a lillypad. During winter, these turtles hibernate, usually in the mud at the bottom of the pond. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.<br />
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Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are similar to dragonflies but have slender bodies and are weaker fliers.  Most damselfly species fold their wings over the abdomen when stationary, and the eyes are well separated on the sides of the head.  In contrast, dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) are heavy-bodied, strong-flying insects that hold their wings horizontally both in flight and at rest.
    _LPA0107-Edit-turtle-dragonfly-damse...tif
  • An eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) basks on a lillypad not far from where a common housefly has alighted.<br />
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The eastern painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. The adult painted turtle female is 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long while the male is smaller. Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks, or in this unusual case on a lillypad. During winter, these turtles hibernate, usually in the mud at the bottom of the pond. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.
    _LPA0106-Edit-turtle-lillypad-fly-po...tif
  • Ashlyn holds "Kisses" a female Peruvian guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) she raised from a young pup.
    _LPA3342-Edit-girl-guinea-pig-smile.tif
  • This Red-tailed Hawk was stalking insects and small rodents in the grass at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  <br />
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The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), also sometimes known as a "chicken hawk", is one of the most common buteos in North America.  These hawks most commonly prey on small mammals such as rodents, but they will also consume birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.  Usually, they will eaither swoop down from an elevated location or attack in midair.  <br />
<br />
These hawks breed throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.  There are fourteen recognized subspecies, which vary in appearance and range. The Red-tail typically has a wingspan of 43 to 57 inches, being 18 to 26 inches in length and weighing 1.5 to 3.5 pounds, thus making it one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America.
    _LPA8028-Edit-red-tailed-hawk-stalki...tif
  • This dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) is perched on an Eastern Redbud tree (Cercis canadensis ) during a snowstorm in Belmont, Massachusetts.  Juncos are a genus of small American sparrows that are common across much of temperate North America and in summer may range far into the Arctic. The adult can have a surprising amount of variation in plumage color and details. Males tend to have darker, more conspicuous markings than the females. The dark-eyed junco is 13 to 17.5 cm (5.1 to 6.9 in) long and has a wingspan of 18 to 25 cm (7.1 to 9.8 in).  They may weigh from 18 to 30 g (0.63 to 1.06 oz). The dark-eyed junco song is generally a trill, but calls can include tick sounds and very high-pitched tinkling chips.
    _LPA8427-Edit-Edit-junco-winter-snow.tif
  • An American mink defiantly protects its recent catch of a meadow vole alongside the marsh at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.<br />
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The American mink (Neovison vison) is native to North America, although its range has spread to many parts of Europe and South America. Since the extinction of the sea mink, the American mink is the only living member of the genus Neovison. The American mink is a carnivore that feeds on rodents, fish, crustaceans, frogs, and birds. It kills vertebrate prey by biting the back of the head or neck as seen in this photograph.  The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) captured here, is one of the American mink’s primary food sources throughout its range including Canada, Alaska, and the northern United States.<br />
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The American mink has a long body which allows the species to enter the burrows of prey. Its streamlined shape helps it to reduce water resistance when swimming and the thick underfur and oily guard hairs render its coat water-resistant.  In warm water (24 °C or 75 °F), the American mink can swim for three hours without stopping.  However, in cold water it can die within 27 minutes. It generally dives to depths of 12 in (30 cm) for 10 seconds, though depths of 3 m lasting 60 seconds have been recorded. It typically catches fish after five- to 20-second chases.  American mink molt twice a year, in spring and autumn.  The fur does not turn white in winter.<br />
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Males measure 13–18 in (34–45 cm) in body length, while females measure 12–15 in (31–37.5 cm). The tail measures 6–10 inches (15.6–24.7 cm) in males and 6–8 in (14.8–21.5 cm) in females. In winter, males weigh 1–3 lb (500–1,580 g) and females 1–2 lb (400–780 g).  Maximum weight is achieved in autumn.<br />
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The summer fur is generally shorter, sparser and duller than the winter fur.[11] The thick underfur and oily guard hairs render the pelage water-resistant, with the length of the guard hairs being intermediate between those of otters and polecats, thus ind
    _LPA7599-Edit-american-mink-meadow-v...tif
  • An American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) waits motionless in a small pond completely covered in Duckweed (Lemnaceae) in hopes of catching a small fly (Drosophilidae) walking along the edge of its mouth.  <br />
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The bullfrog is native to eastern North America with a natural range from the Atlantic Coast to as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas.  However, it has been introduced elsewhere where it is considered an invasive species, including Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Italy, Netherlands, France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, China, South Korea and Japan.  In some areas, the bullfrog is used as a food source.  <br />
<br />
Bullfrogs are voracious, ambush predators that eat any small animal they can stuff down their throats. Bullfrog stomachs have been found to contain rodents, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, birds, bats, fish, tadpoles, snails and their usual food – insects.  Bullfrogs are able to jump a distance 10x their body length.  The female lays up to 20,000 eggs at a time that form a thin, floating sheet which may cover an area of 0.5 -1 m2 (5.4 - 10.8 sq ft). The embryos hatch in 3 - 5 days. Time to metamorphize into an adult frog ranges from a few months in the southern part of their range to 3 years in the north where the colder water slows development.  Maximum lifespan in the wild is 8 - 10 years, but one bullfrog lived for almost 16 years in captivity.<br />
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Duckweed (Lemnoideae) are small flowering aquatic plants which float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water. These plants lack obvious stems or leaves, and depending on the species, each plant may have no root or one or more simple rootlets.  Reproduction is mostly by asexual budding, however, occasionally three tiny flowers are produced for sexual reproduction.  The flower of the duckweed measures a mere 0.3 mm (1/100th of an inch) long.<br />
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The fly escaped unharmed.
    _LPA8258-Edit-bullfrog-frog-fly-duck...tif
  • A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) stalks his prey along a ponds edge at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  <br />
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The Great Blue Heron is common near the shores of open water and in wetlands throughput most of North and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. It is the largest North American heron and the third largest heron in the world.  Great blue herons are 115–138 cm (45–54 in) tall with a wingspan of 167–201 cm (66–79 in) and weigh about 2.23 kg (4.9 lb) in New England where this individual was photographed.  These herons have long legs and cover approximately 22 cm (8.7 in) with each stride.  <br />
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Herons locate their food by sight and usually swallow it whole. Typically, the great blue heron feeds in shallow waters, usually less than 50 cm (20 in) deep, by wading slowly and quickly spearing prey with its long, sharp bill. The primary food for the great blue heron is small fish, although they have been observed to feed on shrimp, crabs, aquatic insects, rodents, and small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds.
    _LPA5991-Edit-great-blue-heron-daffo...tif
  • Early morning reflections dance atop the Concord River as it flows through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.  The refuge consists of more than 3,800 acres of which roughly 85 percent is comprised of freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is a nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, that is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over 220 species of birds have been identified in the refuge.  The first tract of refuge land was donated by Samuel Hoar in 1944.
    _LPA8224-Edit-reflection-tree-river-...tif
  • Early morning reflections dance atop the Concord River as it flows through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.  The refuge consists of more than 3,800 acres of which roughly 85 percent is comprised of freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is a nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, that is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over 220 species of birds have been identified in the refuge.  The first tract of refuge land was donated by Samuel Hoar in 1944.
    _LPA8194-Edit-reflection-tree-river-...tif
  • Early morning reflections dance atop the Concord River as it flows through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.  The refuge consists of more than 3,800 acres of which roughly 85 percent is comprised of freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is a nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, that is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over 220 species of birds have been identified in the refuge.  The first tract of refuge land was donated by Samuel Hoar in 1944.
    _LPA8184-Edit-reflection-tree-river-...tif
  • Early morning reflections dance atop the Concord River as it flows through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.  The refuge consists of more than 3,800 acres of which roughly 85 percent is comprised of freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is a nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, that is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over 220 species of birds have been identified in the refuge.  The first tract of refuge land was donated by Samuel Hoar in 1944.
    _LPA8176-Edit-reflection-tree-river-...tif
  • An American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) remains so motionless among the arrowhead plants (Sagittaria sp.) while hunting in a Florida marsh that a fly has landed and is walking across the Alligator’s nose. The American Alligator is the largest reptile in North America and is endemic to the southeastern United States ranging from Texas to North Carolina.  Adults can be up to 16 feet long (5 m) and can weigh 1,320 pounds (600 kg).  They will prey on anything that comes in or near the water including documented successful attacks on fish, turtles, crabs, birds, muskrats, racoons, dogs, cats, wild boars, bobcats, deer, calves and humans.  They will also eat fruit.  Adult alligators also spend considerable time hunting on land, up to 170 feet (50 m) from water, ambushing terrestrial animals on trail-sides and road shoulders. Such terrestrial hunting generally occurs on warm nights.  The alligator is capable of biting though a turtle's shell or a moderately sized mammal bone.  American alligators have been documented to use lures to hunt birds.  By balancing sticks and branches on their heads, American alligators are able to lure, catch and consume birds looking for suitable nesting material. During the breeding season, alligators bellow to declare territory and locate suitable mates, with males using infrasound to attract females. From 20 – 50 eggs are laid in a nest of vegetation, sticks, leaves, and mud in a sheltered spot in or near the water. Those eggs which are hatched at a temperature of 93 °F (34 °C) or more become males, while those at experiencing temperatures of 86 °F  (30 °C) or lower become female. Young are born with yellow bands around their bodies and are protected by their mother for up to one year.  Young alligators grow 3 - 8 inches (7.6 - 20.3 cm) a year and reach adulthood at 6 ft (1.8 m).
    _LPA6052-Edit-american-alligator-fly...tif
  • The Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) is found from Bermuda and South Carolina to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Atol das Rocas.  They are common in the Caribbean and less common in southern Florida and the Bahamas. <br />
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The Coney weighs about a pound (0.5 kg), although occasionally it can weigh as much as 3 pounds (1.4 kg). Their average length is 6 to 10 inches (15-25 cm), with a maximum length of 16 inches (41 cm).  Coney’s feed primarily on small fish and crustaceans. <br />
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As with many other groupers, the females transform into males when they reach about 8 inches (20 cm). The Coney also has many color phases including a common phase shown here, a bicolor phase in which the upper body is dark and the lower body is pale, and a bright yellow phase with few spots.
    P4120902-2-Edit-coney-coral-fish-spo...tif
  • A Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) extends its two “crowns” 49 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Riviera Maya. Christmas tree worms are widely distributed throughout the world's tropical oceans, residing from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific.  The two Christmas tree-shaped multicolored spiral “crowns” per worm that protrude from the tube-like body are mouth appendages highly specialized for both feeding and respiration. These animals possess a complete digestive system, a well-developed closed circulatory system, and a nervous system with a central brain and many supporting ganglia.  The worms have two eyes that can detect light which are tucked under the crowns.  These adaptations allow Christmas tree worms to rapidly retract their crowns into their burrows at any sign of danger.  Interestingly, the nerves from these eyes do not go to the usual section of the brain associated with vision, and the light-sensitive proteins in the eyes called opsins are not the typical eye variety.  Christmas tree worms come in a wide variety of bright colors and are generally about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in length.
    P4131263-2-Edit-christmas-tree-worm-...tif
  • A Jumping Spider (Sitticus pubescens) looks for prey from the blossom of a Dendrobium orchid.  <br />
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Jumping spiders belong to the largest Family of spiders, the Salticidae, with more than 5,800 described species.  They are found around the globe, more commonly in tropical environments, although some species even thrive in the frigid Himalayas. Over 300 species exist within North America.  <br />
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Jumping spiders have swift reflexes and excellent leaping abilities. The small 1-25mm (0.04–0.98 inch) spiders can jump more than 25 times their own size using a well-developed internal hydraulic system that extends their limbs by altering the pressure of body fluid (hemolymph) within them. This enables the spiders to jump remarkable distances without large muscular legs like a grasshopper. <br />
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Unlike most spiders, jumping spiders hunt actively during the daytime.  They have the keenest vision of all spiders, being able to detect movement up to 18" around them.  Their night vision, however, is poor. Jumping spiders have 8 eyes, 4 on the face and 4 on the highest point of the carapace.  Their overall field of view is nearly 360-degrees. The 2 long and tube-like eyes located at the center of the face provide stereoscopic vision, are moveable and have very high resolution (11min visual angle), but very limited field of view (2-5 degrees).  In contrast, the other eyes are fixed and have low acuity but wide field of view.  Some of the eyes see only green wavelengths, some blue and UV-light, and others have tetrachromatic color vision with sensitivity extending into the ultraviolet range. <br />
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Jumping spiders do not construct snare webs but they do produce silk to mark retreats, protect eggs, and as a dragline while jumping to allow the spiders to control their fall and retrace their steps.  <br />
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Jumping spiders are particularly abundant in grassland and prairie environments, where they prey upon bollworms, cotton leaf worms, webworms, cotton flea hoppers, stinkbugs, leafhoppers and mosquitoes.
    _LPA2412-Edit-jumping-spider-dendrob...tif
  • A Brassia orchid bloomed by the photographer, with one multibranched flower spike 31 inches tall supporting 11 individual blossoms.  Brassia is a genus of orchids  named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator who collected plants in Africa.  These orchids are epiphytes (air plants) that grow in wet forests from sea level to altitudes under 5,000 feet (~1500m) in South Florida, the West-Indies and tropical America, especially the Peruvian Andes. <br />
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Brassia flowers are notable for the characteristic long sepals which can exceed 20 inches (~50 cm), giving them their common name of "spider orchid".<br />
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Brassia orchids utilize a very specialized form of entomophily (pollination by insects) to fertilize their flowers.  They are only pollinated by the female spider-hunter wasps of the genera Pepsis and Campsomeris.  The lip of the Brassia bloom is mistaken by these wasps for spiders and the wasps repeatedly sting the lip while  trying to grasp their prey without success. During this struggle, the wasp comes into contact with the pollinarium, that then sticks to its head. When that wasp flies to another Brassia flower and repeats the attack, the pollinarium on its head pollinates the new flower.
    _LPA7256-orchid-spider-spike-bloom-y...tif
  • Mini Cattleya orchid grown by the photographer, 9 inches tall, with one flower spike supporting 3 individual blossoms.  <br />
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Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
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Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA7125-cattleya-orchid-flower-blos...tif
  • Phaleanopsis orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Phalaenopsis are also known as Moth Orchids and are native throughout southeast Asia from the Himalayan mountains to the islands of Polillo, Palawan and Zamboanga del Norte in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and northern Australia.
    _LPA6359-orchid-phaleanopsis-white-b...tif
  • A solitary hiker gazes out over Yosemite Valley from Taft Point.
    P-000172-taft-cliff-yosemite-figure-...tif
  • The  Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of North America's woodpeckers being 5.5 - 7.1 inches long with a wingspan of 9.8 to 12 inches and weighing 0.7 to 1.2 ounces.  Like other woodpeckers, the Downy Woodpecker also produces a drumming sound with its beak as it pecks into trees in search of food.  However, compared to other North American species its drums are slow. Downy Woodpeckers pick the bark surface in summer and dig deeper in winter. They mainly eat insects, however, they will also consume seeds and berries. In winter, Downy Woodpeckers roost in tree cavities.
    _LPA5198-downy-woodpecker-tree-bird.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small shy North American songbird usually less than 5 inches long and with a wingspan of about 6 inches.  It is sometimes called a Long-billed Marsh Wren to distinguish it from the Sedge Wren, also known as Short-billed Marsh Wren. The male's song is a loud gurgle used to declare ownership of territory and they often sing both day and night.
    _LPA0713-marsh-wren-cattail-bird-per...tif
  • An Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) caterpillar searches the bark of a Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) in northern Maine for a suitable location in which to pass the winter.  Found throughout North America except in most northern Canada, they will usually settle under a section of tree bark, a rock, or a log where they produce a natural organic antifreeze that permits then to survive cold temperatures as extreme as -90oF!<br />
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The caterpillars have many names: Wooly Worm, Fuzzy Bear, Hedgehog Caterpillar and Woolly Bear. The timing of their travels and their distinctive banded coloration has led to a robust folklore of their being an established predictor of the severity of the winter to come. <br />
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 In fact, the coloration of the Woolly Bear is a result of its age, species and diet.   A more favorable growing season for the caterpillar results in a narrower red-orange middle band.  As the caterpillars molt, their colors change, acquiring more black and less red.
    _LPA7194-Edit-wooly-worm-caterpillar...tif
  • An Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) caterpillar searches the bark of a Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) in northern Maine for a suitable location in which to pass the winter.  Found throughout North America except in most northern Canada, they will usually settle under a section of tree bark, a rock, or a log where they produce a natural organic antifreeze that permits then to survive cold temperatures as extreme as -90oF!<br />
<br />
The caterpillars have many names: Wooly Worm, Fuzzy Bear, Hedgehog Caterpillar and Woolly Bear. The timing of their travels and their distinctive banded coloration has led to a robust folklore of their being an established predictor of the severity of the winter to come. <br />
<br />
 In fact, the coloration of the Woolly Bear is a result of its age, species and diet.   A more favorable growing season for the caterpillar results in a narrower red-orange middle band.  As the caterpillars molt, their colors change, acquiring more black and less red.
    _LPA7170-Edit-wooly-worm-caterpillar...tif
  • A lone mangrove awaits the return of the tide at Rabbit Key, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3832-mangove-low-tide-everglades.tif
  • A group of small snails leave tracks in the wet sand at low tide on Rabbit Key, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3823-snail-tracks-sand-everglade...tif
  • A 2 inch long Dog Day or Annual Cicada (Tibicen canicularis) clings to a Day Lilly (Hemerocallis ) petal in the morning sunlight.
    _LPA4644-cicada-insect-day-lilly.tif
  • An Evening Primrose (Oenothera stricta) blooms near the summit of Mount Haleakalā volcano on Maui, Hawaii. Also called the East Maui Volcano, it is a massive 3,055 m (10,023 ft) high shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui and last erupted in the 17th century. <br />
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Haleakalā means “House of the Sun" and its tallest point is Puʻu ʻUlaʻula (Red Hill). The crater depression is over 11.2 km (7 mi) across, 3.2 km (2 mi) wide, and nearly 800 m (2,600 ft) deep. <br />
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In Hawaiian folklore, the Haleakalā crater was home to the grandmother of the demigod Māui.  According to the legend, Māui's grandmother helped him capture the sun and force it to slow its journey across the sky in order to lengthen the day.
    _LPA1330-primrose-yellow-haleakala-v...tif
  • A foliose lichen (Xanthoparmelia sp.) dusted by blowing snow clings to the bark of a pine trree
    _LPA8620-lichen-tree-wood-snow.tif
  • A pair of Oak leaves cling to their branches long into a New England winter
    _LPA8610-oak-leaf-winter.tif
  • A paphiopedilum orchid blooms at the New England Flower Show in Boston, MA
    IMG_0157-orchid-flower-bloom-paphiop...tif
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