Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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  • An American mink defiantly protects its recent catch of a meadow vole alongside the marsh at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds. This angry-looking tufted titmouse is waiting out a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2344-Edit-tufted-titmouse-blizza...tif
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds. This angry-looking tufted titmouse is waiting out a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2344-Edit-tufted-titmouse-bird-c...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
  • Ashlyn holds "Kisses" a female Peruvian guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) she raised from a young pup.
    _LPA3342-Edit-girl-guinea-pig-smile.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
  • 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 />
<br />
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
  • Ashlyn holds "Kisses" a female Peruvian guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) she raised from a young pup.
    _LPA3343-Edit-girl-guinea-pig.tif
  • These young mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), also known as the Rocky Mountain Goats, are resting on their way up a steep slope in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Mountain goats are sure-footed cliff climbers that are endemic to subalpine to alpine areas of North America.  They are the largest mammal in these high-altitude environments often exceeding 3,900 meters (13,000 ft). In summer, they generally stay above tree line, but occasionally migrate to lower elevations in the winter. Despite its common name, they are not a member of Capra, the genus that includes all other goats, but rather related to antelopes, gazelles, and cattle. <br />
<br />
Mountain goats are about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall at the shoulder and males are larger than females. Mountain goats can weigh between 45 and 140 kg (99 and 309 lb) with a length of 10–179 cm (4 to nearly 6 ft.).  Both male and female mountain goats grow black horns reaching 15–28 cm (5.9–11.0 in) in length.  After they are about 22 months old, the horns are visible and it is possible to tell the age of a mountain goat by counting the number of rings on its horns.  Two of the individuals in this image are too young to have grown horns yet.<br />
<br />
There are an estimated 100,000 Mountain Goats in North America. They are protected from the elements by long woolly white double coats that they shed in spring. Their coats are highly specialized consisting of fine, dense wool undercoats covered by an outer layer of longer, hollow hairs. Their coats help mountain goats survive winter temperatures as low as −50 °F (−46 °C) and winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph).  The average lifespan of a mountain goat is 9 to 12 years.<br />
<br />
This is a single color image that has been converted digitally to black and white.
    _1LA9417-Edit-Edit-mountain-goat-col...tif
  • _LPA0078-Edit-jump-girl-teton-river-...tif
  • A new moon rises at sunset near an old tree burned during the Steamboat Fire, in Yosemite National Park, California.  The Steamboat fire destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees. Indeed, for over 4,000 years, the American Indians used fire in this area to cultivate the landscape.
    Scan-101211-0014-Edit-sunset-moon-tr...tif
  • A solitary hiker gazes out over Yosemite Valley from Taft Point.
    P-000172-taft-cliff-yosemite-figure-...tif
  • These young mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), also known as the Rocky Mountain Goats, are resting on their way up a steep slope in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Mountain goats are sure-footed cliff climbers that are endemic to subalpine to alpine areas of North America.  They are the largest mammal in these high-altitude environments often exceeding 3,900 meters (13,000 ft). In summer, they generally stay above tree line, but occasionally migrate to lower elevations in the winter. Despite its common name, they are not a member of Capra, the genus that includes all other goats, but rather related to antelopes, gazelles, and cattle. <br />
<br />
Mountain goats are about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall at the shoulder and males are larger than females. Mountain goats can weigh between 45 and 140 kg (99 and 309 lb) with a length of 10–179 cm (4 to nearly 6 ft.).  Both male and female mountain goats grow black horns reaching 15–28 cm (5.9–11.0 in) in length.  After they are about 22 months old, the horns are visible and it is possible to tell the age of a mountain goat by counting the number of rings on its horns.  Two of the individuals in this image are too young to have grown horns yet.<br />
<br />
There are an estimated 100,000 Mountain Goats in North America. They are protected from the elements by long woolly white double coats that they shed in spring. Their coats are highly specialized consisting of fine, dense wool undercoats covered by an outer layer of longer, hollow hairs. Their coats help mountain goats survive winter temperatures as low as −50 °F (−46 °C) and winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph).  The average lifespan of a mountain goat is 9 to 12 years.<br />
<br />
This is a single color image that has been converted digitally to sepia.
    _1LA9417-Edit-antique-sepia-mountain...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
  • 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 />
<br />
(single image)
    _LPA9918-Edit-stars-milky-way-androm...tif
  • _LPA0097-Edit-boy-jump-teton-river-i...tif
  • A pair of young muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) warm themselves by resting in the sun on top of their "push-up" or lodge made from old cattail stalks and lotus seedpods.   The parents were foraging nearby.  The muskrat is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North American wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. The muskrat is the largest species in the subfamily Arvicolinae, which includes 142 other species of rodents including voles and lemmings; however, they are not true rats. An adult muskrat is about 16–28 in long, and weighs 1.3–4.4 pounds.  Almost half of its length is tail.  Muskrats can swim under water for 12 to 17 minutes at a time and breed two or three times a year with six to eight young per litter.
    _LPA5478-muskrat-young-lodge-lotus.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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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
  • _LPA0078-Edit-jump-girl-teton-river-...tif
  • These young mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), also known as the Rocky Mountain Goats, are resting on their way up a steep slope in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Mountain goats are sure-footed cliff climbers that are endemic to subalpine to alpine areas of North America.  They are the largest mammal in these high-altitude environments often exceeding 3,900 meters (13,000 ft). In summer, they generally stay above tree line, but occasionally migrate to lower elevations in the winter. Despite its common name, they are not a member of Capra, the genus that includes all other goats, but rather related to antelopes, gazelles, and cattle. <br />
<br />
Mountain goats are about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall at the shoulder and males are larger than females. Mountain goats can weigh between 45 and 140 kg (99 and 309 lb) with a length of 10–179 cm (4 to nearly 6 ft.).  Both male and female mountain goats grow black horns reaching 15–28 cm (5.9–11.0 in) in length.  After they are about 22 months old, the horns are visible and it is possible to tell the age of a mountain goat by counting the number of rings on its horns.  Two of the individuals in this image are too young to have grown horns yet.<br />
<br />
There are an estimated 100,000 Mountain Goats in North America. They are protected from the elements by long woolly white double coats that they shed in spring. Their coats are highly specialized consisting of fine, dense wool undercoats covered by an outer layer of longer, hollow hairs. Their coats help mountain goats survive winter temperatures as low as −50 °F (−46 °C) and winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph).  The average lifespan of a mountain goat is 9 to 12 years.
    _1LA9417-Edit-2-mountain-goat-color-...tif
  • _LPA0079-Edit-jump-girl-teton-river-...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
  • AJ (age 7) and her new friend, a common toad  (Bufo bufo).
    2004-06-09-toad-girl-smile.tif
  • Ashlyn holds "Kisses" a female Peruvian guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) she raised from a young pup.
    _LPA3352-Edit-girl-guinea-pig.tif
  • The northern green frog (Lithobates clamitans melanota) is a subspecies of the green frog, Lithobates clamitans and has been introduced to British Columbia.  This frog grows up to 86 mm (3.5 in) and is darker when young.  The northern green frog dwells in marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes, springs, and other aquatic environments. They are active both day and night. This individual was photographed in the Carrabassett River in northern Maine in August.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 11 handheld exposures.
    _1LA9810-Edit-northern-green-frog-Ki...tif
  • The Milky Way rises above a field of wildflowers lit by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch, Cody, Wyoming. <br />
<br />
(exposure stack of 2 images)
    _LPA9867-Edit-milky-way-wildflowers-...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 />
<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.
    _LPA0849-Edit-eastern-striped-chipmu...tif
  • The Milky Way rises above a field of wildflowers lit by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch, Cody, Wyoming. <br />
<br />
(exposure stack of 2 images)
    _LPA9867-Edit-milky-way-wildflowers-...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
  • An adult 14-inch Queen Angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus) glides over a reef outcrop covered in colorful soft corals under the shadow of the shipwreck Jolanda prior to its being lost into the abyss of the Red Sea, Ras Mohammad, Sinai, Egypt in 1985.  The Jolanda was a 72 meter Cypriot merchant ship owned by the Sea Brother Marine Shipping company. During a severe storm on April 1, 1981 the ship hit a southern reef mount at the tip of the Ras Mohammad peninsula where after 4 days she rolled over onto her port side, her bow awash, and her stern hanging over the edge of the reef.  During a storm in 1985 a wire holding the wreck on the reef snapped and the wreck plunged into the abyss, lost until its rediscovery two decades later on May 26, 2005 in 145 - 200 meters of water.  Today the only evidence of its brief shallow water presence are the remains of its cargo of toilets shown in the lower left of the photograph.
    P-000211-Edit-shipwreck-anglefish-co...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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 Milky Way rises above a field of wildflowers lit by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch, Cody, Wyoming. <br />
<br />
(exposure stack of 2 images)
    _LPA9867-Edit-milky-way-wildflowers-...tif
  • The spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa) is a medium sized moray eel also referred to as conger, spotted eel, red moray, speckled moray, white cong, white-jawed moray, and white-chinned moray. Spotted moray eels are commonly 24 inches (60 cm) in length but can grow to more than 6.5 feet (2 m) and weigh 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg).  They inhabit the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. They are also found around the mid- and eastern Atlantic islands as far south as St Helena.   Although spotted moray eels have been reported as deep at 660 feet (200 m), this individual is hiding 54 feet below the surface off the Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico. Spotted morays are solitary animals, and usually hide in narrow crevices and holes in reef structures with only their heads peeking out as shown here.  They have double rows of teeth and are active during the day, feeding on crustaceans and fish at or near the sea bottom. Their bite can cause damage due to the rearward slanting teeth and potential toxins that may be released into the wound.
    P4110585-2-Edit-spotted-moray-eel.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
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds.
    _LPA2623-Edit-tufted-titmouse-bird-s...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
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds.
    _LPA2245-Edit-tufted-titmouse-winter...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
  • The spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa) is a medium sized moray eel also referred to as conger, spotted eel, red moray, speckled moray, white cong, white-jawed moray, and white-chinned moray. Spotted moray eels are commonly 24 inches (60 cm) in length but can grow to more than 6.5 feet (2 m) and weigh 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg).  They inhabit the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. They are also found around the mid- and eastern Atlantic islands as far south as St Helena.   Although spotted moray eels have been reported as deep at 660 feet (200 m), this individual is hiding 54 feet below the surface off the Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico. Spotted morays are solitary animals, and usually hide in narrow crevices and holes in reef structures with only their heads peeking out as shown here.  They have double rows of teeth and are active during the day, feeding on crustaceans and fish at or near the sea bottom. Their bite can cause damage due to the rearward slanting teeth and potential toxins that may be released into the wound.
    P4110582-2-Edit-spotted-moray-eel.tif
  • A Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands silhouetted against a stormy sunset within the 57,930 acre Saguaro National Park in Arizona.  Being composed of 85% water, these 50 foot tall giants can weigh over 8 tons and are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.  <br />
<br />
On this particular winter evening, the heavy storm clouds parted to the west shortly before sunset.  As the sun dropped below the horizon, it lit the underside of the stormy sky causing it to blaze with color for less than 5 minutes before the spectacle vanished even more quickly than it had appeared.
    _LPA5546-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, nonmigratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. The chickadee is the state bird of Massachusetts, USA.  Its familiar call of chick-a-dee-dee-dee gave this bird its name.  The chickadee total body length is 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in), with a wingspan is 16–21 cm (6.3–8.3 in) and a body mass of 9–14 g (0.32–0.49 oz).   Sexes look alike, but males are slightly larger and longer than females.<br />
<br />
The chickadee has fascinating eating habits.  Insects (especially caterpillars) form a large part of their diet in summer. Seeds and berries become more important in winter.  Like many other species in the family Paridae, black-capped chickadees commonly cache their food, mostly seeds but sometimes insects also.  Items are stored singly in various sites such as bark, dead leaves, clusters of conifer needles, or knotholes. The chickadee can remember the location of caches up to 28 days.   Within the first 24 hours, the birds can even remember the relative quality of the stored items. <br />
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The chichadee is also well known for its uncommon capability to lower its body temperature.  During cold winter nights, these birds can reduce their body temperature by as much as 10 to 12 °C (from their normal temperature of about 42 °C) to conserve energy.
    _LPA2360-Edit-chickadee-bird-snow-bl...tif
  • The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a North American bird also known colloquially as redbird or common cardinal. It can be found from southern Canada, through the eastern United States and south to Mexico. It prefers woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and swamps.  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 has a dull red-brown splotchy plumage. 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.  This particular female Northern Cardinal is enduring a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2234-Edit-female-cardinal-winter...tif
  • The Painted Desert is a spectacular badlands running from near the east end of Grand Canyon National Park southeast into the Petrified Forest National Park. The desert is about 120 miles (190 km) long by about 60 miles (97 km) wide, making it roughly 7,500 square miles (19,425 km2) in area.  The view shown here is from the north portion of The Petrified Forest National Park. The Painted Desert is known for its brilliant and varied colors, including the unusual shades of lavender evident in this photograph.  <br />
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The area resides within a strong rain shadow, giving it a cold desert climate with hot, dry summers and cold, virtually snow-free winters. The annual precipitation is the lowest in northern Arizona and in many places is lower even than Phoenix.<br />
<br />
The desert is composed of stratified layers of easily erodible siltstone, mudstone, and shale of the Triassic Chinle Formation. These fine-grained rock layers contain abundant iron and manganese compounds which provide the pigments for the various colors of the region. The erosion of these layers has resulted in the formation of the characteristic badlands topography of the region. Numerous layers of silicic volcanic ash occur in the Chinle and provide the silica for the petrified logs of the area. An assortment of fossilized prehistoric plants and animals are also found in the region, as well as dinosaur tracks and evidence of early human habitation.<br />
<br />
Desert was named by an expedition under Francisco Vázquez de Coronado on his 1540 quest to find the Seven Cities of Cibola, which he located some forty miles east of The Petrified Forest National Park. Finding that the cities were not made of gold as expected, Coronado sent an expedition to find the Colorado River to resupply his group. Passing through the wonderland of colors, they named the area "El Desierto Pintado", The Painted Desert.
    _LPA0805-Edit-Edit-badlands-painted-...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 Rock Hind (Epinephelus adscensionis) peers from his hiding place in the reef 47 feet below the surface off Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico.   Rock Hinds are widespread in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Bermuda, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and southern Brazil. The Rock Hind attains an average length of 14 inches (36 cm), although they have been reported to 24 inches (61cm) and a maximum weight of 9 pounds (4 kg).
    P4100075-2-Edit-rock-hind-fish-mexic...tif
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds. This tufted titmouse is waiting out a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2526-Edit-tufted-titmouse-bird-v...tif
  • The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a North American bird also known colloquially as redbird or common cardinal. It can be found from southern Canada, through the eastern United States and south to Mexico. It prefers woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and swamps.  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 has a dull red-brown splotchy plumage. 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.  This particular female Northern Cardinal is enduring a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2421-Edit-female-cardinal-snow-b...tif
  • The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a North American bird also known colloquially as redbird or common cardinal. It can be found from southern Canada, through the eastern United States and south to Mexico. It prefers woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and swamps.  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 has a dull red-brown splotchy plumage. 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.  This particular female Northern Cardinal is enduring a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2694-Edit-female-cardinal-snow-w...tif
  • In the winter at Death Valley, the clear skies, cold nights and lack of nearby lights create one of the best viewing environments for the night sky.  Seen here in March, the many colors of the stars are clearly visible.  Centered in the image is the constellation Orion, with Orion’s Belt and sword clearly visible.  Orion is observable worldwide in the evening sky from January to March.  It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.  The earliest depiction of the constellation of Orion is a prehistoric (Aurignacian) mammoth ivory carving found in a cave in the Ach valley in West Germany in 1979. Archaeologists have estimated it to have been fashioned approximately 32,000 to 38,000 years ago<br />
<br />
Orion's Belt (or The Belt of Orion) consists of the three bright stars: Zeta (Alnitak), Epsilon (Alnilam), and Delta (Mintaka). Alnitak is approximately 800 light years away from earth and is 100,000 times more luminous than the Sun, although much of its radiation is in the ultraviolet range which the human eye cannot see. Alnilam is approximately 1,340 light years away from Earth and is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Mintaka is 915 light years away and is 90,000 times more luminous than the Sun, and is a double star.  <br />
<br />
The Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters or M45) is visible from virtually every place on Earth and is one of the nearest star clusters. It can be seen from as far north as the north pole, and farther south than the southernmost tip of South America. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars, shown here 3/4 of the way to the right and halfway up in the sky.  In both myth and science, the Pleiades are considered sibling stars. The Pleiades stars were born from the same cloud of gas and dust about 100 million years ago. The cluster of several hundred stars is about 430 light-years distant, and the sibling stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second. Many of these Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times mor
    _LPA3782-Edit-pano-stars-orion-plead...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
  • A Rock Hind (Epinephelus adscensionis) shows a toothy grin as he peers from his hiding place in the reef 47 feet below the surface off Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico.   Rock Hinds are widespread in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Bermuda, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and southern Brazil. The Rock Hind attains an average length of 14 inches (36 cm), although they have been reported to 24 inches (61cm) and a maximum weight of 9 pounds (4 kg).
    P4100073-2-Edit-rock-hind-fish-mexic...tif
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is climbing the blooms of a Dendrobium orchid. Primarily nocturnal in habit, it has become expert at camouflage by mimicking the shape and colors of the leaves upon which it feeds.  <br />
<br />
Insects in this family (Tettigoniidae) are commonly called katydids or bush crickets and more than 6,400 species are known. The Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid, is native to the United States and widespread in the eastern and southeastern regions.  Adults are 14 - 75mm (0.55 - 2.95 inches) in length and have excellent eyesight.  <br />
<br />
Katydids have much longer antennae than grasshoppers, averaging 39mm (1.53 inches) and they only produce one generation annually since the eggs require a rest period.  <br />
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The males have sound-producing organs located on the hind angles of their front wings. The males use this sound for courtship, which occurs late in the summer. The sound is produced by rubbing two parts of their bodies together, a process called stridulation. The males call 24-hours a day using 2-3 chirps followed by various periods of silence while waiting for a female to respond.  The insect gets its name from the sound of the male’s call: “Katy-did”. <br />
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The tempo of the calls is governed by ambient temperature.  For American katydids, the number of chirps in 15 seconds plus 37 will be close to the outside temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
    _LPA2473-Edit-katydid-climbing-dendr...tif
  • AJ (age 10) and LB (age 8) pause to gaze at the morning light reflecting off the surrounding cliffs while hiking through Crack Canyon in Utah.
    _LPA7069-climbing-sillouette-cliff-u...tif
  • A Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands silhouetted against a stormy sunset within the 57,930 acre Saguaro National Park in Arizona.  Composed of 85% water, these 50-foot-tall giants can weigh over 8 tons and are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.  <br />
<br />
On this particular winter evening, the heavy storm clouds parted to the west shortly before sunset.  As the sun dropped below the horizon, it lit the underside of the stormy sky causing it to blaze with color for less than 5 minutes before the spectacle vanished even more quickly than it had appeared.
    _LPA5543-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a North American bird also known colloquially as redbird or common cardinal. It can be found from southern Canada, through the eastern United States and south to Mexico. It prefers woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and swamps.  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 has a dull red-brown splotchy plumage. 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.  This particular male Northern Cardinal is enduring a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2396-Edit-cardinal-male-snow-bra...tif
  • The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, nonmigratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. The chickadee is the state bird of Massachusetts, USA.  Its familiar call of chick-a-dee-dee-dee gave this bird its name.  The chickadee total body length is 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in), with a wingspan is 16–21 cm (6.3–8.3 in) and a body mass of 9–14 g (0.32–0.49 oz).   Sexes look alike, but males are slightly larger and longer than females.<br />
<br />
The chickadee has fascinating eating habits.  Insects (especially caterpillars) form a large part of their diet in summer. Seeds and berries become more important in winter.  Like many other species in the family Paridae, black-capped chickadees commonly cache their food, mostly seeds but sometimes insects also.  Items are stored singly in various sites such as bark, dead leaves, clusters of conifer needles, or knotholes. The chickadee can remember the location of caches up to 28 days.   Within the first 24 hours, the birds can even remember the relative quality of the stored items. <br />
<br />
The chichadee is also well known for its uncommon capability to lower its body temperature.  During cold winter nights, these birds can reduce their body temperature by as much as 10 to 12 °C (from their normal temperature of about 42 °C) to conserve energy.
    _LPA2462-Edit-chickadee-winter-snow.tif
  • In the winter at Death Valley, the clear skies, cold nights and lack of nearby lights create one of the best viewing environments for the night sky.  Seen here in March, the many colors of the stars are clearly visible.  Centered in the image is the constellation Orion, with Orion’s Belt and sword clearly visible.  Orion is observable worldwide in the evening sky from January to March.  It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.  The earliest depiction of the constellation of Orion is a prehistoric (Aurignacian) mammoth ivory carving found in a cave in the Ach valley in West Germany in 1979. Archaeologists have estimated it to have been fashioned approximately 32,000 to 38,000 years ago<br />
<br />
Orion's Belt (or The Belt of Orion) consists of the three bright stars: Zeta (Alnitak), Epsilon (Alnilam), and Delta (Mintaka). Alnitak is approximately 800 light years away from earth and is 100,000 times more luminous than the Sun, although much of its radiation is in the ultraviolet range which the human eye cannot see. Alnilam is approximately 1,340 light years away from Earth and is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Mintaka is 915 light years away and is 90,000 times more luminous than the Sun, and is a double star.  <br />
<br />
The Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters or M45) is visible from virtually every place on Earth and is one of the nearest star clusters. It can be seen from as far north as the north pole, and farther south than the southernmost tip of South America. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars, shown here 3/4 of the way to the right and halfway up in the sky.  In both myth and science, the Pleiades are considered sibling stars. The Pleiades stars were born from the same cloud of gas and dust about 100 million years ago. The cluster of several hundred stars is about 430 light-years distant, and the sibling stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second. Many of these Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times mor
    _LPA3782-Edit-stars-orion-pleadeis-d...tif
  • AJ (age 10) and LB (age 8) pause to gaze at the morning light reflecting off the surrounding cliffs while hiking through Crack Canyon in Utah.
    _LPA7069-climbing-children-sillouett...tif
  • A 20-inch terminally differentiated male Stoplight Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) glides 80 feet below the surface admist red cup corals (Tubastrea coccinea) and grey fire corals (Millepora alcicornis) now adorning the wreckage of the Royal Mail Ship Rhone.  The RMS Rhone sunk in the hurricane of 1867 after missing her mark by less than 30 feet and took her cargo of mail, cotton and supplies to the bottom of Salt Island in the British Virgin Islands.
    P-000217-stoplight-parrotfish-shipwr...tif
  • A cloud bank on the western horizon hides half of the sun while the remainder glows red, lighting the Gulf of Mexico below and the clouds above.
    _LPA5176-sunset-sun-gulf-of-mexico-o...tif
  • The sun sets over the Gulf of Mexico behind a mangrove at Rabbit Key in the Everglades as storm clouds approach.
    _LPA5163-sunset-everglades-gulf-of-m...tif
  • Multiple flocks of migrating Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) are silhouetted against the evening sky as the sun sets over Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the Eastern shore of Maryland, Halloween night, October 31, 1990.  Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, encompassing over 27,000 acres of wetlands, is a major stop on the Atlantic Flyway for many types of waterfowl and other birds.  The refuge, established in 1933 as a waterfowl sanctuary, has been designated of “International Importance" by the Ramsar Convention as it supports over 250 bird species, 35 species of reptiles and amphibians, 165 species of threatened and endangered plants, and numerous mammals.  During winter migration, Blackwater Refuge is home to approximately 35,000 geese and 15,000 ducks. Fed by the Blackwater River and the Little Blackwater River, it consists of numerous freshwater impoundments, brackish tidal wetlands, open fields, and mixed evergreen and deciduous forests. The Blackwater name refers to the tea-colored waters darkened by tannins leached from the marsh peat soil through which they drain.
    P-000215-Edit-goose-sunset-bird-blac...tif
  • Muhlenbergia capillaris, commonly known as Pink Muhly Grass is a perennial warm-season grass that grows to be about 30–90 cm (0.98–2.95 ft) tall and 60–90 cm (2.0–3.0 ft) wide. The plant flower spikes are double layered with green leaf-like structures and purple-pink flowers that outgrow them from the bottom up in the autumn. The flowers are very feathery and add a cloudlike appearance to the top of the grass. During the summer, the leaves stay green, but during the fall they take on a more copper color. It is native to eastern North America.
    _1LA0605-Edit.tif
  • A bumblebee (genus Bombus) and black beetle gather nectar from amongst the stamens of a hibiscus flower (family Malvaceae) at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.   Like their relatives the honeybees, bumblebees feed on nectar, using their long hairy proboscis which is folded under the head during flight. Numerous grains of pollen can be seen adherent to this bee’s legs, demonstrating why bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators.  Over 250 species of bumblebee are known, being found primarily at higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America.  <br />
<br />
The hibiscus genus is comprised of several hundred species that are native to subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. They are renowned for their large, showy flowers and are commonly known simply as hibiscus, or less commonly as rose mallow.
    _LPA9289-Edit-bumble-bee-beetle-hibi...tif
  • This Banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus) is passing through a Slimy Sea Plume  (Pseudopterygorgia Americana) at 52 feet below the surface of the Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico.   The banded butterflyfish is found in tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to Bermuda. The name is derived from the dark vertical bands on the fish's body and the vertical black bar through the eye.  These markings disrupt the outline of the body and act as an efficient antipredator adaptation.  The banded butterflyfish diet consists mainly of small invertebrates, crustaceans, coral polyps, polychaete worms and various eggs. Sometimes they will even act as a cleaning fish and remove external parasites from surgeon fish, grunts and parrot fish.
    P4100115-2-Edit-banded-butterfly-fis...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
  • 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
  • A Jumping Spider (Sitticus pubescens) looks for prey from the blossom of a Dendrobium orchid.  <br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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
  • 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 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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.
    _LPA8180-Edit-reflection-tree-river-...tif
  • The horizon is awash in color for but a few minutes after the sun sets in the Painted Desert, Arizona.  The Painted Desert encompasses over 93,500 acres, stretching for over 160 miles, and derives its name for the multitude of colors ranging from lavenders to shades of gray with vibrant reds, oranges and pink – colors observed here in the evening clouds.  The area is a long expanse of badland hills and buttes which, although barren and austere, encompass a rainbow of colors due to the colorful sediments of bentonite clay and sandstone. <br />
<br />
The desert is composed of stratified layers of easily erodible siltstone, mudstone, and shale of the Triassic Chinle Formation. These fine-grained rock layers contain abundant iron and manganese compounds which provide the pigments for the various colors of the region.<br />
<br />
The Painted Desert was named by an expedition under Francisco Vázquez de Coronado on his 1540 quest to find the Seven Cities of Cibola, which he located some forty miles east of here. Discovering that the cities were not made of gold, Coronado sent an expedition to find the Colorado River for supplies. The group passed through the colorful landscape and named the area "El Desierto Pintado" - The Painted Desert.
    _LPA0527-Edit-desert-sunset-purple-o...tif
  • An American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) reveals only a heart-shaped head through a carpet of Duckweed (Lemnaceae) completely covering a small pond.<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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.
    _LPA0970-Edit-american-bullfrog-hear...tif
  • The last light of an Arizona desert sunset silhouettes the Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) growing along a distant ridge.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5471-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • A flock of ducks rest on the frozen ocean mudflats at low tide with the ice and puddles reflecting the pinks, blues and mauves of a winter sunset in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
    Scan-101211-0017-Edit-ice-sunset-duc...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 Yellowtail Damselfish (Microspathodon chrysurus) challenges the photographer 51 feet beneath the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Riviera Maya.  The juveniles, as shown here, are often called "Jewelfish" because of their neon blue spots. When very young, their tails are without any color at all. Adult males will turn yellow during courting. The small neon blue spots never go away but get smaller and fade as the fish gets older. One of the most aggressive of all damselfish, it grows to a size of 8.5 inches (21 cm) in length.  Yellowtail Damselfish are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from northeastern Florida south along the U.S. coast, Bermuda, the Bahamas, throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, and along the Brazilian coast from Manuel Luis Reefs to Abrolhos including Trinidade Island.
    P4100307-2-Edit-juvenile-yellowtail-...tif
  • A fiery Arizona desert sunset blazes behind a group of Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) growing along a mountain ridgeline.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5465-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • Blooming beneath the stars, an Indian Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella) is bathed by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch outside Cody Wyoming.  The blossoms of Indian Blanketflower are up to about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) across There are 12 species of Blanketflower native to the United States, at least one species of which is found in every state.  Gaillardia pulchella is the most widespread of them all.  <br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
(focus stack of 3 images)
    _LPA9869-Edit-indian-blanketflower-d...tif
  • A young Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) fledgling begs for food at the edge of Halycon Lake in Mount Auburn Cemetery. <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 grow to 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.
    _LPA0987-Edit-red-winged-blackbird-f...tif
  • A Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) buried within Brain Coral (Diploria strigose) extends its two “crowns” 45 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.  The eyes can be partially seen in this image as two brighter red oblong structures between the crowns at their base.  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.
    P4120992-2-Editchristmas-tree-worm-b...tif
  • An American Robin (Turdus migratorius) finishes a worm for breakfast while perched on a sign in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family, widely distributed throughout North America.  They winter from southern Canada to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The American Robin is the second most abundant land bird in North America (after the Red-winged Blackbird). They are generally 23 - 28 cm (9.1 - 11.0 in) long with a wingspan ranging from 31 - 41 cm (12 - 16 in) and averages about 77 g (2.7 oz) in weight.  The American Robin has an extensive range, estimated at 16 million km2 (6,2 million sq mi), and a large population of about 320 million individuals. At one point, the bird was killed for its meat, but it is now protected throughout its range in the United States.  They lay 3 - 5 light blue eggs which are incubated by the female alone. The eggs hatch after 14 days, and the chicks leave the nest 2 weeks later.  Only 25% of chicks survive the first year.  The longest known lifespan in the wild of an American Robin is 14 years, but the average lifespan is about 2 years.
    _LPA1834-Edit-american-robin-road-cl...tif
  • Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand tall near a hill summit, silhouetted as the sun sets in the Arizona desert.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5469-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • AJ (age 8) and LB (age 6) share a warm towel after a springtime ocean swim at Crane Beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
    _LPA0209-towel-beach-children-crane.tif
  • The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the second-tallest living bird in the world exceeded only by the ostrich. Emus are endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and is found throughout most of mainland Australia.  <br />
<br />
Emus are soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds with long necks and legs, and can reach up to 1.9 meters (6.2 ft) in height. Emus range in length from 139 to 164 cm (55 to 65 in).  They are the fifth heaviest living bird in the world after the two species of ostrich and two larger species of cassowary.  Adult emus weigh between 18 and 60 kg (40 and 132 lb), with an average of 31.5 and 37 kg (69 and 82 lb) in males and females, respectively.<br />
<br />
Emus can travel great distances, and when necessary they can sprint at 50 km/h (31 mph) due to their highly specialized pelvic limb musculature.  They flap their wings when running, perhaps as a means of stabilizing themselves when moving fast.  When walking, the emu takes strides of about 100 cm (3.3 ft), but at full gallop, a stride can be as long as 275 cm (9 ft). Emus have good eyesight and hearing.<br />
<br />
Emus primarily eat plants and insects but can go for weeks without eating. They drink infrequently but ingest large amounts of water when they do.  Emus breed in May and June.  The male incubates the eggs and hardly eats or drinks during that time, losing a significant amount of weight. The eggs hatch after about eight weeks, and the young are nurtured by their fathers. Emus reach full size after about six months.  The emu plumage varies in color due to environmental factors.  Feathers of emus in more arid areas with red soils have a rufous tint while birds residing in damp conditions are generally darker in hue. The juvenile plumage develops at about three months with the head and neck being especially dark. The adult plumage has developed by about fifteen months.<br />
<br />
This image of a juvenile emu is derived from a two photograph focus stack.
    _1LA0695-Edit-Edit-emu-stare-head.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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand in silhouette before the clouds of a passing storm and veils of mist from the recent rain, glowing from the Arizona desert sunset.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5458-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...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
  • A winter setting sun illuminates the cliffs and monoliths of Upper Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef National Park,Utah.  Panorama composed of 11 individual images.
    _LPA63xx-upper-catherdral-valley-pan...tif
  • The planet Jupiter is reflected in the Carrabassett River of northern Maine as it sets along with the Milky Way in late August.  Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in our Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass one-thousandth that of the Sun, but two-and-a-half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined. When viewed from Earth, Jupiter can be bright enough for its reflected light to cast shadows, and it is generally the fourth-brightest natural object in the sky after the Sun, Moon and Venus (although at times Mars can be brighter than Jupiter).  Jupiter has 79 known moons.<br />
<br />
The Milky Way is the second-largest galaxy in our Local Group, with its stellar disk approximately 100,000 light years in diameter and, on average, approximately 1,000 light years thick. The Milky Way is approximately 1.5 trillion times the mass of the Sun. To compare the relative physical scale of the Milky Way, if our Solar System out to Neptune were the size of a US quarter (24.3 mm; 0.955 in), the Milky Way would be approximately the size of the entire contiguous United States.  The Milky Way It is estimated to contain 100–400 billion stars and more than 100 billion planets.<br />
<br />
This is a single image taken while standing in the middle of the Carrabassett River.  The rocks were briefly illuminated with a headlamp during the 20 second exposure.
    _1LA0592-Edit-milky-way-stars-jupite...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
  • 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.  At this location, totality lasted 2 minutes and 22 seconds, being at its maximum about 11:40 am.  With the moon blocking the solar disk during totality, red flares called solar prominences become visible at the edge of the dark disk.  The red-glowing looped material is plasma, a hot gas composed of electrically charged hydrogen and helium. These prominences look small in relation to the size of the sun, but typically extend over many thousands of kilometers with the largest on record being estimated at over 800,000 kilometres (500,000 miles).  A prominence forms over timescales of about a day and may persist for several weeks or months.<br />
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During the total solar eclipse, the sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona becomes visible as it extends millions of miles into space.  The corona consists of extremely hot ionized gases which exceed 1 million degrees Kelvin – 150- to 450-times hotter than the surface of the sun.  Being over 1 million million times less dense and much hotter than the sun’s surface and the solar prominences, the corona actually produces about one-millionth as much visible light, thus becoming visible from earth typically only during a total solar eclipse. The sun’s magnetic fields bend the corona into its remarkable shapes.<br />
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In this image, 10 different photographic exposures of the solar eclipse were composited to show the eclipsing moon, solar prominences and the corona.  The image was then manipulated by a process involving radial blur subtraction and image offset overlay to accentuate the pattern of the corona. The coloration of the eclipsing moon and the solar prominences were retained in this rendition.  (exposure stack of 10 images)
    total-solar-eclipse-sun-corona-overl...tif
  • This American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is hiding in a small pond completely covered in Duckweed (Lemnaceae).  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 />
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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.
    _LPA1927-Edit-Edit-2-american-bullfr...tif
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