Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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  • 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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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This is a single color image that has been converted digitally to sepia.
    _1LA9417-Edit-antique-sepia-mountain...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 />
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The image is a focus stack of 11 handheld exposures.
    _1LA9810-Edit-northern-green-frog-Ki...tif
  • The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution.  A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth shown here typically has orange to red-brown wings.  Each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae and a wingspan between 35 and 38 mm (~1.5 in). The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless.  Several hundred eggs are laid on the outside of the female's empty cocoon, usually attached to a host plant.  The species overwinters in the egg stage. <br />
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The adult moths do not feed, so only live a short time. In North America, only one generation occurs in a year and fly between May and October.  The males are diurnal, flying during the day, but are occasionally attracted to light.  This individual was photographed during the day in August in Kingfield, Maine.<br />
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The image is a focus stack of 34 exposures.
    _1LA9545-Edit-Edit-Rusty-Tussock-Mot...tif
  • The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution.  A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth shown here typically has orange to red-brown wings.  Each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae and a wingspan between 35 and 38 mm (~1.5 in). The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless.  Several hundred eggs are laid on the outside of the female's empty cocoon, usually attached to a host plant.  The species overwinters in the egg stage. <br />
<br />
The adult moths do not feed, so only live a short time. In North America, only one generation occurs in a year and fly between May and October.  The males are diurnal, flying during the day, but are occasionally attracted to light.  This individual was photographed during the day in August in Kingfield, Maine.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 34 exposures.
    _1LA9545-Edit-Edit-Edit-Rusty-Tussoc...tif
  • The Hemlock Looper or Mournful Thorn (Lambdina fiscellaria) is a moth found in North America, from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast and from Canada south to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and California.  The wingspan is about 35 mm (1.4 in) and the moth flies from August to early October depending on the location.  The larvae feed on hemlock, balsam fir, white spruce, oak and other hardwoods.  This individual was photographed in Kingfield Maine in August.<br />
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The image is a focus stack of 6 exposures.
    _1LA9738-Edit-hemlock-looper-mournfu...tif
  • The headlamps of four mountaineering groups are seen ascending Mount Bierstadt in the predawn light under a star-filled Colorado sky (3:30am).  Mount Bierstadt at 14,068 feet (4287 m) was first climbed in 1863 and is the 38th tallest peak in Colorado and the 44th tallest in the continental United States.  Groups typically begin their ascent in the early morning so as to complete the 6.9 mile trail and be off the mountain before the danger of afternoon thunderstorms common in this area.
    _1LA9361-predawn-ascent-Mount-Bierst...tif
  • The headlamps of four mountaineering groups are seen ascending Mount Bierstadt in the predawn light under a star-filled Colorado sky streaked by the annual Perseid meteor shower.  Mount Bierstadt at 14,068 feet (4287 m) was first climbed in 1863 and is the 38th tallest peak in Colorado and the 44th tallest in the continental United States.  Groups typically begin their ascent in the early morning so as to complete the 6.9 mile trail and be off the mountain before the danger of afternoon thunderstorms common in this area.<br />
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Best observed in the Northern Hemisphere and down to the mid-southern latitudes, the annual Perseid meteor shower occurs each summer when the earth passes through a stream of dust from comet Swift-Tuttle.  Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by earth and has a nucleus 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. It last passed by earth during its orbit around the sun in 1992 and will next do so in 2126.<br />
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This image is a composite of 10 photographs over a total of 171 seconds between 3:21am and 3:30am which captured a total of 34 meteors.
    _1LA9361-2-perseid-meteors-predawn-a...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).  They flap their wings when running, perhaps as a means of stabilizing themselves when moving fast.  Emus can run at speeds of 48 km/h (30 mph) due to their highly specialized pelvic limb musculature.  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.
    _1LA0727-Edit-emu-head-feathers.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.
    _1LA0720-Edit-emu-feathers.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.
    _LPA7334-Edit-emu-head-smile-laugh.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 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 />
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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 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
  • This female Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) is hunting near the edge of a marsh.  Northern Water Snakes are found throughout eastern and central North America, from southern Ontario and southern Quebec in the north, to Texas and Florida in the south.  They can grow up to 135 cm (4 ft 5 in) in total length.  Adult females can weigh up to 408 g (14.4 oz) in average body mass while the smaller males average up to 151 g (5.3 oz). The largest females can weigh up to 560 g (20 oz) while the largest males are 370 g (13 oz). <br />
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The northern water snake is nonvenomous but can give a painful bite.  They superficially resemble the venomous cottonmouth and are often misidentified. Being active during the day and night, they hunt using both smell and sight. During the day, they hunt among plants at the water's edge, looking for small fish, frogs, worms, leeches, crayfish, salamanders, small birds and mammals. At night, they concentrate on minnows and other small fish sleeping in shallow water.
    _1LA8614-Edit-snake-water-black-hori...tif
  • This female Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) is basking on warm rocks in the morning sun.  Northern Water Snakes are found throughout eastern and central North America, from southern Ontario and southern Quebec in the north, to Texas and Florida in the south.  They can grow up to 135 cm (4 ft 5 in) in total length.  Adult females can weigh up to 408 g (14.4 oz) in average body mass while the smaller males average up to 151 g (5.3 oz). The largest females can weigh up to 560 g (20 oz) while the largest males are 370 g (13 oz). <br />
<br />
The northern water snake is nonvenomous but can give a painful bite.  They superficially resemble the venomous cottonmouth and are often misidentified. Being active during the day and night, they hunt using both smell and sight. During the day, they hunt among plants at the water's edge, looking for small fish, frogs, worms, leeches, crayfish, salamanders, small birds and mammals. At night, they concentrate on minnows and other small fish sleeping in shallow water.
    _1LA8614-Edit-2-snake-water-black-ho...tif
  • An autumn Japanese Maple leaf (Acer palmatum) has fallen on a lichen and moss covered rock in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1579-Edit-Japanese-maple-leaf-ro...tif
  • A yellow Norway Maple leaf (Acer platanoides) has fallen onto a bed of moss in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1595-Edit-leaf-maple-yellow-moss...tif
  • As autumn leaves fall, a yellow Norway Maple leaf (Acer platanoides) comes to rest naturally on the branches of a Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1530-Edit-leaf-maple-yellow-red-...tif
  • A flock of 16 Canada geese (Branta canadensis) fly south past the sun as they begin their migration to warmer climates for the winter. During migration, Canada geese often fly in a distinctive V-shaped flight formation, at a usual altitude of 1 km (3,000 feet). The maximum flight ceiling of Canada geese is unknown, but they have been reported at 9 km (29,000 feet).<br />
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(single image, no filter)
    _LPA0252-Edit-canada goose-geese-sun...tif
  • A girl sits atop a fence contemplating the Andromeda galaxy and a faint display of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) while bathed by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch outside Cody Wyoming.  The Andromeda galaxy is visible as the tilted disk of stars to the upper right of the photograph.  Also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, it is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs (2.5 million light-years) from Earth. It is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.   Andromeda is approximately 220,000 light years across, and it is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which also contains the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and other smaller galaxies. Andromeda contains one trillion stars, at least twice the number of stars in the Milky Way.  <br />
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(single image)
    _LPA9918-Edit-stars-milky-way-androm...tif
  • Under a moonless night sky in Death Valley California, headlights from a passing car light the barren landscape at Zambriske Point making it seem as though one is standing on another planet looking out into the universe.  The upper left star cluster is the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters or Messier object 45) which is a 100 million year old formation approximately 130 parsecs (424 light-years) from earth.<br />
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Zabriskie Point is part of the Amargosa Range located on the eastern side of Death Valley.  The area is noted for its erosional landscape, composed of sediments from Furnace Creek Lake, which dried up 5 million years ago—long before Death Valley came into existence.  This ancient lake began forming approximately nine million years ago. During the several million years of the lake's existence, sediments composed of saline muds, mountain gravels, and ashfalls from the then-active Black Mountain volcanic field collected at the bottom of the lake.<br />
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Camels, mastodons, horses, carnivores, and birds left tracks in the lakeshore muds, along with fossilized grass and reeds. Borates were concentrated in the lakebeds from hot spring waters and decomposition of rhyolite in the nearby volcanic fields. Indeed, the location is named after Christian Brevoort Zabriskie, vice-president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the early 20th century. The company's twenty-mule teams were used to transport borax from its mining operations in Death Valley.
    _LPA3780-Edit-stars-death-valley-Zam...tif
  • 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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
In this image, 10 different photographic exposures of the solar eclipse were composited to show the eclipsing moon, solar prominences and the corona.  (exposure stack of 10 images)
    total-solar-eclipse-sun-corona.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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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
  • 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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 called embossing where each pixel is replaced either by a highlight or a shadow, depending on light/dark boundaries on the original image.  The final image represents the rate of color change at each location of the original. This approach accentuates the pattern
    total-solar-eclipse-sun-corona-solar...tif
  • A garden of Rudbeckia at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts as seen through an 8mm fisheye lens.  Rudbeckia, also commonly known as coneflowers and black-eyed-susans, are native to North America and a member of the sunflower family.  These perennial plants grow 0.5–3 meters (1.6 - 9.8 feet) tall depending on the species and are eaten by some caterpillars, including those of the Cabbage Moth and Dot Moth.  The 8mm fisheye lens used in this photograph provides 180 degrees of view in all directions.
    _LPA0235-Edit-daisy-coneflower-rudbe...tif
  • _LPA0097-Edit-boy-jump-teton-river-i...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
  • The Milky Way rises above a field of wildflowers lit by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch, Cody, Wyoming. <br />
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(exposure stack of 2 images)
    _LPA9867-Edit-milky-way-wildflowers-...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
  • An eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) basks on a lillypad eye-to-eye with an approaching emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa) and it shadow in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  <br />
<br />
The eastern painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. The adult painted turtle female is 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long while the male is smaller. Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks, or in this unusual case on a lillypad. During winter, these turtles hibernate, usually in the mud at the bottom of the pond. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.<br />
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Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are similar to dragonflies but have slender bodies and are weaker fliers.  Most damselfly species fold their wings over the abdomen when stationary, and the eyes are well separated on the sides of the head.  In contrast, dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) are heavy-bodied, strong-flying insects that hold their wings horizontally both in flight and at rest.
    _LPA0107-Edit-turtle-dragonfly-damse...tif
  • A Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) feeds on a purple flower.  <br />
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The Western or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bee worldwide, and one of the first domesticated insects.  It is the primary species maintained by beekeepers to this day for both its honey production and pollination activities. With human assistance, the western honey bee now occupies every continent except Antarctica. Because of its wide cultivation, this species is the single most important pollinator for agriculture globally. <br />
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The Indian or Sacred Lotus has roots in the soil of the pond bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers rise above the leaves and the plant normally grows to a height of about 150 cm (60 inches) and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters (over 3 feet).  A single leaf may be as large as 60 cm (24 inches) in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter.  The lotus has a remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range.  Lotus flowers have been shown to maintain a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F). The Lotus is one of only three species of known thermoregulating, heat-producing, plants. Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and roots are all edible.  An individual lotus can live for over a thousand years and has the rare ability to revive into activity after stasis. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated.<br />
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In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. In classical written and oral literature of many Asian cultures, the lotus represents elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace.
    _LPA8328-Edit-honey-bee-flower-purpl...tif
  • A Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) approaches an Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Blossom.  <br />
<br />
The Western or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bee worldwide, and one of the first domesticated insects.  It is the primary species maintained by beekeepers to this day for both its honey production and pollination activities. With human assistance, the western honey bee now occupies every continent except Antarctica. Because of its wide cultivation, this species is the single most important pollinator for agriculture globally. <br />
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The Indian or Sacred Lotus has roots in the soil of the pond bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers rise above the leaves and the plant normally grows to a height of about 150 cm (60 inches) and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters (over 3 feet).  A single leaf may be as large as 60 cm (24 inches) in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter.  The lotus has a remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range.  Lotus flowers have been shown to maintain a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F). The Lotus is one of only three species of known thermoregulating, heat-producing, plants. Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and roots are all edible.  An individual lotus can live for over a thousand years and has the rare ability to revive into activity after stasis. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated.<br />
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In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. In classical written and oral literature of many Asian cultures, the lotus represents elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace.
    _LPA8307-Edit-1-honey-bee-lotus-blos...tif
  • Ashlyn holds "Kisses" a female Peruvian guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) she raised from a young pup.
    _LPA3343-Edit-girl-guinea-pig.tif
  • This Red-tailed Hawk was stalking insects and small rodents in the grass at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  <br />
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The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), also sometimes known as a "chicken hawk", is one of the most common buteos in North America.  These hawks most commonly prey on small mammals such as rodents, but they will also consume birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.  Usually, they will eaither swoop down from an elevated location or attack in midair.  <br />
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These hawks breed throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.  There are fourteen recognized subspecies, which vary in appearance and range. The Red-tail typically has a wingspan of 43 to 57 inches, being 18 to 26 inches in length and weighing 1.5 to 3.5 pounds, thus making it one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America.
    _LPA8028-Edit-red-tailed-hawk-stalki...tif
  • 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
  • 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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7656-Edit--marsh-wren-cattail.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7641-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-sin...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7637-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7636-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail.tif
  • This eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) built its home below a sewer grate in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  They generally construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, and several entrances.  To hide the construction of its burrow, the eastern chipmunk carries soil away from its hole in its cheek pouches.  <br />
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The eastern chipmunk is the sole living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, and is found only in eastern North America.  The name "chipmunk" is derived from the Algonquian language meaning “one who descends trees headlong.”  <br />
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The eastern chipmunk reaches 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, with a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz).  Interestingly, it has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five toes on each of the hind legs.  They are mainly active during the day, consuming bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs.  <br />
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The eastern chipmunk leads a solitary life, except during mating season. Females usually produce one or two litters of three to five young, usually from February to April and/or June to August. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, although in captivity they may live up to eight years.
    _LPA0849-Edit-eastern-striped-chipmu...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7658-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-bir...tif
  • An American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) waits motionless in a small pond completely covered in Duckweed (Lemnaceae) in hopes of catching a small fly (Drosophilidae) walking along the edge of its mouth.  <br />
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The bullfrog is native to eastern North America with a natural range from the Atlantic Coast to as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas.  However, it has been introduced elsewhere where it is considered an invasive species, including Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Italy, Netherlands, France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, China, South Korea and Japan.  In some areas, the bullfrog is used as a food source.  <br />
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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.<br />
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The fly escaped unharmed.
    _LPA8258-Edit-bullfrog-frog-fly-duck...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 />
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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 />
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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
  • Early morning reflections dance atop the Concord River as it flows through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.  The refuge consists of more than 3,800 acres of which roughly 85 percent is comprised of freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is a nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, that is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over 220 species of birds have been identified in the refuge.  The first tract of refuge land was donated by Samuel Hoar in 1944.
    _LPA8194-Edit-reflection-tree-river-...tif
  • Early morning reflections dance atop the Concord River as it flows through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.  The refuge consists of more than 3,800 acres of which roughly 85 percent is comprised of freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is a nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, that is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over 220 species of birds have been identified in the refuge.  The first tract of refuge land was donated by Samuel Hoar in 1944.
    _LPA8189-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
  • A young Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) perches amongst common cattails (Typha latifolia) at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. <br />
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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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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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
  • 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 Blue Striped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus) passes over a head of Brain Coral (Diploria strigose) 45 feet (14 m) below the Gulf of Mexico off the Riviera Maya.  The Blue Striped Grunt was first described by the English naturalist George Shaw in 1803 and is native to the western Atlantic Ocean ranging from Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean down to Brazil.  The Blue Striped Grunt can travel in schools of up to 1,000 individuals.  The fish commonly grows to a length 10 inches (25 cm,) attaining a maximum recorded length of 18 inches (46 cm) and maximum reported age of 12 years. These grunts can weigh up to 1.6 pounds (750 grams).   The name Blue Striped Grunt is derived from its blue stripes and its habit of grunting underwater by grinding its pharyngeal teeth and having the swim bladder act as a resonator which amplifies the sound.  Its diet consists mainly of shrimp, annelids, bivalves, and crustaceans.
    P4100296-2-Edit-vlue-striped-grunt-f...tif
  • The Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) is found from Bermuda and South Carolina to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Atol das Rocas.  They are common in the Caribbean and less common in southern Florida and the Bahamas. <br />
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The Coney weighs about a pound (0.5 kg), although occasionally it can weigh as much as 3 pounds (1.4 kg). Their average length is 6 to 10 inches (15-25 cm), with a maximum length of 16 inches (41 cm).  Coney’s feed primarily on small fish and crustaceans. <br />
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As with many other groupers, the females transform into males when they reach about 8 inches (20 cm). The Coney also has many color phases including a common phase shown here, a bicolor phase in which the upper body is dark and the lower body is pale, and a bright yellow phase with few spots.
    P4120902-2-Edit-coney-coral-fish-spo...tif
  • A Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) extends its two “crowns” 49 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Riviera Maya. Christmas tree worms are widely distributed throughout the world's tropical oceans, residing from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific.  The two Christmas tree-shaped multicolored spiral “crowns” per worm that protrude from the tube-like body are mouth appendages highly specialized for both feeding and respiration. These animals possess a complete digestive system, a well-developed closed circulatory system, and a nervous system with a central brain and many supporting ganglia.  The worms have two eyes that can detect light which are tucked under the crowns.  These adaptations allow Christmas tree worms to rapidly retract their crowns into their burrows at any sign of danger.  Interestingly, the nerves from these eyes do not go to the usual section of the brain associated with vision, and the light-sensitive proteins in the eyes called opsins are not the typical eye variety.  Christmas tree worms come in a wide variety of bright colors and are generally about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in length.
    P4131263-2-Edit-christmas-tree-worm-...tif
  • 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
  • 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 purple Sea Fan (Gorgonia ventalina) graces the top of a coral head covered in the red encrusting sponge Clathria (Microciona) spinose at a depth of 47 feet off the Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico. Although they may look like plants, both sea fans and sponges are colonial marine animals.  Sea Fans are salt water invertebrates and belong to the order Alcyonacea.  Closely related to corals, they are found throughout the tropical and subtropical oceans of the world. They mostly prefer shallow waters with constant current, but have been found several thousand feet deep.  Each gorgonian polyp has eight tentacles which catch the plankton upon which they feed.  To facilitate this “filter feeding”, the "fan" is always oriented across the prevailing current to maximize the water flow and food supplied to the gorgonian. Sponges are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them.  There are 5,000 to 10,000 known species of sponges.  Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems, relying instead on a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes.
    P4100126-2-Edit-sea-fan-red-sponge.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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • This eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is eating while perched on a small tree branch in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Although they climb trees well, it is rare to see them on such small branches.  They generally construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, and several entrances.  To hide the construction of its burrow, the eastern chipmunk carries soil away from its hole in its cheek pouches.  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk is the sole living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, and is found only in eastern North America.  The name "chipmunk" is derived from the Algonquian language meaning “one who descends trees headlong.”  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk reaches 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, with a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz).  Interestingly, it has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five toes on each of the hind legs.  They are mainly active during the day, consuming bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs.  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk leads a solitary life, except during mating season. Females usually produce one or two litters of three to five young, usually from February to April and/or June to August. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, although in captivity they may live up to eight years.
    _LPA1116-Edit-American-chipmunk-tree...tif
  • An eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) stares defiantly from his seat on an old granite urn in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The eastern chipmunk is the sole living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, and is found only in eastern North America.  The name "chipmunk" is derived from the Algonquian language meaning “one who descends trees headlong.”  The eastern chipmunk reaches 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, with a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz).  Interestingly, it has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five toes on each of the hind legs.  Although they climb trees well, they construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, and several entrances. To hide the construction of its burrow, the eastern chipmunk carries soil away from its hole in its cheek pouches.  They are mainly active during the day, consuming bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs.  The eastern chipmunk leads a solitary life, except during mating season. Females usually produce one or two litters of three to five young, usually from February to April and/or June to August. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, although in captivity they may live up to eight years.
    _LPA1138-Edit-chipmunk-urn.tif
  • A row of Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand in silent silhouette 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.
    _LPA5558-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...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
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is perched atop a Dendrobium orchid flower. 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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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.
    _LPA2564-Edit-katydid-perched-dendro...tif
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is nestled among blossoms 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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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.
    _LPA2505-Edit-katydid-dendrobium-orc...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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is perched atop the budding flower stalk 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.  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.  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.  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”. 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.
    _LPA2586-Edit-fork-tailed-katydid-de...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
  • Fiery clouds fil the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually 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.
    Image 013-Edit-sunset-wildfire-sky-f...tif
  • Clouds resembling the flames of a raging wildfire light the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  <br />
The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually 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.
    Scan-101211-0003-Edit-sunset-wildfir...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
  • A mini Cattleya Laleliocattleya hybrid orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant), which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs. <br />
<br />
The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA7239-orchid-flower-cattleya-bloo...tif
  • Dendrobium orchid (Thongchai x Canaliculatum) grown by the photographer, 20 inches tall, with two flower spikes supporting 28 individual blossoms. <br />
<br />
The Dendrobium genus of orchids was established in 1799 and contains about 1,200 species.  Dendrobium grow in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Borneo, Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Zealand.
    _LPA7185-dendrobium-orchid-flower-bl...tif
  • Oncidium orchid grown by the photographer, with one multibranched flower spike 25 inches tall supporting 18 individual blossoms.  Oncidium is a genus that contains over 330 species of orchids.  It is an extraordinarily large and diverse group from varied habitats. Most species in the Oncidium genus are epiphytes (grow on other plants), although some are lithophytes (grow on rocks) or terrestrials (grow in the ground). They are widespread from northern Mexico, the Caribbean, and some parts of South Florida to South America, usually occurring in seasonally dry areas.  This genus was first described by Olof Swartz in 1800, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist and the first specialist of orchid taxonomy.  The name is derived from the Greek word "onkos", meaning "swelling" due to the callus at the flower's lower lip.
    _LPA7260-oncidium-orchid-flower-bloo...tif
  • A Brassia orchid bloomed by the photographer, with one multibranched flower spike 31 inches tall supporting 11 individual blossoms.  Brassia is a genus of orchids  named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator who collected plants in Africa.  These orchids are epiphytes (air plants) that grow in wet forests from sea level to altitudes under 5,000 feet (~1500m) in South Florida, the West-Indies and tropical America, especially the Peruvian Andes. <br />
<br />
Brassia flowers are notable for the characteristic long sepals which can exceed 20 inches (~50 cm), giving them their common name of "spider orchid".<br />
<br />
Brassia orchids utilize a very specialized form of entomophily (pollination by insects) to fertilize their flowers.  They are only pollinated by the female spider-hunter wasps of the genera Pepsis and Campsomeris.  The lip of the Brassia bloom is mistaken by these wasps for spiders and the wasps repeatedly sting the lip while  trying to grasp their prey without success. During this struggle, the wasp comes into contact with the pollinarium, that then sticks to its head. When that wasp flies to another Brassia flower and repeats the attack, the pollinarium on its head pollinates the new flower.
    _LPA7256-orchid-spider-spike-bloom-y...tif
  • A Cattleya Laleliocattleya hybrid orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA6566-cattleya-orchid-purple-flow...tif
  • A Cattleya Laleliocattleya hybrid orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA6563-cattleya-orchid-purple-flow...tif
  • A mini Cattleya Laleliocattleya hybrid orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant), which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs. <br />
<br />
The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA7229-mini-cattleya-orchid-bloom-...tif
  • Phaleanopsis orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Phalaenopsis are also known as Moth Orchids and are native throughout southeast Asia from the Himalayan mountains to the islands of Polillo, Palawan and Zamboanga del Norte in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and northern Australia.
    _LPA6359-orchid-phaleanopsis-white-b...tif
  • A flooded meadow reflects the early morning light illuminating Cathedral Spires in Yosemite National Park, California.
    cathedral-spires-reflection-meadow-y...tif
  • Mini Cattleya orchid bloomed by the photographer.  The cattleya is a genus containing 113 species of orchids that are indigenous from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant),  which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs.
    _LPA6352-cattleya-mini-yellow-red-or...tif
  • A Zygopetalum orchid bloomed by the photographer. Zygopetalum is a genus of orchids consisting of fourteen species. The orchid's name is derived from the Greek word "zygon", means "yoked petal", referring to the yoke-like growth at the base of the lip caused by the fusion of the petals and sepals.  Zygopetalum are found in humid cool forests at mid to high elevations in Central and South America.  They are most common in Brazil.  Most Zygopetalum are epiphytes (air plants), but some are terrestrials. These plants are noted for the incredible fragrance of their blooms which last 1-3 months with an aroma resembling that of a strong Hyacinth.
    _LPA7210-orchid-zygopetalum-flower-p...tif
  • Miltoniopsis orchid grown and bloomed by the photographer.  Miltoniopsis is a genus of orchids that consists of 6 species, native to Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia. They grow in locations that range from hot, humid lowlands  to relatively cool, humid cloud forests. They were named after Lord Fitzwilliam Milton, an English orchid enthusiast.
    _LPA6346-orchid-miltonia-flower-pans...tif
  • Raised by the photographer in his basement, a total of 14 flower spikes on 11 Phaeanopsis orchids bearing a total of 76 flowers all bloomed at once.  Phalaenopsis are also known as Moth Orchids and are native throughout southeast Asia from the Himalayan mountains to the islands of Polillo, Palawan and Zamboanga del Norte in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and northern Australia.
    _LPA6323-phaleanopsis-orchid-colorfu...tif
  • The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), also sometimes known as a "chickenhawk", is one of the most common buteos in North America.  These hawks breed throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.  There are fourteen recognized subspecies, which vary in appearance and range. The Red-tail typically has a wingspan of 43 to 57 inches, being 18 to 26 inches in length and weighing 1.5 to 3.5 pounds, thus making it one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America.
    _LPA6159-red-tail-hawk-buteo-perchin...tif
  • Thirty Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) head for the marsh at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, in  Sudbury, Massachusetts.  There are seven subspecies of the Canada Goose, of varying sizes and plumage details, but all look similar.  These birds range from 30-43 inches in length, with a 50–73 inch wingspan and weigh 7–14 pounds.  Canada Geese are known for their seasonal migrations during which time they can travel 2,000 - 3,000 miles at altitudes of 2,000 - 9,000 feet.  They can fly 1,500 miles in 24 hours under ideal weather conditions. The geese generally travel 40 miles per hour, but they can reach 70 mph with a good wind. The lifespan of a Canada Goose is generally 10–24 years.
    _LPA5190-canada-goose-geese-flying-s...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 is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on fruit or insects as shown here (note the wasp in the bird's beak).  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 in the process of eating a wasp as it perches in a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) that is just coming into bloom.
    _LPA5920-cardinal, male-wasp-eating-...tif
  • Dendrobium orchid bloomed by the photographer.  The Dendrobium genus of orchids was established in 1799 and contains about 1,200 species. Dendrobium grow in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Borneo, Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Zealand.
    _LPA2161-dendrobium-orchid-yellow-fl...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 is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on fruit or insects as shown here (note the wasp in the bird's beak).  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 in the process of eating a wasp as it perches in a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) that is just coming into bloom.
    _LPA5920-cardinal, male-wasp-eating-...tif
  • The cattail is a member of the genuse Typha composed of about eleven species of flowering plants found mostly in wetland habitats These plants have many common names including catninetail, bulrush, reedmace, cumbungi, raupo, punks, or corn dog grass.  Their rhizomes are edible, being used as food as early  as 30,000 years ago in Europe.  The cattail also serves as food and shelter for a variety of wetland animals such as the muskrat which eats the roots and constructs feeding platforms and dens from the reeds.  In this image, the cattail blossom has already partially gone to seed.
    _LPA5189-Edit-cattail-backlight.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small shy North American songbird usually less than 5 inches long and with a wingspan of about 6 inches.  It is sometimes called a Long-billed Marsh Wren to distinguish it from the Sedge Wren, also known as Short-billed Marsh Wren. The male's song is a loud gurgle used to declare ownership of territory and they often sing both day and night.
    _LPA0714-marsh-wren-cattail-flying-b...tif
  • A male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) stands in a bed of black oil sunflower seed shells as he forages for food.  The Northern Cardinal has a body length of 8-9 inches and a wingspan of 10-12 inches.  The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on fruit or insects.  The cardinal was once prized as a pet, but its sale as cage birds is now banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
    _LPA4554-cardinal-bird-sunflower-see...tif
  • Sea mist rising in front of distant mangroves is lit by the early morning sun over Plate Creek Bay, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3903-sea-mist-sunrise-orange-man...tif
  • An early morning sea mist is lit by the rising sun over Plate Creek Bay as the waters in the Florida  Everglades reflect the orange dawn sky.
    _LPA3895-sun-sunrise-sea-mist-orange...tif
  • The sun rises over distant mangroves at Plate Creek Bay, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3884-red-sunrise-sun-mangroves-e...tif
  • Snail tracks in the wet sand of low tide sketch a mouse at Rabbit Key, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3829-snail-track-mouse-sand-ever...tif
  • A group of small snails leave tracks in the wet sand at low tide on Rabbit Key, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3823-snail-tracks-sand-everglade...tif
  • Mangroves frame a sand beach and Carolina Skiff at Rabbit Key, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3807-mangrove-beach-boat-evergla...tif
  • Aerial view of the upper snow covered Whistler Mountain wilderness in British Columbia as photographed from a helicopter during a February snowstorm.
    _LPA1768-mountain-snow-whistler-vist...tif
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