Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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  • The many colors of the evening stars over Duxbury Beach in Massachusetts are evident with long time exposure.
    _LPA7500-stars-night-sky-color.tif
  • The many colors of the evening stars over Duxbury Beach in Massachusetts are evident with long time exposure.
    _LPA7500-stars-night-sky-color-2.tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky over the MIT Dome and campus.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA1105-Edit-fireworks-Boston-MIT.tif
  • In the winter at Death Valley, the clear skies, cold nights and lack of nearby lights create one of the best viewing environments for the night sky.  Seen here in March, the many colors of the stars are clearly visible.  Centered in the image is the constellation Orion, with Orion’s Belt and sword clearly visible.  Orion is observable worldwide in the evening sky from January to March.  It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.  The earliest depiction of the constellation of Orion is a prehistoric (Aurignacian) mammoth ivory carving found in a cave in the Ach valley in West Germany in 1979. Archaeologists have estimated it to have been fashioned approximately 32,000 to 38,000 years ago<br />
<br />
Orion's Belt (or The Belt of Orion) consists of the three bright stars: Zeta (Alnitak), Epsilon (Alnilam), and Delta (Mintaka). Alnitak is approximately 800 light years away from earth and is 100,000 times more luminous than the Sun, although much of its radiation is in the ultraviolet range which the human eye cannot see. Alnilam is approximately 1,340 light years away from Earth and is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Mintaka is 915 light years away and is 90,000 times more luminous than the Sun, and is a double star.  <br />
<br />
The Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters or M45) is visible from virtually every place on Earth and is one of the nearest star clusters. It can be seen from as far north as the north pole, and farther south than the southernmost tip of South America. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars, shown here 3/4 of the way to the right and halfway up in the sky.  In both myth and science, the Pleiades are considered sibling stars. The Pleiades stars were born from the same cloud of gas and dust about 100 million years ago. The cluster of several hundred stars is about 430 light-years distant, and the sibling stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second. Many of these Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times mor
    _LPA3782-Edit-stars-orion-pleadeis-d...tif
  • Under a moonless night sky in Death Valley California, headlights from a passing car light the barren landscape at Zambriske Point making it seem as though one is standing on another planet looking out into the universe.  The upper left star cluster is the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters or Messier object 45) which is a 100 million year old formation approximately 130 parsecs (424 light-years) from earth.<br />
<br />
Zabriskie Point is part of the Amargosa Range located on the eastern side of Death Valley.  The area is noted for its erosional landscape, composed of sediments from Furnace Creek Lake, which dried up 5 million years ago—long before Death Valley came into existence.  This ancient lake began forming approximately nine million years ago. During the several million years of the lake's existence, sediments composed of saline muds, mountain gravels, and ashfalls from the then-active Black Mountain volcanic field collected at the bottom of the lake.<br />
<br />
Camels, mastodons, horses, carnivores, and birds left tracks in the lakeshore muds, along with fossilized grass and reeds. Borates were concentrated in the lakebeds from hot spring waters and decomposition of rhyolite in the nearby volcanic fields. Indeed, the location is named after Christian Brevoort Zabriskie, vice-president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the early 20th century. The company's twenty-mule teams were used to transport borax from its mining operations in Death Valley.
    _LPA3780-Edit-stars-death-valley-Zam...tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA1105-Edit-fireworks-Boston-MIT-E...tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky over the MIT Dome and campus.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA1107-Edit-fireworks-Boston-MIT.tif
  • In the winter at Death Valley, the clear skies, cold nights and lack of nearby lights create one of the best viewing environments for the night sky.  Seen here in March, the many colors of the stars are clearly visible.  Centered in the image is the constellation Orion, with Orion’s Belt and sword clearly visible.  Orion is observable worldwide in the evening sky from January to March.  It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.  The earliest depiction of the constellation of Orion is a prehistoric (Aurignacian) mammoth ivory carving found in a cave in the Ach valley in West Germany in 1979. Archaeologists have estimated it to have been fashioned approximately 32,000 to 38,000 years ago<br />
<br />
Orion's Belt (or The Belt of Orion) consists of the three bright stars: Zeta (Alnitak), Epsilon (Alnilam), and Delta (Mintaka). Alnitak is approximately 800 light years away from earth and is 100,000 times more luminous than the Sun, although much of its radiation is in the ultraviolet range which the human eye cannot see. Alnilam is approximately 1,340 light years away from Earth and is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Mintaka is 915 light years away and is 90,000 times more luminous than the Sun, and is a double star.  <br />
<br />
The Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters or M45) is visible from virtually every place on Earth and is one of the nearest star clusters. It can be seen from as far north as the north pole, and farther south than the southernmost tip of South America. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars, shown here 3/4 of the way to the right and halfway up in the sky.  In both myth and science, the Pleiades are considered sibling stars. The Pleiades stars were born from the same cloud of gas and dust about 100 million years ago. The cluster of several hundred stars is about 430 light-years distant, and the sibling stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second. Many of these Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times mor
    _LPA3782-Edit-pano-stars-orion-plead...tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky over Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA0921-Edit-firworks-cambridge.tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky over the MIT Dome and campus.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA1054-Edit-fireworks-Boston-MIT.tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA1050-Edit-fireworks-Boston.tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky over the MIT Dome and campus.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA1106-Edit-fireworks-Boston-MIT.tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky over Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA0922-Edit.tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky over the MIT Dome and campus.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA0991-Edit-fireworks-Boston-MIT-c...tif
  • The July 4, 2018 Boston Massachusetts fireworks celebration lights the sky over the MIT Dome and campus.  Over 10,000 pyrotechnic explosions initiated by over 4,000 computer comands originate from barges in the Charles River and the Massachusetts Avenue bridge.  The fireworks can soar as high as 1,500 feet into the summer night sky.  This spectacular event has been a tradition in Boston since 1974.
    _1LA1104-Edit-fireworks-MIT-boston.tif
  • A girl sits atop a fence contemplating the Andromeda galaxy and a faint display of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) while bathed by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch outside Cody Wyoming.  The Andromeda galaxy is visible as the tilted disk of stars to the upper right of the photograph.  Also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, it is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs (2.5 million light-years) from Earth. It is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.   Andromeda is approximately 220,000 light years across, and it is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which also contains the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and other smaller galaxies. Andromeda contains one trillion stars, at least twice the number of stars in the Milky Way.  <br />
<br />
(single image)
    _LPA9918-Edit-stars-milky-way-androm...tif
  • 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
  • Blooming beneath the stars, an Indian Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella) is bathed by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch outside Cody Wyoming.  The blossoms of Indian Blanketflower are up to about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) across There are 12 species of Blanketflower native to the United States, at least one species of which is found in every state.  Gaillardia pulchella is the most widespread of them all.  <br />
<br />
The Andromeda galaxy is visible as the tilted disk of stars to the upper right of the photograph.  Also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, it is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs (2.5 million light-years) from Earth. It is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.   Andromeda is approximately 220,000 light years across, and it is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which also contains the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and other smaller galaxies. Andromeda contains one trillion stars, at least twice the number of stars in the Milky Way.  <br />
<br />
(focus stack of 3 images)
    _LPA9869-Edit-indian-blanketflower-d...tif
  • The Milky Way rises above a field of wildflowers lit by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch, Cody, Wyoming. <br />
<br />
(exposure stack of 2 images)
    _LPA9867-Edit-milky-way-wildflowers-...tif
  • The Milky Way rises above a field of wildflowers lit by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch, Cody, Wyoming. <br />
<br />
(exposure stack of 2 images)
    _LPA9867-Edit-milky-way-wildflowers-...tif
  • The planet Jupiter is reflected in the Carrabassett River of northern Maine as it sets along with the Milky Way in late August.  Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in our Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass one-thousandth that of the Sun, but two-and-a-half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined. When viewed from Earth, Jupiter can be bright enough for its reflected light to cast shadows, and it is generally the fourth-brightest natural object in the sky after the Sun, Moon and Venus (although at times Mars can be brighter than Jupiter).  Jupiter has 79 known moons.<br />
<br />
The Milky Way is the second-largest galaxy in our Local Group, with its stellar disk approximately 100,000 light years in diameter and, on average, approximately 1,000 light years thick. The Milky Way is approximately 1.5 trillion times the mass of the Sun. To compare the relative physical scale of the Milky Way, if our Solar System out to Neptune were the size of a US quarter (24.3 mm; 0.955 in), the Milky Way would be approximately the size of the entire contiguous United States.  The Milky Way It is estimated to contain 100–400 billion stars and more than 100 billion planets.<br />
<br />
This is a single image taken while standing in the middle of the Carrabassett River.  The rocks were briefly illuminated with a headlamp during the 20 second exposure.
    _1LA0592-Edit-milky-way-stars-jupite...tif
  • 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 Galactic Center of the Milky Way sets over the Carrabassett River of northern Maine in late August.  The Galactic Center is the rotational center of the Milky Way and where it appears brightest. It is 26,490 light years away from Earth in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. The Milky Way is the second-largest galaxy in our Local Group, with its stellar disk approximately 100,000 light years in diameter and, on average, approximately 1,000 light years thick. The Milky Way is approximately 1.5 trillion times the mass of the Sun. To compare the relative physical scale of the Milky Way, if our Solar System out to Neptune were the size of a US quarter (24.3 mm; 0.955 in), the Milky Way would be approximately the size of the entire contiguous United States.  The Milky Way It is estimated to contain 100–400 billion stars and more than 100 billion planets.<br />
<br />
This image is a focus stack of 3 photographs where the foreground was briefly illuminated with a headlamp during each 20 second exposure.
    _1LA0600-Edit.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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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
  • 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
  • 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.
    _1LA8610-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.
    _1LA8697-Edit-black-water-snake-bask...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.
    _1LA8658m-Edit-Edit-snake-water-blac...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 />
<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-Edit2-snake-water-black-hor...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 />
<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-snake-water-black-hori...tif
  • A male and female Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) bask on warm rocks in the morning sun.  As is usuall for this species, the female is far larger than the male.<br />
<br />
These snakes 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 />
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.  <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. <br />
<br />
This photograph is a two image focus stack.
    _1LA8658m-snake-water-black-pair- ba...tif
  • This Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) is hunting along the edges of a marsh in Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts. This a large, nonvenomous, common water snake native to North America and can grow up to 135 cm (4 ft 5 in) in total length. In the wild, adult females generally weigh between 158.9 and 408 g (5.61 and 14.39 oz) while the smaller male averages from 80.8 to 151 g (2.85 to 5.33 oz). The largest females can weigh up to 560 g (20 oz) while the largest males can weigh 370 g (13 oz). The coloration of the Northern Water Snake is quite variable (brown, gray, reddish, or brownish-black) and they darken with age. Some individuals, as shown here, can become almost completely black. The belly of this snake also varies in color including white, yellow, or gray - usually with reddish or black crescents.<br />
<br />
The Northern Water Snake is found throughout eastern and central North America, from southern Ontario and southern Quebec in the north, to Texas and Florida in the south.  They are active during the day and at night. 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. They hunt using both smell and sight.
    _LPA0789-Edit-northern-water-snake-t...tif
  • A juvenile basket starfish(Astrophyton muricatum) clings to a sea fan (Gorgonia ventalina) at night 46 feet beneath the “Division” at Lighthouse Reef, Belize, Central America. The Caribbean basket star is primarily a nocturnal creature. During daylight hours, the animal coils itself into a tight mass and seeks shelter amongst coral crevices or within vase sponges. However, at night the basket star sends to the top of sea whips or sea fans and spreads its netlike arms into the current to entrap drifting plankton and other organic particles upon which it feeds. Arm lengths of over 15 inches are often obtained when fully grown. This young individual is in the process of scaling a sea fan at dusk in preparation for an evening of feeding.
    P-000206-juvenile-basket-starfish-se...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.
    _LPA7636-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail.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
  • 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 Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7660-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-ang...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _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.  <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
  • A Jumping Spider (Sitticus pubescens) looks for prey from the blossom of a Dendrobium orchid.  <br />
<br />
Jumping spiders belong to the largest Family of spiders, the Salticidae, with more than 5,800 described species.  They are found around the globe, more commonly in tropical environments, although some species even thrive in the frigid Himalayas. Over 300 species exist within North America.  <br />
<br />
Jumping spiders have swift reflexes and excellent leaping abilities. The small 1-25mm (0.04–0.98 inch) spiders can jump more than 25 times their own size using a well-developed internal hydraulic system that extends their limbs by altering the pressure of body fluid (hemolymph) within them. This enables the spiders to jump remarkable distances without large muscular legs like a grasshopper. <br />
<br />
Unlike most spiders, jumping spiders hunt actively during the daytime.  They have the keenest vision of all spiders, being able to detect movement up to 18" around them.  Their night vision, however, is poor. Jumping spiders have 8 eyes, 4 on the face and 4 on the highest point of the carapace.  Their overall field of view is nearly 360-degrees. The 2 long and tube-like eyes located at the center of the face provide stereoscopic vision, are moveable and have very high resolution (11min visual angle), but very limited field of view (2-5 degrees).  In contrast, the other eyes are fixed and have low acuity but wide field of view.  Some of the eyes see only green wavelengths, some blue and UV-light, and others have tetrachromatic color vision with sensitivity extending into the ultraviolet range. <br />
<br />
Jumping spiders do not construct snare webs but they do produce silk to mark retreats, protect eggs, and as a dragline while jumping to allow the spiders to control their fall and retrace their steps.  <br />
<br />
Jumping spiders are particularly abundant in grassland and prairie environments, where they prey upon bollworms, cotton leaf worms, webworms, cotton flea hoppers, stinkbugs, leafhoppers and mosquitoes.
    _LPA2412-Edit-jumping-spider-dendrob...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small shy North American songbird usually less than 5 inches long and with a wingspan of about 6 inches.  It is sometimes called a Long-billed Marsh Wren to distinguish it from the Sedge Wren, also known as Short-billed Marsh Wren. The male's song is a loud gurgle used to declare ownership of territory and they often sing both day and night.
    _LPA0713-marsh-wren-cattail-bird-per...tif
  • The sun dropped below storm clouds off Big Sur California and, for only a brief moment, illuminated the Pacific Ocean in blazing color to mark the beginning of Halloween night.
    P-000214-sunset-big-sur-red-pacific-...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7646-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-ang...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7641-Edit-2-marsh-wren-cattail-s...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7657-Edit-marsh-wren-cattails-bi...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7628-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-bir...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7625-Edit-marsh-wren-cattails-bi...tif
  • The ahermatypic Orange Cup Coral (Balanophyllia elegans) extends its 2-inch-long yellow-spotted tentacles to feed at night 50 feet below the surface of the Red Sea at "The Temple", Sinai, Egypt.  Although this organism closely resembles in an anemone, it is actually a true hard coral. Corals are carnivorous animals which feed upon microscopic zooplankton by trapping them with their tentacles. Most corals possess a symbiotic relationship with a class of algal cells known as zoozanthellae and are thus termed hermatypic.  Since algal cells undergo photosynthesis, hermatypic corals can also obtain energy from sunlight. In addition, zoozanthellae reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide within the cells of the hermatypic coral and thus help precipitate calcium carbonate from seawater. Calcium carbonate is a chemical from which a corals calcareous skeleton is made. However, Balanophyllia elegans is an ahermatypic coral and does not associate with algal cells. Consequently, these corals consist of a single polyp and secrete only a simple thin skeleton. Unlike their hermatypic counterparts, ahermatypic corals may be found in all oceans of the world and at depths beyond the reach of sunlight. The white soft coral at bottom (Xenia) exhibits a slow, rhythmic opening and closing movement of unknown function.
    P-000169-orange-cup-coral-red-sea.tif
  • The northern green frog (Lithobates clamitans melanota) is a subspecies of the green frog, Lithobates clamitans and has been introduced to British Columbia.  This frog grows up to 86 mm (3.5 in) and is darker when young.  The northern green frog dwells in marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes, springs, and other aquatic environments. They are active both day and night. This individual was photographed in the Carrabassett River in northern Maine in August.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 11 handheld exposures.
    _1LA9810-Edit-northern-green-frog-Ki...tif
  • The 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
  • Multiple flocks of migrating Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) are silhouetted against the evening sky as the sun sets over Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the Eastern shore of Maryland, Halloween night, October 31, 1990.  Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, encompassing over 27,000 acres of wetlands, is a major stop on the Atlantic Flyway for many types of waterfowl and other birds.  The refuge, established in 1933 as a waterfowl sanctuary, has been designated of “International Importance" by the Ramsar Convention as it supports over 250 bird species, 35 species of reptiles and amphibians, 165 species of threatened and endangered plants, and numerous mammals.  During winter migration, Blackwater Refuge is home to approximately 35,000 geese and 15,000 ducks. Fed by the Blackwater River and the Little Blackwater River, it consists of numerous freshwater impoundments, brackish tidal wetlands, open fields, and mixed evergreen and deciduous forests. The Blackwater name refers to the tea-colored waters darkened by tannins leached from the marsh peat soil through which they drain.
    P-000215-Edit-goose-sunset-bird-blac...tif
  • The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, nonmigratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. The chickadee is the state bird of Massachusetts, USA.  Its familiar call of chick-a-dee-dee-dee gave this bird its name.  The chickadee total body length is 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in), with a wingspan is 16–21 cm (6.3–8.3 in) and a body mass of 9–14 g (0.32–0.49 oz).   Sexes look alike, but males are slightly larger and longer than females.<br />
<br />
The chickadee has fascinating eating habits.  Insects (especially caterpillars) form a large part of their diet in summer. Seeds and berries become more important in winter.  Like many other species in the family Paridae, black-capped chickadees commonly cache their food, mostly seeds but sometimes insects also.  Items are stored singly in various sites such as bark, dead leaves, clusters of conifer needles, or knotholes. The chickadee can remember the location of caches up to 28 days.   Within the first 24 hours, the birds can even remember the relative quality of the stored items. <br />
<br />
The chichadee is also well known for its uncommon capability to lower its body temperature.  During cold winter nights, these birds can reduce their body temperature by as much as 10 to 12 °C (from their normal temperature of about 42 °C) to conserve energy.
    _LPA2360-Edit-chickadee-bird-snow-bl...tif
  • An American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) remains so motionless among the arrowhead plants (Sagittaria sp.) while hunting in a Florida marsh that a fly has landed and is walking across the Alligator’s nose. The American Alligator is the largest reptile in North America and is endemic to the southeastern United States ranging from Texas to North Carolina.  Adults can be up to 16 feet long (5 m) and can weigh 1,320 pounds (600 kg).  They will prey on anything that comes in or near the water including documented successful attacks on fish, turtles, crabs, birds, muskrats, racoons, dogs, cats, wild boars, bobcats, deer, calves and humans.  They will also eat fruit.  Adult alligators also spend considerable time hunting on land, up to 170 feet (50 m) from water, ambushing terrestrial animals on trail-sides and road shoulders. Such terrestrial hunting generally occurs on warm nights.  The alligator is capable of biting though a turtle's shell or a moderately sized mammal bone.  American alligators have been documented to use lures to hunt birds.  By balancing sticks and branches on their heads, American alligators are able to lure, catch and consume birds looking for suitable nesting material. During the breeding season, alligators bellow to declare territory and locate suitable mates, with males using infrasound to attract females. From 20 – 50 eggs are laid in a nest of vegetation, sticks, leaves, and mud in a sheltered spot in or near the water. Those eggs which are hatched at a temperature of 93 °F (34 °C) or more become males, while those at experiencing temperatures of 86 °F  (30 °C) or lower become female. Young are born with yellow bands around their bodies and are protected by their mother for up to one year.  Young alligators grow 3 - 8 inches (7.6 - 20.3 cm) a year and reach adulthood at 6 ft (1.8 m).
    _LPA6052-Edit-american-alligator-fly...tif
  • The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, nonmigratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. The chickadee is the state bird of Massachusetts, USA.  Its familiar call of chick-a-dee-dee-dee gave this bird its name.  The chickadee total body length is 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in), with a wingspan is 16–21 cm (6.3–8.3 in) and a body mass of 9–14 g (0.32–0.49 oz).   Sexes look alike, but males are slightly larger and longer than females.<br />
<br />
The chickadee has fascinating eating habits.  Insects (especially caterpillars) form a large part of their diet in summer. Seeds and berries become more important in winter.  Like many other species in the family Paridae, black-capped chickadees commonly cache their food, mostly seeds but sometimes insects also.  Items are stored singly in various sites such as bark, dead leaves, clusters of conifer needles, or knotholes. The chickadee can remember the location of caches up to 28 days.   Within the first 24 hours, the birds can even remember the relative quality of the stored items. <br />
<br />
The chichadee is also well known for its uncommon capability to lower its body temperature.  During cold winter nights, these birds can reduce their body temperature by as much as 10 to 12 °C (from their normal temperature of about 42 °C) to conserve energy.
    _LPA2462-Edit-chickadee-winter-snow.tif
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