Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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  • 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
  • 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 waters of Plate Creek Bay reflect an orange early morning sky as sea mist is lit by the rising sun in the Florida Everglades
    _LPA3893-sunrise-orange-sea-mist-wat...tif
  • The eastern sky glows orange before sunrise at Plate Creek Bay, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3875-orange-dawn-sky-glow-sunris...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.
    _LPA3898-sun-sunrise-sea-mist-orange...tif
  • Nudibranchs are soft-bodied marine mollusks which shed their shells after their larval stage.  The word "nudibranch" comes from the Latin nudus "naked" and the Ancient Greek βράγχια "gills".  Nudibranchs are often informally called sea slugs, <br />
<br />
All known nudibranchs are carnivorous with some feeding on sponges, hydroids, bryozoans, tunicates, barnacles, anemones, other sea slugs, sea slug eggs, or even their own species.  During evolution, nudibranchs lost their shells and developed alternative defense mechanisms. Some evolved to be well camouflaged, while others as seen here have intensely bright color patterns. Some sponge-eating nudibranchs concentrate the chemical defenses of the sponges in their bodies, rendering themselves distasteful to predators. Certain species produce their own protective chemicals, or release an acid mucus from the skin if physically touched.  <br />
<br />
Some nudibranchs that feed on prey which protect themselves with stinging cells called “nematocysts” can pass the intact nematocysts through their gut without harming the nudibranch or triggering the nematocysts.  The cells are then brought to the tips of the creature's “gills” (cerata).  The colors within the cerata are extensions of the digestive tract, often with a whitish tip where the nematocysts are concentrated, which now protect the nudibranch itself.<br />
<br />
Nudibranchs are hermaphroditic but cannot fertilize themselves. They typically deposit eggs within a gelatinous spiral resembling a ribbon. The number of eggs varies from 1 egg to 25 million!   The nudibranch lifespan ranges from a few weeks to a year depending on the species.<br />
<br />
The nudibranch (Flabellina salmonacea) pictured here is crawling on dulce (Palmaria palmata), an edible alga.  This nudibranch grows to 3.8 cm (1.5 in) with cerata that are colored either brown or orange depending on their prey. The orange color in this case results from a diet consisting of Goniactinia anemones. The whitish tips contain the nematocysts
    Scan-101211-0015-Edit-red-gilled-nud...tif
  • This 1-inch long Flamingo Tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum) snail with its brilliant orange spotted and black-ringed mantle is feeding on a tan bushy soft coral (Plezaura flexuosa) in 40 feet of water off Monkey Point, Guana Island of the British Virgin Islands.
    P-000212-flamingo-tongue-soft coral-...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
  • 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
  • A phaleanopsis orchid grown and bloomed by the photographer.<br />
<br />
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.
    _LPA1727-orchid-phaleanopsis-flower-...tif
  • A phaleanopsis orchid grown and bloomed by the photographer.<br />
<br />
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.
    _LPA1711-orchid-phaleanopsis-orange-...tif
  • A phaleanopsis orchid grown and bloomed by the photographer.<br />
<br />
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.
    _LPA1718-orchid-phaleanopsis-flower-...tif
  • A Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands silhouetted against a stormy sunset within the 57,930 acre Saguaro National Park in Arizona.  Being composed of 85% water, these 50 foot tall giants can weigh over 8 tons and are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.  <br />
<br />
On this particular winter evening, the heavy storm clouds parted to the west shortly before sunset.  As the sun dropped below the horizon, it lit the underside of the stormy sky causing it to blaze with color for less than 5 minutes before the spectacle vanished even more quickly than it had appeared.
    _LPA5546-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • A juvenile male Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) fills a pond with golden ripples as he swims across reflections of autumn leaves.
    _LPA0333-duck-mallard-pond-fall-autu...tif
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds.
    _LPA2623-Edit-tufted-titmouse-bird-s...tif
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds.
    _LPA2245-Edit-tufted-titmouse-winter...tif
  • LB (age 7) sits overlooking the Goosenecks at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.
    _LPA4172-canyon-goosenecks-capitol-r...tif
  • A March snowstrom coats the pine trees and brush on the cliff ledges of the Temple of Sinawava in Zion National Park,  Utah.
    _LPA4875-zion-cliff-snow-temple-sina...tif
  • A foot-long fire lionfish (Pterois radiata) glides over a colorful reef encrusted with corals, sponges and bryozoans 45 feet below the surface of the Red Sea at Ras Mohammed, Sinai, Egypt. The fire lionfish is a deceptively passive predator with 11 dorsal spines each capable of delivering an extremely toxic venom. Although they rarely attack humans, a wound caused by these spines can result in excruciating pain and shock. Lionfish, due to their potentially lethal defense, demonstrate indifference to all predatory species including man. They are known to hunt primarily at dusk, blending effectively with their surroundings where they slowly approach small fish and other prey which are then aggressively devoured.
    P-000166-fire-lionfish-red-sea.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 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
  • 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
  • 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 colors of Eucalyptus tree bark (Eucalyptus botryoides) become vividly evident when moistened by the frquent passing mists along the flanks of Mount Haleakala, a 10,023 foot high volcano in Maui, Hawaii.  Panorama composed of 2 individual images.
    _LPA1101-eucalyptus-bark-haleakala-p...tif
  • The colors of Eucalyptus tree bark (Eucalyptus botryoides) become vividly evident when moistened by the frquent passing mists along the flanks of Mount Haleakala, a 10,023 foot high volcano in Maui, Hawaii.
    _LPA1094-eucalyptus-bark-haleakala-v...tif
  • A worker bumblebee (genus Bombus) gathers nectar from a flowering Goldenrod (Solidago) plant.  Goldenrod belongs to a genus of about 100 species in the aster family which are mostly native to North America. The length of a worker bumblebee 0.75 to 1.5 in (19 to 38 mm).  Bumblebees, like their relatives the honeybees, feed on nectar using a long proboscis which is seen here protruding from the bee’s mouth.  Numerous small round yellow grains of pollen are adherent all over this bee’s body, demonstrating why bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators.  Over 250 species of bumblebee are known, primarily living at higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 2 handheld exposures.
    _1LA0249-Edit-bumblebee-goldenrod-fl...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
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds. This angry-looking tufted titmouse is waiting out a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2344-Edit-tufted-titmouse-blizza...tif
  • The last light of an Arizona desert sunset silhouettes the Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) growing along a distant ridge.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5471-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • A 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
  • A Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands silhouetted against a stormy sunset within the 57,930 acre Saguaro National Park in Arizona.  Composed of 85% water, these 50-foot-tall giants can weigh over 8 tons and are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.  <br />
<br />
On this particular winter evening, the heavy storm clouds parted to the west shortly before sunset.  As the sun dropped below the horizon, it lit the underside of the stormy sky causing it to blaze with color for less than 5 minutes before the spectacle vanished even more quickly than it had appeared.
    _LPA5543-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • Sitting at the base of the Temple of the Moon, LB (age 8) gazes at sunrise reflecting off the 400-foot-tall Temple of the Sun in Cathedral Valley, Capital Reef National Park, Utah. The spectacular monolith is composed of Entrada Sandstone deposited 160 million years ago in the Jurassic period.  This fine-grained sandstone is formed by the deposition of silt in tidal flats. It crumbles easily to a fine sand which is rapidly removed by water, thus creating the sheer walls rising directly from their base. Seen two thirds of the way up the face, the Entrada sandstone is covered by a hard cap of grayish-green sandstone and siltstone of the Curtis Sandstone formation, protecting the monolith from erosion. Above the Curtis sandstone formation is the thinly-bedded, reddish-brown siltstone of the Summerville sandstone formation.
    _LPA6214-Edit-temple-of-the-sun-sunr...tif
  • Ashlyn, age 11, and her grandmother take a rest from paddling their kayaks on the Charles River in Newton, Massachusetts
    IMG_0957-kayak-child-grandmother-gra...tif
  • A European (Western) honey bee (Apis mellifera) gathers pollen from stonecrop blooms
    _LPA8084-honey-bee-flower-stonecrop.tif
  • AJ ( age 8) smiles in anticipation of ice cream on a warm California day.
    P-000038-smile-girl-ice-cream.tif
  • A Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shimp (Lysmata amboinensis) rests atop a Giant Moray Eel (Gymnothorax javanicus)  while lyretail coralfish (Pseudanthias Squamipinnis) swim amongst the colorful corals, sponges, and bryozoans 50 feet below the Red Sea, Sinai, Egypt
    P-000171-giant-moray-cleaner-shrimp-...tif
  • A bumblebee (genus Bombus) wing is highlighted against the bright yellow blooms of a flowering Goldenrod (Solidago) plant.  Goldenrod belongs to a genus of about 100 species in the aster family which are mostly native to North America. Bumblebees, like their relatives the honeybees, feed on nectar using a long hairy proboscis which is folded under the head during flight. Over 250 species of bumblebee are known, being found primarily at higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America.<br />
Short and stubby, with small wings, the bumblebee doesn't look very flight-worthy and indeed, in the 1930s the French entomologist August Magnan wrote that the insect's flight is actually impossible, a notion that has stuck in popular consciousness since then.<br />
<br />
However, the question of how these little wings generate enough force to keep the insect in the air has been mostly resolved.  In 2005, a study by Dr. Michael Dickinson in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences used high-speed photography of actual flying bees and force sensors on a larger-than-life robotic bee wing flapping in mineral oil. The solution became apparent after it was discovered that bumblebees don’t flap their wings up and down, they actually flap their wings back and forth.<br />
<br />
The aerodynamics of bumblebee flight is different from those that allow a plane to fly. For bumblebees it is somewhat like a partial spin of a helicopter propeller.  In addition, the angle of the wings create vortices like small hurricanes that have lower pressure than the surrounding air, and by keeping those eddies above its wings, they help the bee stay aloft.
    _1LA0357-Edit-bumblebee-wing.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
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds. This angry-looking tufted titmouse is waiting out a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2344-Edit-tufted-titmouse-bird-c...tif
  • Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand tall near a hill summit, silhouetted as the sun sets in the Arizona desert.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5469-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • A fiery Arizona desert sunset blazes behind a group of Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) growing along a mountain ridgeline.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5465-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • The sun sets over the Gulf of Mexico behind a mangrove at Rabbit Key in the Everglades as storm clouds approach.
    _LPA5163-sunset-everglades-gulf-of-m...tif
  • The sun rises over distant mangroves at Plate Creek Bay, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3884-red-sunrise-sun-mangroves-e...tif
  • A colorful cut flower bouquet adorns a vase atop a marble pedestal at the annual Boston Flower show.
    IMG_0139-flower-bouquet-vase-pedesta...tif
  • An adult 14-inch Queen Angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus) glides over a reef outcrop covered in colorful soft corals under the shadow of the shipwreck Jolanda prior to its being lost into the abyss of the Red Sea, Ras Mohammad, Sinai, Egypt in 1985.  The Jolanda was a 72 meter Cypriot merchant ship owned by the Sea Brother Marine Shipping company. During a severe storm on April 1, 1981 the ship hit a southern reef mount at the tip of the Ras Mohammad peninsula where after 4 days she rolled over onto her port side, her bow awash, and her stern hanging over the edge of the reef.  During a storm in 1985 a wire holding the wreck on the reef snapped and the wreck plunged into the abyss, lost until its rediscovery two decades later on May 26, 2005 in 145 - 200 meters of water.  Today the only evidence of its brief shallow water presence are the remains of its cargo of toilets shown in the lower left of the photograph.
    P-000211-Edit-shipwreck-anglefish-co...tif
  • 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
  • A bumblebee (genus Bombus) gathers nectar from a flowering Goldenrod (Solidago) plant.  Goldenrod belongs to a genus of about 100 species in the aster family which are mostly native to North America. Bumblebees, like their relatives the honeybees, feed on nectar using a long hairy proboscis which is folded under the head during flight. Numerous yellow grains of pollen can be seen adherent to this bee’s legs, demonstrating why bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators.  Over 250 species of bumblebee are known, being found primarily at higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America.
    _1LA0300-Edit-bumblebee-flower-golde...tif
  • A bumblebee (genus Bombus) with a tiny brown mite on its wing gathers nectar from a flowering Goldenrod (Solidago) plant.  Bumblebees, like their relatives the honeybees, feed on nectar using a long hairy proboscis which is folded under the head during flight. A few yellow grains of pollen can be seen adherent to this bee’s back and head, demonstrating why bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators.  However, the small brown creature near the middle of the bumblebee’s wing is a mite.   Many bumblebees have tiny mites clinging to their bodies. In most cases the mites are difficult to see, but sometimes they can cover large parts of the bumblebee’s body. <br />
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Most of the mite species that live with bumblebees are harmless to them and simply cling to the bumblebee so that they can be transported to new nests. When in the bee nest, the mites usually feed upon the wax, pollen, nest debris, and other small insects, but do not feed on the bees. Then, when they reach a certain stage in their life cycle, the mites cling to worker bees, and are transported onto flowers. From these flowers, the mites then attach to other visiting bees, and are transported to new nests.<br />
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Bumblebees do not carry the destructive Varroa mites (Varroa destructor and V. jacobsoni) common to honey bees that harbor deformed wing virus and a fungal parasite called Nosema ceranae which can eventually destroy a honey bee nest.  However, the pathogens themselves are capable of infecting adult bumblebees and can then destroy their colonies.  Around the world, many species of bumblebees have suffered steep declines and some, such Cullem's bumblebee (Bombus cullumanus), have gone extinct.
    _1LA0204-Edit-bumblebee-mite-flower-...tif
  • The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, common songbird found throughout the east coast of the United States, to southern Ontario, Canada and westward to the plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.  They are 5.9–6.7 inches long, weigh 0.6–0.9 ounces and have a lifespan of 2–13 years.  The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers where they prefer deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds. This tufted titmouse is waiting out a winter blizzard in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2526-Edit-tufted-titmouse-bird-v...tif
  • The 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
  • 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 />
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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
  • A pair of mouse footprints push the soft desert sand into a heart at South Coyote Buttes, Utah.
    _LPA8593-Edit-heart-mouse-footprints...tif
  • Discovered in 1878, Luray Caverns in Virginia has a spactacular array of both stalagtites (attached to the roof) and stalagmites (rising from the ground).  However, in this view, only stalagtites are present, each perfectly reflected in a shallow pool of water below.  The formations are formed when a solution of calcium carbonate releases carbon dioxide, resulting in precipitation of lime.  The crystallized calcite accumulates at the rate of one cubic inch every 120 years.
    P-000216-cave-luray-reflection-stala...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 />
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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 Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution.  A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth shown here typically has orange to red-brown wings.  Each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae and a wingspan between 35 and 38 mm (~1.5 in). The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless.  Several hundred eggs are laid on the outside of the female's empty cocoon, usually attached to a host plant.  The species overwinters in the egg stage. <br />
<br />
The adult moths do not feed, so only live a short time. In North America, only one generation occurs in a year and fly between May and October.  The males are diurnal, flying during the day, but are occasionally attracted to light.  This individual was photographed during the day in August in Kingfield, Maine.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 34 exposures.
    _1LA9545-Edit-Rusty-Tussock-Moth-Vap...tif
  • An Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) caterpillar searches the bark of a Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) in northern Maine for a suitable location in which to pass the winter.  Found throughout North America except in most northern Canada, they will usually settle under a section of tree bark, a rock, or a log where they produce a natural organic antifreeze that permits then to survive cold temperatures as extreme as -90oF!<br />
<br />
The caterpillars have many names: Wooly Worm, Fuzzy Bear, Hedgehog Caterpillar and Woolly Bear. The timing of their travels and their distinctive banded coloration has led to a robust folklore of their being an established predictor of the severity of the winter to come. <br />
<br />
 In fact, the coloration of the Woolly Bear is a result of its age, species and diet.   A more favorable growing season for the caterpillar results in a narrower red-orange middle band.  As the caterpillars molt, their colors change, acquiring more black and less red.
    _LPA7194-Edit-wooly-worm-caterpillar...tif
  • An Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) caterpillar searches the bark of a Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) in northern Maine for a suitable location in which to pass the winter.  Found throughout North America except in most northern Canada, they will usually settle under a section of tree bark, a rock, or a log where they produce a natural organic antifreeze that permits then to survive cold temperatures as extreme as -90oF!<br />
<br />
The caterpillars have many names: Wooly Worm, Fuzzy Bear, Hedgehog Caterpillar and Woolly Bear. The timing of their travels and their distinctive banded coloration has led to a robust folklore of their being an established predictor of the severity of the winter to come. <br />
<br />
 In fact, the coloration of the Woolly Bear is a result of its age, species and diet.   A more favorable growing season for the caterpillar results in a narrower red-orange middle band.  As the caterpillars molt, their colors change, acquiring more black and less red.
    _LPA7170-Edit-wooly-worm-caterpillar...tif
  • Above the painted desert in Arizona, sheets of heavy rain glow pink at sunset beneath the white clouds of an approaching storm.  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.  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 />
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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.
    _LPA0513-Edit-storm-clouds-rain-suns...tif
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