Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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  • A mini Cattleya Laleliocattleya hybrid orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant), which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs. <br />
<br />
The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA7239-orchid-flower-cattleya-bloo...tif
  • A mini Cattleya Laleliocattleya hybrid orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant), which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs. <br />
<br />
The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA7229-mini-cattleya-orchid-bloom-...tif
  • A Cattleya Laleliocattleya hybrid orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA6566-cattleya-orchid-purple-flow...tif
  • A Cattleya Laleliocattleya hybrid orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA6563-cattleya-orchid-purple-flow...tif
  • Mini Cattleya orchid grown by the photographer, 9 inches tall, with one flower spike supporting 3 individual blossoms.  <br />
<br />
Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids found from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped it to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification.  Later, Swainson requested that a few plants be sent to Cattley who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow. It would be another 70 years before a Cattleya would be rediscovered in the wild because of a mixup in the assumed location of the plants. <br />
<br />
Cattleya are widely known for their large, showy flowers. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 2 - 6 inches (5 -15 cm). They occur in all colors except true blue and black.  Cattleya have been hybridized for more than a century.  Beeding Cattleya with Laelia produces Laleliocattleya  and results in a more elongated closed "cone" that gracefully opens into the full lip of the blossom.  Laelia also contributes to the intense violet shade.
    _LPA7125-cattleya-orchid-flower-blos...tif
  • An American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) waits motionless in a small pond completely covered in Duckweed (Lemnaceae) in hopes of catching a small fly (Drosophilidae) walking along the edge of its mouth.  <br />
<br />
The bullfrog is native to eastern North America with a natural range from the Atlantic Coast to as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas.  However, it has been introduced elsewhere where it is considered an invasive species, including Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Italy, Netherlands, France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, China, South Korea and Japan.  In some areas, the bullfrog is used as a food source.  <br />
<br />
Bullfrogs are voracious, ambush predators that eat any small animal they can stuff down their throats. Bullfrog stomachs have been found to contain rodents, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, birds, bats, fish, tadpoles, snails and their usual food – insects.  Bullfrogs are able to jump a distance 10x their body length.  The female lays up to 20,000 eggs at a time that form a thin, floating sheet which may cover an area of 0.5 -1 m2 (5.4 - 10.8 sq ft). The embryos hatch in 3 - 5 days. Time to metamorphize into an adult frog ranges from a few months in the southern part of their range to 3 years in the north where the colder water slows development.  Maximum lifespan in the wild is 8 - 10 years, but one bullfrog lived for almost 16 years in captivity.<br />
<br />
Duckweed (Lemnoideae) are small flowering aquatic plants which float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water. These plants lack obvious stems or leaves, and depending on the species, each plant may have no root or one or more simple rootlets.  Reproduction is mostly by asexual budding, however, occasionally three tiny flowers are produced for sexual reproduction.  The flower of the duckweed measures a mere 0.3 mm (1/100th of an inch) long.<br />
<br />
The fly escaped unharmed.
    _LPA8258-Edit-bullfrog-frog-fly-duck...tif
  • This American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is hiding in a small pond completely covered in Duckweed (Lemnaceae).  The bullfrog is native to eastern North America with a natural range from the Atlantic Coast to as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas.  However, it has been introduced elsewhere where it is considered an invasive species, including Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Italy, Netherlands, France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, China, South Korea and Japan.  In some areas, the bullfrog is used as a food source.  <br />
<br />
Bullfrogs are voracious, ambush predators that eat any small animal they can stuff down their throats. Bullfrog stomachs have been found to contain rodents, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, birds, bats, fish, tadpoles, snails and their usual food – insects.  Bullfrogs are able to jump a distance 10x their body length.  The female lays up to 20,000 eggs at a time that form a thin, floating sheet which may cover an area of 0.5 -1 m2 (5.4 - 10.8 sq ft). The embryos hatch in 3 - 5 days. Time to metamorphize into an adult frog ranges from a few months in the southern part of their range to 3 years in the north where the colder water slows development.  Maximum lifespan in the wild is 8 - 10 years, but one bullfrog lived for almost 16 years in captivity.<br />
<br />
Duckweed (Lemnoideae) are small flowering aquatic plants which float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water. These plants lack obvious stems or leaves, and depending on the species, each plant may have no root or one or more simple rootlets.  Reproduction is mostly by asexual budding, however, occasionally three tiny flowers are produced for sexual reproduction.  The flower of the duckweed measures a mere 0.3 mm (1/100th of an inch) long.
    _LPA1927-Edit-Edit-2-american-bullfr...tif
  • An American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) reveals only a heart-shaped head through a carpet of Duckweed (Lemnaceae) completely covering a small pond.<br />
<br />
The bullfrog is native to eastern North America with a natural range from the Atlantic Coast to as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas.  However, it has been introduced elsewhere where it is considered an invasive species, including Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Italy, Netherlands, France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, China, South Korea and Japan.  In some areas, the bullfrog is used as a food source.  <br />
<br />
Bullfrogs are voracious, ambush predators that eat any small animal they can stuff down their throats. Bullfrog stomachs have been found to contain rodents, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, birds, bats, fish, tadpoles, snails and their usual food – insects.  Bullfrogs are able to jump a distance 10x their body length.  The female lays up to 20,000 eggs at a time that form a thin, floating sheet which may cover an area of 0.5 -1 m2 (5.4 - 10.8 sq ft). The embryos hatch in 3 - 5 days. Time to metamorphize into an adult frog ranges from a few months in the southern part of their range to 3 years in the north where the colder water slows development.  Maximum lifespan in the wild is 8 - 10 years, but one bullfrog lived for almost 16 years in captivity.<br />
<br />
Duckweed (Lemnoideae) are small flowering aquatic plants which float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water. These plants lack obvious stems or leaves, and depending on the species, each plant may have no root or one or more simple rootlets.  Reproduction is mostly by asexual budding, however, occasionally three tiny flowers are produced for sexual reproduction.  The flower of the duckweed measures a mere 0.3 mm (1/100th of an inch) long.
    _LPA0970-Edit-american-bullfrog-hear...tif
  • This American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is hiding in a small pond completely covered in Duckweed (Lemnaceae).  The bullfrog is native to eastern North America with a natural range from the Atlantic Coast to as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas.  However, it has been introduced elsewhere where it is considered an invasive species, including Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Italy, Netherlands, France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, China, South Korea and Japan.  In some areas, the bullfrog is used as a food source.  <br />
<br />
Bullfrogs are voracious, ambush predators that eat any small animal they can stuff down their throats. Bullfrog stomachs have been found to contain rodents, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, birds, bats, fish, tadpoles, snails and their usual food – insects.  Bullfrogs are able to jump a distance 10x their body length.  The female lays up to 20,000 eggs at a time that form a thin, floating sheet which may cover an area of 0.5 -1 m2 (5.4 - 10.8 sq ft). The embryos hatch in 3 - 5 days. Time to metamorphize into an adult frog ranges from a few months in the southern part of their range to 3 years in the north where the colder water slows development.  Maximum lifespan in the wild is 8 - 10 years, but one bullfrog lived for almost 16 years in captivity.<br />
<br />
Duckweed (Lemnoideae) are small flowering aquatic plants which float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water. These plants lack obvious stems or leaves, and depending on the species, each plant may have no root or one or more simple rootlets.  Reproduction is mostly by asexual budding, however, occasionally three tiny flowers are produced for sexual reproduction.  The flower of the duckweed measures a mere 0.3 mm (1/100th of an inch) long.
    _LPA1927-Edit-Edit-american-bullfrog...tif
  • A Brassia orchid bloomed by the photographer, with one multibranched flower spike 31 inches tall supporting 11 individual blossoms.  Brassia is a genus of orchids  named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator who collected plants in Africa.  These orchids are epiphytes (air plants) that grow in wet forests from sea level to altitudes under 5,000 feet (~1500m) in South Florida, the West-Indies and tropical America, especially the Peruvian Andes. <br />
<br />
Brassia flowers are notable for the characteristic long sepals which can exceed 20 inches (~50 cm), giving them their common name of "spider orchid".<br />
<br />
Brassia orchids utilize a very specialized form of entomophily (pollination by insects) to fertilize their flowers.  They are only pollinated by the female spider-hunter wasps of the genera Pepsis and Campsomeris.  The lip of the Brassia bloom is mistaken by these wasps for spiders and the wasps repeatedly sting the lip while  trying to grasp their prey without success. During this struggle, the wasp comes into contact with the pollinarium, that then sticks to its head. When that wasp flies to another Brassia flower and repeats the attack, the pollinarium on its head pollinates the new flower.
    _LPA7256-orchid-spider-spike-bloom-y...tif
  • A Zygopetalum orchid bloomed by the photographer. Zygopetalum is a genus of orchids consisting of fourteen species. The orchid's name is derived from the Greek word "zygon", means "yoked petal", referring to the yoke-like growth at the base of the lip caused by the fusion of the petals and sepals.  Zygopetalum are found in humid cool forests at mid to high elevations in Central and South America.  They are most common in Brazil.  Most Zygopetalum are epiphytes (air plants), but some are terrestrials. These plants are noted for the incredible fragrance of their blooms which last 1-3 months with an aroma resembling that of a strong Hyacinth.
    _LPA7210-orchid-zygopetalum-flower-p...tif
  • The cattail is a member of the genuse Typha composed of about eleven species of flowering plants found mostly in wetland habitats These plants have many common names including catninetail, bulrush, reedmace, cumbungi, raupo, punks, or corn dog grass.  Their rhizomes are edible, being used as food as early  as 30,000 years ago in Europe.  The cattail also serves as food and shelter for a variety of wetland animals such as the muskrat which eats the roots and constructs feeding platforms and dens from the reeds.  In this image, the cattail blossom has already partially gone to seed.
    _LPA5189-Edit-cattail-backlight.tif
  • A Zygopetalum orchid bloomed by the photographer. Zygopetalum is a genus of orchids consisting of fourteen species. The orchid's name is derived from the Greek word "zygon", means "yoked petal", referring to the yoke-like growth at the base of the lip caused by the fusion of the petals and sepals.  Zygopetalum are found in humid cool forests at mid to high elevations in Central and South America.  They are most common in Brazil.  Most Zygopetalum are epiphytes (air plants), but some are terrestrials. These plants are noted for the incredible fragrance of their blooms which last 1-3 months with an aroma resembling that of a strong Hyacinth.
    _LPA7220-zygopetalum-orchid-bloom-fl...tif
  • A Brassia orchid bloomed by the photographer.  Brassia is a genus of orchids  named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator who collected plants in Africa.  These orchids are epiphytes (air plants) that grow in wet forests from sea level to altitudes under 5,000 feet (~1500m) in South Florida, the West-Indies and tropical America, especially the Peruvian Andes. <br />
<br />
Brassia flowers are notable for the characteristic long sepals which can exceed 20 inches (~50 cm), giving them their common name of "spider orchid".<br />
<br />
Brassia orchids utilize a very specialized form of entomophily (pollination by insects) to fertilize their flowers.  They are only pollinated by the female spider-hunter wasps of the genera Pepsis and Campsomeris.  The lip of the Brassia bloom is mistaken by these wasps for spiders and the wasps repeatedly sting the lip while  trying to grasp their prey without success. During this struggle, the wasp comes into contact with the pollinarium, that then sticks to its head. When that wasp flies to another Brassia flower and repeats the attack, the pollinarium on its head pollinates the new flower.
    _LPA7256-orchid-spider-bloom-yellow-...tif
  • A Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) approaches an Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Blossom.  <br />
<br />
The Western or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bee worldwide, and one of the first domesticated insects.  It is the primary species maintained by beekeepers to this day for both its honey production and pollination activities. With human assistance, the western honey bee now occupies every continent except Antarctica. Because of its wide cultivation, this species is the single most important pollinator for agriculture globally. <br />
<br />
The Indian or Sacred Lotus has roots in the soil of the pond bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers rise above the leaves and the plant normally grows to a height of about 150 cm (60 inches) and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters (over 3 feet).  A single leaf may be as large as 60 cm (24 inches) in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter.  The lotus has a remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range.  Lotus flowers have been shown to maintain a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F). The Lotus is one of only three species of known thermoregulating, heat-producing, plants. Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and roots are all edible.  An individual lotus can live for over a thousand years and has the rare ability to revive into activity after stasis. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated.<br />
<br />
In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. In classical written and oral literature of many Asian cultures, the lotus represents elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace.
    _LPA8307-Edit-1-honey-bee-lotus-blos...tif
  • A Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) feeds on a purple flower.  <br />
<br />
The Western or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bee worldwide, and one of the first domesticated insects.  It is the primary species maintained by beekeepers to this day for both its honey production and pollination activities. With human assistance, the western honey bee now occupies every continent except Antarctica. Because of its wide cultivation, this species is the single most important pollinator for agriculture globally. <br />
<br />
The Indian or Sacred Lotus has roots in the soil of the pond bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers rise above the leaves and the plant normally grows to a height of about 150 cm (60 inches) and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters (over 3 feet).  A single leaf may be as large as 60 cm (24 inches) in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter.  The lotus has a remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range.  Lotus flowers have been shown to maintain a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F). The Lotus is one of only three species of known thermoregulating, heat-producing, plants. Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and roots are all edible.  An individual lotus can live for over a thousand years and has the rare ability to revive into activity after stasis. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated.<br />
<br />
In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. In classical written and oral literature of many Asian cultures, the lotus represents elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace.
    _LPA8328-Edit-honey-bee-flower-purpl...tif
  • A Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) approaches an Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Blossom.  <br />
<br />
The Western or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bee worldwide, and one of the first domesticated insects.  It is the primary species maintained by beekeepers to this day for both its honey production and pollination activities. With human assistance, the western honey bee now occupies every continent except Antarctica. Because of its wide cultivation, this species is the single most important pollinator for agriculture globally. <br />
<br />
The Indian or Sacred Lotus has roots in the soil of the pond bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers rise above the leaves and the plant normally grows to a height of about 150 cm (60 inches) and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters (over 3 feet).  A single leaf may be as large as 60 cm (24 inches) in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter.  The lotus has a remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range.  Lotus flowers have been shown to maintain a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F). The Lotus is one of only three species of known thermoregulating, heat-producing, plants. Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and roots are all edible.  An individual lotus can live for over a thousand years and has the rare ability to revive into activity after stasis. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated.<br />
<br />
In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. In classical written and oral literature of many Asian cultures, the lotus represents elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace.
    _LPA8307-Edit-honey-bee-lotus-blosso...tif
  • A Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) feeds on a purple flower.  <br />
<br />
The Western or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bee worldwide, and one of the first domesticated insects.  It is the primary species maintained by beekeepers to this day for both its honey production and pollination activities. With human assistance, the western honey bee now occupies every continent except Antarctica. Because of its wide cultivation, this species is the single most important pollinator for agriculture globally. <br />
<br />
The Indian or Sacred Lotus has roots in the soil of the pond bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers rise above the leaves and the plant normally grows to a height of about 150 cm (60 inches) and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters (over 3 feet).  A single leaf may be as large as 60 cm (24 inches) in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter.  The lotus has a remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range.  Lotus flowers have been shown to maintain a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F). The Lotus is one of only three species of known thermoregulating, heat-producing, plants. Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and roots are all edible.  An individual lotus can live for over a thousand years and has the rare ability to revive into activity after stasis. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated.<br />
<br />
In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. In classical written and oral literature of many Asian cultures, the lotus represents elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace.
    _LPA8335-Edit-honey-bee-flower-purpl...tif
  • A Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) approaches an Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and casts its shadow on the Lotus blossom petals.  <br />
<br />
The Western or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bee worldwide, and one of the first domesticated insects.  It is the primary species maintained by beekeepers to this day for both its honey production and pollination activities. With human assistance, the western honey bee now occupies every continent except Antarctica. Because of its wide cultivation, this species is the single most important pollinator for agriculture globally. <br />
<br />
The Indian or Sacred Lotus has roots in the soil of the pond bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers rise above the leaves and the plant normally grows to a height of about 150 cm (60 inches) and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters (over 3 feet).  A single leaf may be as large as 60 cm (24 inches) in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter.  The lotus has a remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range.  Lotus flowers have been shown to maintain a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F). The Lotus is one of only three species of known thermoregulating, heat-producing, plants. Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and roots are all edible.  An individual lotus can live for over a thousand years and has the rare ability to revive into activity after stasis. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated.<br />
<br />
In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. In classical written and oral literature of many Asian cultures, the lotus represents elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace.
    _LPA8293-Edit-lotus-honey-bee-shadow...tif
  • A garden of Rudbeckia at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts as seen through an 8mm fisheye lens.  Rudbeckia, also commonly known as coneflowers and black-eyed-susans, are native to North America and a member of the sunflower family.  These perennial plants grow 0.5–3 meters (1.6 - 9.8 feet) tall depending on the species and are eaten by some caterpillars, including those of the Cabbage Moth and Dot Moth.  The 8mm fisheye lens used in this photograph provides 180 degrees of view in all directions.
    _LPA0235-Edit-daisy-coneflower-rudbe...tif
  • A garden of Rudbeckia at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts as seen through an 8mm fisheye lens.  Rudbeckia, also commonly known as coneflowers and black-eyed-susans, are native to North America and a member of the sunflower family.  These perennial plants grow 0.5–3 meters (1.6 - 9.8 feet) tall depending on the species and are eaten by some caterpillars, including those of the Cabbage Moth and Dot Moth.  The 8mm fisheye lens used in this photograph provides 180 degrees of view in all directions.
    _LPA0235-Edit-daisy-coneflower-rudbe...tif
  • This eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) built its home below a sewer grate in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  They generally construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, and several entrances.  To hide the construction of its burrow, the eastern chipmunk carries soil away from its hole in its cheek pouches.  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk is the sole living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, and is found only in eastern North America.  The name "chipmunk" is derived from the Algonquian language meaning “one who descends trees headlong.”  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk reaches 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, with a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz).  Interestingly, it has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five toes on each of the hind legs.  They are mainly active during the day, consuming bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs.  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk leads a solitary life, except during mating season. Females usually produce one or two litters of three to five young, usually from February to April and/or June to August. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, although in captivity they may live up to eight years.
    _LPA0849-Edit-eastern-striped-chipmu...tif
  • 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
  • This eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is eating while perched on a small tree branch in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Although they climb trees well, it is rare to see them on such small branches.  They generally construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, and several entrances.  To hide the construction of its burrow, the eastern chipmunk carries soil away from its hole in its cheek pouches.  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk is the sole living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, and is found only in eastern North America.  The name "chipmunk" is derived from the Algonquian language meaning “one who descends trees headlong.”  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk reaches 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, with a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz).  Interestingly, it has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five toes on each of the hind legs.  They are mainly active during the day, consuming bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs.  <br />
<br />
The eastern chipmunk leads a solitary life, except during mating season. Females usually produce one or two litters of three to five young, usually from February to April and/or June to August. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, although in captivity they may live up to eight years.
    _LPA1116-Edit-American-chipmunk-tree...tif
  • Fiery clouds fil the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees.
    Image 013-Edit-sunset-wildfire-sky-f...tif
  • Clouds resembling the flames of a raging wildfire light the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  <br />
The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees.
    Scan-101211-0003-Edit-sunset-wildfir...tif
  • A new moon rises at sunset near an old tree burned during the Steamboat Fire, in Yosemite National Park, California.  The Steamboat fire destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees. Indeed, for over 4,000 years, the American Indians used fire in this area to cultivate the landscape.
    Scan-101211-0014-Edit-sunset-moon-tr...tif
  • Oncidium orchid grown by the photographer, with one multibranched flower spike 25 inches tall supporting 18 individual blossoms.  Oncidium is a genus that contains over 330 species of orchids.  It is an extraordinarily large and diverse group from varied habitats. Most species in the Oncidium genus are epiphytes (grow on other plants), although some are lithophytes (grow on rocks) or terrestrials (grow in the ground). They are widespread from northern Mexico, the Caribbean, and some parts of South Florida to South America, usually occurring in seasonally dry areas.  This genus was first described by Olof Swartz in 1800, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist and the first specialist of orchid taxonomy.  The name is derived from the Greek word "onkos", meaning "swelling" due to the callus at the flower's lower lip.
    _LPA7260-oncidium-orchid-flower-bloo...tif
  • Oncidium "Sherry Baby" grown by the photographer delights AJ (age 9) and LB (age 7) with a flower spike over 4 feet tall yielding 57 individual flowers.<br />
<br />
Oncidium is a genus that contains over 330 species of orchids.  It is an extraordinarily large and diverse group from varied habitats. Most species in the Oncidium genus are epiphytes (grow on other plants), although some are lithophytes (grow on rocks) or terrestrials (grow in the ground). They are widespread from northern Mexico, the Caribbean, and some parts of South Florida to South America, usually occurring in seasonally dry areas.  This genus was first described by Olof Swartz in 1800, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist and the first specialist of orchid taxonomy.  The name is derived from the Greek word "onkos", meaning "swelling" due to the callus at the flower's lower lip.
    _LPA2390-orchid-bloom-kids-smile.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
  • Fiery clouds fil the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees.
    Image 013-Edit-sunset-wildfire-sky-f...tif
  • Oncidium orchid grown by the photographer, 17 inches tall, with one multibranched flower spike supporting 23 individual blossoms.<br />
<br />
Oncidium is a genus that contains over 330 species of orchids.  It is an extraordinarily large and diverse group from varied habitats. Most species in the Oncidium genus are epiphytes (grow on other plants), although some are lithophytes (grow on rocks) or terrestrials (grow in the ground). They are widespread from northern Mexico, the Caribbean, and some parts of South Florida to South America, usually occurring in seasonally dry areas.  This genus was first described by Olof Swartz in 1800, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist and the first specialist of orchid taxonomy.  The name is derived from the Greek word "onkos", meaning "swelling" due to the callus at the flower's lower lip.
    _LPA7168-oncidium-orchid-flower-blos...tif
  • Oncidium orchid grown by the photographer, 41 inches tall, with one multibranched flower spike supporting 48 individual blossoms.<br />
<br />
Oncidium is a genus that contains over 330 species of orchids.  It is an extraordinarily large and diverse group from varied habitats. Most species in the Oncidium genus are epiphytes (grow on other plants), although some are lithophytes (grow on rocks) or terrestrials (grow in the ground). They are widespread from northern Mexico, the Caribbean, and some parts of South Florida to South America, usually occurring in seasonally dry areas.  This genus was first described by Olof Swartz in 1800, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist and the first specialist of orchid taxonomy.  The name is derived from the Greek word "onkos", meaning "swelling" due to the callus at the flower's lower lip.
    _LPA7138-oncidium-orchid-flower-blos...tif
  • Oncidium orchid grown by the photographer, 17 inches tall, with one multibranched flower spike supporting 23 individual blossoms.<br />
<br />
Oncidium is a genus that contains over 330 species of orchids.  It is an extraordinarily large and diverse group from varied habitats. Most species in the Oncidium genus are epiphytes (grow on other plants), although some are lithophytes (grow on rocks) or terrestrials (grow in the ground). They are widespread from northern Mexico, the Caribbean, and some parts of South Florida to South America, usually occurring in seasonally dry areas.  This genus was first described by Olof Swartz in 1800, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist and the first specialist of orchid taxonomy.  The name is derived from the Greek word "onkos", meaning "swelling" due to the callus at the flower's lower lip.
    _LPA7179-oncidium-orchid-flower-blos...tif
  • Clouds resembling the flames of a raging wildfire light the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  <br />
The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees.
    Scan-101211-0003-Edit-sunset-wildfir...tif
  • 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 row of Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand in silent silhouette as the sun sets in the Arizona desert.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5558-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand 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
  • Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand in silhouette before the clouds of a passing storm and veils of mist from the recent rain, glowing from the Arizona desert sunset.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5458-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • Muhlenbergia capillaris, commonly known as Pink Muhly Grass is a perennial warm-season grass that grows to be about 30–90 cm (0.98–2.95 ft) tall and 60–90 cm (2.0–3.0 ft) wide. The plant flower spikes are double layered with green leaf-like structures and purple-pink flowers that outgrow them from the bottom up in the autumn. The flowers are very feathery and add a cloudlike appearance to the top of the grass. During the summer, the leaves stay green, but during the fall they take on a more copper color. It is native to eastern North America.
    _1LA0605-Edit.tif
  • 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 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
  • 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
  • A Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands silhouetted against a stormy sunset within the 57,930 acre Saguaro National Park in Arizona.  Being composed of 85% water, these 50 foot tall giants can weigh over 8 tons and are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.  <br />
<br />
On this particular winter evening, the heavy storm clouds parted to the west shortly before sunset.  As the sun dropped below the horizon, it lit the underside of the stormy sky causing it to blaze with color for less than 5 minutes before the spectacle vanished even more quickly than it had appeared.
    _LPA5546-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7641-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-sin...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7637-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail.tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.  The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7636-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail.tif
  • Mini Cattleya orchid bloomed by the photographer.  The cattleya is a genus containing 113 species of orchids that are indigenous from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant),  which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs.
    _LPA6352-cattleya-mini-yellow-red-or...tif
  • A 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 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.
    _LPA7646-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-ang...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7657-Edit-marsh-wren-cattails-bi...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7628-Edit-marsh-wren-cattail-bir...tif
  • The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small, formally common, North American songbird inhabiting cattail marshes whose numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. Draining of marshes leads to its local extinction.  <br />
<br />
These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, but may also consume spiders and snails.  The Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night producing a gurgling, rattling trill often used to declare ownership of its territory.<br />
<br />
The nest is an oval lump of woven wet grass, cattails, and rushes, which is lined with fine grass, plant down, and feathers.  It is attached to marsh vegetation and entered from the side. Industrious male Marsh Wrens build "dummy nests" in their nesting territories, occasionally up to twenty or more, although most are never used for raising young.  <br />
<br />
Normally four to six eggs are laid twice each year, although the number can range from three to ten.  The eggs are generally pale brown and heavily dotted with dark brown; although sometimes they may be all white. Only the female incubates the eggs which hatch after 13-16 days. The young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching.
    _LPA7625-Edit-marsh-wren-cattails-bi...tif
  • Mini Cattleya orchid bloomed by the photographer.  The cattleya is a genus containing 113 species of orchids that are indigenous from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant),  which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs.
    _1LA0798-Edit-Edit.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
  • 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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 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
  • Mini Cattleya orchid bloomed by the photographer.  The cattleya is a genus containing 113 species of orchids that are indigenous from Costa Rica to tropical South America, growing throughout the Amazon region and to the south of Brazil..  The cattleya  is an epiphyte (air plant),  which stores water in expanded stems called pseudobulbs.
    _1LA0798-Edit.tif
  • 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
  • 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
  • A yellow and black common hover fly (Melangyna viridiceps) rests on the tip of  an Asian Lilly leaf
    _LPA7294-hover-fly-asian-lilly-leaf.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.
    IMG_0222-purple-orchid-pair-phaleano...tif
  • The true Daddy-Longlegs (Phalangium opilio) shown here on an Eastern Redbud tree leaf (Cercis canadensis ) is actually not a spider but a type of arachnid in their own Order Opiliones. Composit of 7 individual images for depth of focus.
    _LPA7310-daddy-longlegs-spider-redbu...tif
  • The true Daddy-Longlegs (Phalangium opilio) shown here on an Eastern Redbud tree leaf (Cercis canadensis ) is actually not a spider but a type of arachnid in their own Order Opiliones. Composit of 7 individual images for depth of focus.
    _LPA7310-daddy-longlegs-spider-redbu...tif
  • A bonsai juniper (Juniperus sargentii) at the New England Flower Show in Boston, MA
    IMG_0174-bonsai-juniper.tif
  • An autumn leaf from a nearby Japanese Maple tree (Acer palmatum) rests on the moss covered bark of a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1490-Edit-Japanese-maple-leaf-no...tif
  • A brown moth (possibly Archips argyrospila) hides under an Asian Lilly leaf.
    _LPA7282-moth-asian-lilly-leaf-insec...tif
  • Dew drops cling to a Funnel Weaver Spider (Agelenidae) web spread over Sedum
    _LPA2016-dew-spider-web-moss-sedum.tif
  • A bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) blooms against foliose lichen (Xanthoparmelia sp.) growing on granite.
    _LPA1092-bleeding-heart-lichen-grani...tif
  • Three autumn leaves from a nearby Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) have fallen onto the moss covered trunk of a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) in Belmont, Massachusetts.  Moments later, a breeze blew the leaves off the trunk.
    _1LA1505-Edit-Japanese-maple-leaf-ba...tif
  • Blooming beneath the stars, an Indian Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella) is bathed by the warm light of a nearby cabin at Kestrel Ranch outside Cody Wyoming.  The blossoms of Indian Blanketflower are up to about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) across There are 12 species of Blanketflower native to the United States, at least one species of which is found in every state.  Gaillardia pulchella is the most widespread of them all.  <br />
<br />
The Andromeda galaxy is visible as the tilted disk of stars to the upper right of the photograph.  Also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, it is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs (2.5 million light-years) from Earth. It is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.   Andromeda is approximately 220,000 light years across, and it is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which also contains the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and other smaller galaxies. Andromeda contains one trillion stars, at least twice the number of stars in the Milky Way.  <br />
<br />
(focus stack of 3 images)
    _LPA9869-Edit-indian-blanketflower-d...tif
  • A leafless Foothill Palo Verde tree (Cercidium microphyllum) catches the last light of the day as sunset approaches in Saguaro National Park outside Tucson, Arizona.  The Foothill Palo Verde is one of the most widespread trees of the Sonoran Desert and, although they may live for several hundred years, they are exceedingly slow-growing and typically only reach a height of 10-15 feet (rarely 25-30 feet have been reported). These trees have a very deep root system and are “branch deciduous” with a tendency to have basal branches die-off during periods of severe drought – thus becoming a smaller tree.  This specimen appears dead, having lost its typical small leaves and its green chlorophyll containing bark which can support photosynthesis when the tree has shed its leaves during excessively dry periods.  Despite these adaptations for survival in the adult tree, the seedlings are susceptible to desiccation during the first few months of their lives with only 1.6% of seedlings surviving.<br />
<br />
This image was taken just before sunset in the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park immediately adjacent to the narrow, paved, one-way Cactus Forest Drive - a portion of which can be seen in the lower right corner of the photograph.  In the foreground are Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia engelmannii).  It had been an unusual cloudy day until just shortly before sunset when the clouds began to dissipate and the sun dropped below the edge of the storm front – bathing the entire landscape in golden light.  The best light lasted literally for less than a minute and I was only able to capture one frame of this scene before the intensity of the spectacle was lost.
    _LPA5536-Edit-tree-palo-verde-saguar...tif
  • A foliose lichen (Xanthoparmelia sp.) dusted by blowing snow clings to the bark of a pine trree
    _LPA8620-lichen-tree-wood-snow.tif
  • The purple blossoms of the fall flowering Stonecrop are highlighted against its green foliage.
    _LPA0214-flower-stonecrop-purple-pla...tif
  • An afternoon sunstar filters through the forest Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) canopy and illuminates a bed of White Wood Asters (Eurybia divaricata).
    _LPA0190-aster-white-woods-sunstar-s...tif
  • A bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) blooms against foliose lichen (Xanthoparmelia sp.) growing on a slab of granite.
    _LPA1090-bleeding-heart-lichen-grani...tif
  • An Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethoon cinereus) walks across the leaf of an “Iceberg” Hosta near a flowering Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium).  This small salamander is found throughout the northeast United States.  It is lungless, and breathes through its moist skin. Unlike many salamanders, it spends its entire life on land, and lays its eggs on the moist forest floor. The young skip the typical aquatic stage and emerge as tiny terrestrial salamanders. (Focus stack of two individual images.)
    _LPA5129-Edit-salamander-flower-host...tif
  • An Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethoon cinereus) walks across an "Iceberg" Hosta leaf.  This small salamander is found throughout the northeast United States.  It is lungless, and breathes through its moist skin. Unlike many salamanders, it spends its entire life on land, and lays its eggs on the moist forest floor. The young skip the typical aquatic stage and emerge as tiny terrestrial salamanders.
    _LPA5139-Edit-salamander-hosta-plant.tif
  • A House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) perches in front of an azalea that has changed color in the fall.  These finches are 5-6 inches long with a 8-10 inch wingspan and a weight of 0.6-1.0 ounces.  Male coloration varies in intensity with the seasons and is derived from the berries and fruits in the bird's diet. Originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern United States, they were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s. The birds were sold illegally in New York City as "Hollywood Finches".  To avoid prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, vendors and owners released the birds. House Finches have become naturalized across the Eastern U.S., where now there are an estimated 267 million to 1.7 billion individuals in North America.
    _1LA0704-Edit-bird-house-finch-fall.tif
  • A Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) dropping its leaves in late autumn in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1478-Edit-Japanese-maple-red-tre...tif
  • Three autumn leaves from a nearby Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) have fallen onto the moss covered trunk of a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) in Belmont, Massachusetts.  Moments later, a breeze blew the leaves off the trunk.
    _1LA1513-Edit-Japanese-Maple-tree-tr...tif
  • A sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) hides amongst brown Rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) and green Sea Lettuce (Ulva) in 25 feet of water off Folly Cove in Rockport, Massachusetts. Although also commonly known as "sand eels", the sand lance is not related to true eels. The family and genus name (Ammodytes) means "sand burrower", a reference to the sand lance's habit of burrowing into sand to avoid tidal currents.<br />
<br />
Sand lances are most common in the North Pacific and North Atlantic, but are found in oceans throughout the world. These fish do not have pelvic fins and do not develop swim bladders, being bottom-dwelling as adults. The larval form of the Sand Lance may be the most abundant of all fish larvae in areas such as the northwest Atlantic, serving as a major food for cod, salmon, whales and diving birds such as puffins, auks, terns, and cormorants. Sand lances can control the movement of each eye independently.
    Scan-101211-0010-Edit-fish-sand-lanc...tif
  • An Indian Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella) blooms amongst sagebrush beneath the Absaroka Mountains at Kestrel Ranch outside Cody Wyoming.<br />
<br />
<br />
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.
    _LPA9829-Edit-indian-blanketflower-r...tif
  • The Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is a common species of wren found in the eastern half of the United States, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico. Their preferred habitat is in dense cover in forests, farm edges and suburban areas. However, Carolina wrens are wary, and are more often heard than seen This wren is the state bird of South Carolina.<br />
There are seven recognized subspecies of the Carolina wren each with slight differences in song and appearance. The Carolina wren is 12.5 to 14.0 cm (4.9 to 5.5 in) long, with a 29 cm (11 in) wingspan and a weight of about 18 to 23 g (0.63 to 0.81 oz).  It is the second largest wren in the United States after the cactus wren.  Carolina wrens raise multiple broods during the summer breeding season.  This photograph captures the elusive wren enduring a winter snowstorm in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _LPA2272-Edit-carolina-wren-bird-sno...tif
  • An autumn Japanese Maple leaf (Acer palmatum) has fallen on a lichen and moss covered rock in Belmont, Massachusetts.
    _1LA1579-Edit-Japanese-maple-leaf-ro...tif
  • A young Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) perches amongst common cattails (Typha latifolia) at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. <br />
<br />
The red-winged blackbird is found throughout most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and northwestern Costa Rica. It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations are generally migratory, moving south to Mexico and the southern United States. <br />
<br />
The red-winged blackbird has been considered the most abundant living land bird in North America, with more than a million birds per flock and the total number of breeding pairs across North and Central America exceeding 250 million in peak years. The red-winged blackbird is sexually dimorphic with the male being all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. Red-winged blackbirds are polygynous, with territorial males defending up to 10 females. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the red-winged blackbird's diet.<br />
<br />
Male red-wing blackbirds are 22–24 cm (8.7–9.4 in) long and weigh 64 g (2.3 oz).  Females are smaller.  The build their nests in cattails, rushes, grasses, sedge, or in alder or willow bushes. The nest is constructed entirely by the female over the course of three to six days. A clutch consists of three or four, rarely five, eggs. Eggs are oval, smooth and slightly glossy, and measure 24.8 mm × 17.55 mm (0.976 in × 0.691 in). They are incubated by the female alone, and hatch in 11 to 12 days both blind and naked.  However, they are ready to leave the nest 11 to 14 days after hatching.
    _LPA8205-Edit-red-winged-blackbird-c...tif
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is nestled among blossoms of a Dendrobium orchid. Primarily nocturnal in habit, it has become expert at camouflage by mimicking the shape and colors of the leaves upon which it feeds.  <br />
<br />
Insects in this family (Tettigoniidae) are commonly called katydids or bush crickets and more than 6,400 species are known. The Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid, is native to the United States and widespread in the eastern and southeastern regions.  Adults are 14 - 75mm (0.55 - 2.95 inches) in length and have excellent eyesight.  <br />
<br />
Katydids have much longer antennae than grasshoppers, averaging 39mm (1.53 inches) and they only produce one generation annually since the eggs require a rest period.  <br />
<br />
The males have sound-producing organs located on the hind angles of their front wings. The males use this sound for courtship, which occurs late in the summer. The sound is produced by rubbing two parts of their bodies together, a process called stridulation. The males call 24-hours a day using 2-3 chirps followed by various periods of silence while waiting for a female to respond.  The insect gets its name from the sound of the male’s call: “Katy-did”. <br />
<br />
The tempo of the calls is governed by ambient temperature.  For American katydids, the number of chirps in 15 seconds plus 37 will be close to the outside temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
    _LPA2505-Edit-katydid-dendrobium-orc...tif
  • Upper reaches of Whistler Mountain in British Columbia photographed by helicopter during a February snowstorm
    _LPA1727-tree-mountain-snow.tif
  • Dendrobium orchid (Thongchai x Canaliculatum) grown by the photographer, 20 inches tall, with two flower spikes supporting 28 individual blossoms. <br />
<br />
The Dendrobium genus of orchids was established in 1799 and contains about 1,200 species.  Dendrobium grow in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Borneo, Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Zealand.
    _LPA7185-dendrobium-orchid-flower-bl...tif
  • A flooded meadow reflects the early morning light illuminating Cathedral Spires in Yosemite National Park, California.
    cathedral-spires-reflection-meadow-y...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
  • The sun rises over distant mangroves at Plate Creek Bay, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3884-red-sunrise-sun-mangroves-e...tif
  • Mangroves frame a sand beach and Carolina Skiff at Rabbit Key, Everglades, Florida
    _LPA3807-mangrove-beach-boat-evergla...tif
  • Aerial view of the upper snow covered Whistler Mountain wilderness in British Columbia as photographed from a helicopter during a February snowstorm.
    _LPA1768-mountain-snow-whistler-vist...tif
  • Falling snowflakes are illuminated by the camera flash as Ashlyn (age 12) and Bryce (age 10) pause on their evening winter walk through a snowstorm in McLean Woods, Belmont, MA.
    IMG_2030-snow-winter-woods-snowflake...tif
  • A European (Western) honey bee (Apis mellifera) gathers pollen from stonecrop blooms
    _LPA8084-honey-bee-flower-stonecrop.tif
  • A Funnel Weaver Spider (Agelenidae) tends his dew drop laden web spread across a Sedum groundcover.
    _LPA2009-spider-dew-drops-web.tif
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