This is a picture of my truck on the day I donated it to Charity Motors. That was March 31, 2010. To recap, I discovered that my truck had been chosen as a winter hangout for squirrels. The squirrels ate both acorns and electrical wiring during the few months of cold we had in North Central Texas. When the repair estimate came in, I knew that the time had come to say goodbye to my truck. Though it still cranked up and could be coaxed to run around town, it was far from reliable. Read the rest of this entry »

I normally avoid sharing photos with man-made items in the frame, because the “hand of man” diminishes the “natural” element that I find so appealing. As you might guess, I am leading with this statement because I’m about to share a series of photos that prominently feature a wooden fence. In this case, the fence is pretty darn important to a couple of Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus), who are jockeying for this prized perch. Apparently, the SE corner of my backyard fence is THE place for dominion-claiming, full-throated birdsong which announces, “I’m the King of the Fence.” Or perhaps, “This is my territory, go find your own!”

If a man-made fence is good enough for my precious birds to fight over…I suppose it is good enough for me.

~

I have never in my life seen such a tiny, beautiful moth! I saw this gem fluttering around several potted Hummingbird Mint/Hyssop plants (Agastache sp. cultivar).  I had rushed over to water the plants, which were (still are) waiting patiently for me to plant them in my front landscape beds.  This image is cropped at 100%, so to give you an idea of this moth’s diminutive size, here’s the full-frame: Read the rest of this entry »

This is a picture of the very first Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) I have ever encountered. I was photographing a pair of Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis) at the rear edge of  the pond in my back yard when I spotted her. She was ever-so-slowly making her way through the vegetation, about 2 feet off the ground. I froze for an instant, then swung my camera around to capture her image before she took off. Read the rest of this entry »

The July edition of the Challenge for Charity contest is finally here! If you have not yet won a donation to your favorite conservation/nature/wildlife charity, please give it a (or another) try. This contest will run through midnight, July 28, 2010. Good Luck!

Picture 1 | Plano, TX

Picture 1 Question: Name this bird! Read the rest of this entry »

It is time for another offering of “What I Love About Nature,” so I hope you’ll enjoy this photographic grab-bag of natural gems, and my far-ranging thoughts as I reflect upon them. Please, feel free to chime in – it’s always fun to see nature through the eyes of another.

I love that I have the opportunity to ponder the image of a bumblebee sticking it’s tongue out.

~ Read the rest of this entry »

Time to announce the winner for the June edition of our monthly Challenge for Charity contest. This month’s winner is John Shamgochian. Congrats, John! John answered all three questions correctly, plus the bonus question. John will choose a nature/conservation/wildlife charity to receive the $15 donation in his name – and as soon as he chooses, I will update this post. [Updated July 4, 2010]

Winner's Charity, June 2010 - PETA. Winner - John Shamgochian

And now, for the answers: Read the rest of this entry »

What looks just like a caterpillar, but isn’t? Sawfly larvae. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen my very first Elm Sawfly larvae (Cimbex americana). I couldn’t help but notice this bright white caterpillar munching on this dark green Elm leaf. I thought I was going to have an awesome entry for The Moth and Me, but sadly, no. When I took a look at this picture, I noticed that I had not seen a caterpillar head quite like this before…usually it is hard to tell where the head is. And if a caterpillar’s head is obvious, it seems like there is never such a prominent eye.

Turns out that this is one of the distinctions between sawfly larvae and caterpillars. Also, caterpillars usually have only 4 pairs of “prolegs,” while sawfly larvae usually have at least five (like this one).¹

Want to see what this super-cool, moonlight-white larvae becomes? Read the rest of this entry »

I caught this hummingbird (probably a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris), stealing insects from several spider webs in a clearing filled with native wildflowers. She was unabashed as she boldly zipped right up to each web, as if each were a drive-through window. Still, I don’t really blame her…the girl obviously needs to consume a nutritious diet…it looks like she is molting.  Read the rest of this entry »