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Encounter with a Black Widow!
Last Sunday, I headed off to Shawnee State Forest in southern Ohio to do some major exploring, and photography. This was a solo trip, which is a nice thing to do on occasion, as I can click off serious...
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Eastern Red Bat!
An exceptionally serendipitous mammalian find came my way today, in an unlikely place. I had to visit the heart of the sprawling campus of Ohio State University, to speak to Angelika Nelson's...
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Mountain Chorus Frog
The timing of my trip into Shawnee State Forest last weekend was perfect for catching the short-lived eruption of breeding Mountain Chorus Frogs, Pseudacris brachyphona. This species is far more...
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Unpredictable April
A massive front rolls through, just after dawn this morning at Glacier Ridge Metropark in northwestern Franklin County, Ohio. It was a wintry mid-30's and light snow when I hopped in my car just before...
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An amazing field of purple
Well, well - rejoice! Another "Earth Day" has fallen upon us like a crashing meteor of discarded plastics, and... Wait! I promise not to express cynicism about this day, and all of the environmental...
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A dash of newt, spotted in red
The tranquil, forest buffered waters of one of several small lakes within Shawnee State Forest. This lake, and the others, plays host to scores of one of our most interesting salamanders. I visited...
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A few flowers of spring
I seldom ignore the wildflowers. They, in all of their colorful, ephemeral glory, usher in spring like no others. Following is a brief sampling of shots taken on recent expeditions. In the interest of...
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Falcate Orangetip
Tearing goofily around the woods in pursuit of small butterflies hardly seems to be an activity befitting grown men. But sometimes I can't help myself, and succumb to the allure of charming little...
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West Virginia birding
A stunning male Luna moth, Actias luna, rests on a wall near the New River in Fayetteville, West Virginia, early this morning.I'm down here for the week, leading field trips for the New River Birding...
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West Virginia warblers
Southern West Virginia is dynamite for warblers at this time of year. Lots of species breed, and scads of migrants are passing through. This means birders working the varied habitats of this region...
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Kentucky Warbler
Kentucky Warbler, Geothlypis formosa, Cotton Hill, Fayette County, West Virginia. Our party had several of these gorgeous lemon-yellow wood-warblers in rich wooded mountain slopes.This bird's specific...
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This is one BIG Tuliptree!
I've just returned from a week in southern West Virginia, where I helped to guide trips as part of the New River Birding & Nature Festival. I've mentioned this festival many times on this blog, as...
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Moths: Still a lot to learn
This is the rather clumsily named Beautiful Eutelia, Eutelia pulcherrimus. They sure got the beautiful part right, but blurt out EUTELIA! in polite company and they'll look at you as if you're daft....
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Polar Bear talk!
Photo: Brocken Inaglory/Wiki CommonsA pair of Polar Bears, Ursus maritimus, engage in a bit of mock sparring at the Polar Bear Capital of the World, Churchill, Manitoba.Polar Bears are perhaps the most...
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Bexley's famous night-herons
A pair of Yellow-crowned Night-Heron nests adorn massive Sycamore trees overarching Preston Road in Bexley, Ohio, on the east side of Columbus. This species has been nesting in this spot for about...
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A toad's worst nightmare
An American Toad belts out his drawn-out sonorous aria. Everyone love toads, and for their part, toads are indifferent to all. They haven't much to fear. Their warts, which add to their considerable...
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Some botanical eye candy
I've been a lot of places the last three days, and have seen and photographed many cool things. Capped the weekend with a day at the fabulous Magee Marsh Wildlife Area on Lake Erie, where I and the...
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A pictorial trip along the "Bird Trail"
A snippet of the parking lot at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, on the shores of western Lake Erie. This site is world famous among birders, and with good cause. It is a premier stopover area for scores of...
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New River Birding & Nature Festival
Although it's now a few weeks past, I want to make one more pictorial post about the New River Birding & Nature Festival. I've been traveling down to lead trips and otherwise help out with this...
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Northern Michigan
A massive fen buffers a wild portion of the Lake Huron shoreline in Michigan's Presque Isle County. Once again, I am up in the northeast corner of the Lower Peninsula, in one of the state's most...
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