As winter loosens its grip and the first trees break into bloom, one of nature’s quietest spectacles begins — the return of the pollinators. This featured image was captured at Balcones District Park in Austin, TX, where an Eastern Redbud … Read More

The spring equinox arrives quietly — not with fanfare, but with wings. On a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, I was surprised that my late arrival would give the gardens almost all to myself, the beautiful blooms, … Read More

The health of pollinators is critical to our environment and ecosystems. Each pollinator plays an important role in transferring pollen and enabling plants to produce fruits and seeds. It is through this pollen transfer from plant to plant that genetic … Read More

Earlier in December, while chasing fall colors, I spent some days at Garner State Park. While hiking the White Rock Cave Trail with another master naturalist friend, we found ourselves photographing the flora and fauna we saw along the trail. … Read More

Whenever I think of butterflies, some words come to mind: ephemeral, graceful, fragile, and colorful. The Checkered white (Pontia protodice) certainly checks three of those qualifiers. To say they are “colorful,” however, may be a stretch. They are not bright … Read More

Lens-Artists Challenge #372: Ephemeral What a wonderful challenge Tina gave us this week: Ephemeral. Here’s her prompt: “I will start this week’s challenge with the dictionary’s short and simple definition of the word ephemeral – ‘lasting for a very short … Read More

Black is beautiful. When it comes to black in wildlife, that saying is spot-on. The American black bear (Ursus americanus) you see above was photographed at Big Bend NP, near one of the park’s busiest and most popular trails, the Lost Mine … Read More

Well, it is a week late, I know, as the day is celebrated on October 4. I was traveling and did not have access to my photos. Thanks to Terri’s (of Second Wind Leisure Perspectives) Sunday Stills Challenge, we are … Read More

While walking the grounds of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center a few years ago, I witnessed several pollinators doing their job of carrying pollen from flower to flower. However, little did I know that I was going to have … Read More

The photo above is a Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) butterfly, also called Blue Swallowtail. It is found in North and Central America. I had to try countless times to get pictures of this butterfly, but they move so quickly that … Read More