Yearly Archives: 2015

  This diminutive frog has good camouflage and can change its color to match the background much as chameleons do. Although generally gray like this one I have seen some that were bright green and well hidden among lush summer leaves. They are nocturnal and can be found by listening […]

  Skipper butterflies are named for their habit of moving so fast between flowers they appear to be skipping. I managed to photograph this silver-spotted skipper butterfly in a moment of brief repose while drinking nectar from a garden flower. When flying really fast, it is sometimes possible to hear […]

I stopped to admire a miniature five foot waterfall on a small creek and noticed a pair of eyes peering out at me from under where several small rivulets of water fell from overhanging moss. This very patient salamander would crawl out until it got splashed by too much water […]

This bumblebee is flying straight up from the flower. There is a popular misconception that given their wing size and speed bumblebees shouldn’t be able to fly. Nearly 100 years ago it was said that air resistance made bumblebee flight impossible but that it didn’t obviously match reality.

  Here in the mountains of North Carolina the lush green of the forest peaks in early summer. All the leaves have just finished unfolding and insects haven’t yet chewed their way through this giant salad bar also known as a forest. A gentle breeze rippled the surface of this […]

The southern Appalachians are old mountains. They have eroded and are now mostly covered by trees. In a few spots boulders provide a view out to undulating ranges of green peaks. Here is part of the Black Mountain range with a small wildflower meadow in the foreground giving way to […]

This shot was taken at a moment of high bee drama. The bee on the flower has its front leg up as if to punch the intruder. The flying honeybee broke off its flight a millisecond after I took this shot, deciding to avoid a confrontation. There were plenty of […]

This is a very subtle waterfall known as a slide where the water runs directly over the bedrock. There isn’t any cascade but instead the water flows directly over a huge boulder covered with moss. It was lined on either side with flowering rhododendron.

  July heat brings flowers to the fields. They thrive in the hot sun. With them come the insects. In this picture daisies dot the background while Queen Anne’s lace blossoms blow gently in the breeze. I isolated the bloom in the upper right against the shadowed forest to show […]