Most turtles hide in their shell when disturbed but snapping turtle shells are too small so they can’t pull their head in. Since this leaves them vulnerable, they snap and hiss to warn off predators before they actually bite. These same jaws are used to grab unsuspecting prey. The species […]
Sunset was still more than half an hour away, but because of the steep slope of this mountainside, the sun had effectively set. Then as the color started to fade, for a few moments there was a magic light, a sparkling that seemed to spill from the top of the […]
At first glance these damselflies look somewhat like butterflies when they fly, with their fluttering wings. A closer glance shows the exquisite details that make them living jewels. The males have iridescent green bodies that turn blue in certain light. The females like the one shown have slightly more subdued […]
The peacock orchid is native to the mountains of East Africa where it grows on cliffs and rock outcrops. It isn’t actually an orchid, or a peacock. It is a gladiolus, a kind of iris. In summer the pendulous white blooms with purple throats hang from the sword shaped spikes […]
The Polyphemus moth is a giant silk moth, named appropriately since the wingspan averages 6 inches and can be even greater. Though hard to miss when they fly to doors and windows at night attracted by light, their lives are very ephemeral. Their lifecycle is around 3 months. In the […]
This giant silk moth, Polyphemus, is named for the mythical Cyclops because of their startlingly large eyespots. This confuses predators into thinking they are a larger creature like an owl and avoid them. As they grow to maturity, they eat 86,000 times their weight, which goes a long way to […]
As I stood on the shore taking photos of this mountain lake the surface was suddenly ruffled by a big but brief breeze. For just a minute, there were wild patterns of clouds reflected in the water, and then it grew still again. I took a few photos of the […]
The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles of views. Construction began 80 years ago, and was finally finished in 1987. Though it is best known for a variety of spectacular vistas, I also enjoy the subtle beauty of its forests through the seasons. This is the current summer foliage on […]
This spring there was a large fire of over 700 acres on the mountain above where I live in North Carolina. Because of this, there is less food where they usually live and the bears have been moving down into my neighborhood. On an afternoon walk in the woods I […]