Living World Photography

Photo Spotlight: Crotalus viridis viridis - Prairie Rattlesnake

This is Crotalus viridis viridis - the Prairie Rattlesnake. Notice the two pits that look like nostrils. These are the eponymous pits in "pit-viper". My birding friends and I were out in Cottonwood Canyons, CO looking for birds when my friend came within a few steps of standing on this guy. Needless to say it got very aggressive and and curled into the 's' position and was rattling its tail like crazy. The 's' position you can see in this photo, where it doubles back over itself. This position means that if you get closer than about 3 feet, it WILL strike at you. The snake itself was about 3' long. I've never seen a rattlesnake like this before and they're even more impressive than I was expecting.This exact situation is the reason I've been lugging my telephoto everywhere even though I don't feel like shooting birds. Enjoy, and sweet dreams

Photo Spotlight: Cephalanthera austiniae - Phantom Orchid

A spectacular member of the Orchid family, Cephalanthera austiniae, more commonly known as the Phantom Orchid is a real treat to find. These orchids seem to prefer shady, damper areas near streams. This species is found here and there along the West Coast, and can be either locally common, as it is in California, or quite rare in other parts of it's range.

As you can see, the most striking thing about this orchid is the white flowers and stem, which indicates a lack of chlorophyll. This is because this plant doesn't rely on the sun for energy. It is actually a parasite on fungi, and it recieves its energy and nutrients via this relationship. The fungi themselves are probably parasitic on oak and bay (at elast where this was photographed). This species is an exellent example of the myriad growth forms that orchids can take.

This was taken in Humboldt County, though the exact locale is going to remain a secret (sorry). It was kindly shown to me, along with other things, by David Margolies.

Photo Spotlight: Lewisia rediviva - Bitterroot

It's been a very long time since I've made a post, but a recent trip to Mount Diablo State Park yielded such nice flowers that I couldn't resist. This beauty is called Bitterroot - Lewisia rediviva. It's a member of the family Portulacaceae, but it doesn't have the two bracks sheathing the flower which is usually indicative of this species. Or, at least the bracts weren't obviousl. The succulent leaves do fit this family though. This hardy species grows on dry, rocky screes . This group of flowers was growing on the rocky face of Mount Diablo's summit. I've been hoping to see this species for a long time, and was really excited when we finally found some.

Photo Spotlight: Bombycilla cedrorum - Cedar Waxwing

It's been a while since I last posted, and even longer since I posted anything to do with birds. But when a flock of Cedar Waxwings landed right outside my apartment, I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of these pretty bird. There are only two species of Bombycilla in the US, and it's easy to tell the two apard, the Bohemian Waxwing has red under-tail coverets the wing pattern is a bit different. These are pretty common in winter in the midwest, almost always flying as part of large flocks.

Photo Spotlight: Calopogon barbatus - Bearded Grass Pink

This beautiful flower is an orchid in the genus Calopogon. There are four species of Calopogon in Florida, and of the two that often have multiple flowers blooming (this is an exception), Calopogon barbatus is the most common. This terrestrial species can be found in wet, boggy meadows, often in the company of sundew and butterwort. I found this individual in Johnathan Dickinson SP.

I've added a number of new photos to my site recently, including

Drosera capillaris - Pink Sundew

Habenaria odontopetala - Toothed False Rein Orchid

Pinguicula caeurulea - Blueflower Butterwort

and many others

Apology

I apologize to anyone who has sent me email regarding my site. Apparently a quarantine program had been running which blocked any messages from this site. I had no idea the program existed. I've turned it off, so please feel free to try and send me messages now. Once again, I greatly apologize. I'm sure it seemed terribly rude of me never to respond to your emails, and for this I'm truly sorry.

Can't make a post without a photo, so here's a pic of Celethimis ornata, Ornate Pennant from Florida

Photo Spotlight: Megaphorus minutus - Robber Fly

After a VERY long break, I'm going to try and start keeping up with postings. On that note, today's species is a very smalll and very cute robber fly - Meagphorus minutus. This particular individual was patrolling close to the ground searching for prey. Don't know know much about this genus, except that mid-October is pretty late for it to be out and about. I can say that this genus is in the subfamily Asilinae, along with the giant Promachus robber flies. The habitat was sand/palm scrub at Hawk's Bluff Trail, a really cool little extension of Savana State Park, in Florida

Photo Spotlight: Mallophora orcina - Southern Bee Killer

This isn't bee, but rather a robber fly in the genus Mallophora. Most of the members of this genus strongly mimic bumblebess, which are their primary prey. This is the first time I've seen one, and I was very excited! In Kansas, there is only one species: Mallophora orcina the Southern Bee Killer. This is actually a mating pair, but the mate is mostly hidden.

Photo Spotlight: Hyla versicolor complex - Gray Treefrog

This adorable little frog is a member of the Gray Treefrog species complex. There are two species, and they can't be separated except by their call. Despite their name, this group of species can come in a variety of shades and colors between plain gray and bright green like this individual. I found him on a small plant while out bug collecting. He ended up being the best thing I found by far that day!

Photo Spotlight: Machimus occidentalis

Taking a break from Coleoptera for a while to show off some of the Robber Flies that I found up at Lake Tahoe National Forest. This individual is Machimus occidentalis and was kindly identified by Eric Fisher. Not sure what the prey it has is. This species is pretty large, and quite photogenic. I'll show one or two others as I get them posted. I have a rather uncommon one up next!