This is a fun one because it was me attempting to take insect photos with the Nikon P900, which is mostly built for taking advantage of its amazing zoom to look at birds. So I was actually about 30 yards away for this shot, and it was cool that I was able to get some good focus and details and even a little bokeh on the background
One of the many amazing Trumpeter Swans from the trip to Ohio in May, its head and neck feathers stained red by the iron-rich tannins in the marshy water from constant foraging
A really fun one from Ohio in May, a Blanding's Turtle. Love its little smile.
An extremely endangered species due to habitat loss and not reaching sexual maturity until 14-20 years of age. But if they do reach maturity, they incredibly show no physical signs of aging and are capable of reproducing through eight+ decades of life.
Green Heron at Magee Marsh in May
Don't usually get to see these skulky friends from below!
Male Prothonotary Warbler singing his heart out just a few feet off the boardwalk at Magee Marsh
Lupine lit up by the bright afternoon sun in Ohio
I was the weirdo at Magee Marsh in early May taking pictures of things that WEREN'T birds and really annoying every person that asked me what I was looking at
I really love a good look at a Damselfly. This is an Eastern Forktail, Ischnura verticalis
A little bitty tree frog on a buttonbush leaf one morning
Speaking of frogsโฆ do you see?
A carpenter ant herding aphids on a willow leaf
The more-than-human world is really cool, y'all. Look closely!
Yellow-billed Cuckoo skulking in the batture along the Mississippi River
The batture is a unique ecosystem in this area. Thick woods of water-loving tree species line the river side of the levee in areas where the ground is exposed during lower flow times. Huge cottonwoods, sycamores and willows, tied together with vines of all sorts.
On this day in late April it was teeming with birds. Orioles were singing from every direction, and there would be a flash and suddenly something like the cuckoo above would appear just a few feet away.
Magical
A nice close shot of the beeblossom. It was really hard to get these in focus, glad I got at least one to show off how beautifully delicate they are
Some of the many mushroom friends from back in Louisiana
Another mushroom friend, and its little insect friends under its cap
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on the buttonbush last summer ๐ฅฐ