Anybody know what kind of beetle this is?
Seen at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center; Houston, Texas.
Green and shiny
Category Archives: Fauna
Ready for takeoff
Seen at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Cockrell Butterfly Center:
I suppose I could have taken this shot from the side, so that more of this little guy would have been in focus. But I preferred an over-the-shoulder approach, you could almost share his point of view.
Out for a swim
A Wood Duck at the Albuquerque Botanic Gardens.
Interlopers
Visiting pronghorn enjoy a tasty dinner of freshly-mown hay near Billings, Montana:
If there’s one thing I’ve learned while driving around in the Rockies, it’s to keep my camera with a long lens handy. I took this from the side of the highway on our way home from a long road trip last summer — could have used a bit more “reach,” but 200mm was just about enough for these guys.
Assigned
A Red Postman Mimic takes a break on a sign at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Cockrell Butterfly Center:
As natural history museums go, Houstons’ one is pretty pricey for what you get. But pricing there is a la carte, so if you’d like, you can get a ticket to just the butterfly center.
Looking a bit rough
A slightly ragged looking little hummingbird
Seen at the Phoenix Zoo.
On the hunt
A shot from our Alaska cruise a few years back:
This came from our near-miss with visiting Victoria, British Columbia. While waiting at sea for the winds to calm (they never did), some were entertained with movies, while the rest of us were entertained by the local gull population.
Taking a breather
We spotted this little guy along the side of a trail while taking a break from driving through Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada:
I don’t know if he was just resting, or on his way out, but I appreciated the opportunity to at least save a bit of his beauty for posterity.
Got my eye on you…
On a hike to see waterfalls along the Johnston Canyon trail in Banff National Park, this little guy was making sure we knew he was around:
Normally I’m used to squirrels trying to look cute for a hand-out; this was definitely a territorial display, though. Lots of barking accompanied the serious looks from this little guy. I had to laugh, but felt a bit sorry that I did — he was doing his best to look tough, after all…
The Sentinel
Seen (and heard) in the parking lot of the Many Glaciers Hotel in Glacier National Park, Montana:
This little guy was putting on quite the territorial display for us — making all sorts of noise to let us know that this was *HIS* parking lot. Of course, he chickened out when I got within about 20 feet of him, so I had to use a little focal length to get a decent shot of him.