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Lightning over the Gulf

This was a really active storm over the Gulf. I took this in Marathon in the Florida Keys.

Pink sundew

Drosera capillaris at the edge of a cypress dome swamp

Sunset long exposure over a cypress dome swamp

Reddish egret

I can never get enough of these reddish egrets (Egretta rufescens). They are so beautiful, especially with their breeding colors as shown here, but they are really entertaining to watch as they run around trying to catch fish. They'll stand perfectly still for a period of time, often stretching out their wings to create shade that attracts fish, then either try to grab them out of the water below them or they go running after them in the shallow waters. I managed to get a few decent shots despite the overcast conditions. I will have to take a video next time I have this close of a view to one, but in the meantime, watch this clip someone posted on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBiEUbfhQBo More reddish egret info: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Reddish_Egret/id

Spinybacked orbweaver

Gasteracantha cancriformis

Milky Way core and Andromeda Galaxy

Arizona has some great night sky views with limited light pollution.

Here be dragons!

These colorful scales belong to a male eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus). Males of this species show off a brilliant aqua and blue color pattern on their sides and throat during breeding season to impress the ladies.

Leafless beaked ladies’ tresses orchid bud

Sacoila lanceolata

Black swallowtail butterfly

Papilio polyxenes

Raccoon

Young raccoon foraging along the Chassahowitzka River

Young eastern diamondback rattlesnake

Crotalus adamanteus

Overcast morning just before sunrise on a beach packed full of coquina rock

The 2017 hurricane season left quite a mark throughout the Caribbean. In Florida, you can find patches of coquina rock in spots along the Atlantic coast. Though this spot in particular has always had a larger area of coquina, the storm surge from Hurricane Irma seems to have unearthed much more, yielding this scene that looks like it could be from Mars (excepting the ocean waves of course!).

Crepuscular sun ray reflection

Wing of sleeping dragonfly

Golden-winged skimmer (Libellula auripennis)

The headwaters of Gold Head Branch, a stream at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park in north-central Florida, is situated in a deep ravine with a relief of about 70 feet from top to bottom. Such a deep ravine is uncommon in this area. The stream water emerges from multiple spring seeps, yielding perfectly clear water with a bluish tint in deeper spots. The lush bottom of the ravine acts as a kind of oasis compared to the surrounding dry, upland ecosystems. The vibrant greens of the various plants, including a wide variety of fern species provide a captivating aesthetic with the stark contrast between the lush undergrowth and the white sand-bottomed, spring-fed stream.

Indian blanketflower

This flower, Gaillardia pulchella, goes by many common names. Indian blanket flower is the name I've encountered the most around here in central Florida. Whatever you want to call it, it's a gorgeous flower that never fails to catch my eye! I was hoping to get sunset colors in the background here, but the storm in the distance had other plans.

Southern two-lined salamander

Eurycea cirrigera This was seen in north Georgia

waterfall along Moccasin Creek

in North Georgia

Yellow garden spider

Argiope aurantia

Coquina rock formations at sunrise

Sun rising over Orlando Wetlands

Young barred owl

Strix varia

Green treefrog closeup

Hyla cinerea