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  • Found throughout most of the Western United States and including Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, Vreeland's striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii) is an extremely rare and endangered variant of the more common striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata). Despite its large range, this unusual version has much smaller flowers and lacks the vibrant red in the flowers and stem, with flowers that can appear so pale that they are almost white or creamy yellow in appearance with sepals that never quite open up the way that the more common variety do. I was thrilled to find these quite by accident in a wooded area in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Vreeland's Striped Coralroot (Corall..i)-3
  • Found throughout most of the Western United States and including Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, Vreeland's striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii) is an extremely rare and endangered variant of the more common striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata). Despite its large range, this unusual version has much smaller flowers and lacks the vibrant red in the flowers and stem, with flowers that can appear so pale that they are almost white or creamy yellow in appearance with sepals that never quite open up the way that the more common variety do. I was thrilled to find these quite by accident in a wooded area in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Vreeland's Striped Coralroot (Corall..i)-2
  • Found throughout most of the Western United States and including Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, Vreeland's striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii) is an extremely rare and endangered variant of the more common striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata). Despite its large range, this unusual version has much smaller flowers and lacks the vibrant red in the flowers and stem, with flowers that can appear so pale that they are almost white or creamy yellow in appearance with sepals that never quite open up the way that the more common variety do. I was thrilled to find these quite by accident in a wooded area in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Vreeland's Striped Coralroot (Corall..i)-6
  • Found throughout most of the Western United States and including Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, Vreeland's striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii) is an extremely rare and endangered variant of the more common striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata). Despite its large range, this unusual version has much smaller flowers and lacks the vibrant red in the flowers and stem, with flowers that can appear so pale that they are almost white or creamy yellow in appearance with sepals that never quite open up the way that the more common variety do. I was thrilled to find these quite by accident in a wooded area in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Vreeland's Striped Coralroot (Corall..i)-4
  • Found throughout most of the Western United States and including Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, Vreeland's striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii) is an extremely rare and endangered variant of the more common striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata). Despite its large range, this unusual version has much smaller flowers and lacks the vibrant red in the flowers and stem, with flowers that can appear so pale that they are almost white or creamy yellow in appearance with sepals that never quite open up the way that the more common variety do. I was thrilled to find these quite by accident in a wooded area in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Vreeland's Striped Coralroot (Corall..i)-5
  • Found throughout most of the Western United States and including Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, Vreeland's striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii) is an extremely rare and endangered variant of the more common striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata). Despite its large range, this unusual version has much smaller flowers and lacks the vibrant red in the flowers and stem, with flowers that can appear so pale that they are almost white or creamy yellow in appearance with sepals that never quite open up the way that the more common variety do. I was thrilled to find these quite by accident in a wooded area in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Vreeland's Striped Coralroot (Corall..i)-1
  • The striped coralroot is a very strikingly beautiful terrestrial orchid found in wooded habitats across most of Northern North America including most of the western states (except Arizona and Nevada) and almost all of Canada (except most of the Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick). This species is very easy to identify because of the very clear and visible stripes on the petals and sepals. This wild native orchid is known as a myco-heterotroph, meaning it doesn't need chlorophyll to produce it's own food, but instead gains nutrients from either a mutual symbiotic relationship with certain fungi in the soil or by just from parasitism: stealing the nutrients it needs from it's host fungi. These were part of a large colony found in a clump of conifers in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza stri..a)-4
  • The striped coralroot is a very strikingly beautiful terrestrial orchid found in wooded habitats across most of Northern North America including most of the western states (except Arizona and Nevada) and almost all of Canada (except most of the Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick). This species is very easy to identify because of the very clear and visible stripes on the petals and sepals. This wild native orchid is known as a myco-heterotroph, meaning it doesn't need chlorophyll to produce it's own food, but instead gains nutrients from either a mutual symbiotic relationship with certain fungi in the soil or by just from parasitism: stealing the nutrients it needs from it's host fungi. These were part of a large colony found in a clump of conifers in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza stri..a)-3
  • The striped coralroot is a very strikingly beautiful terrestrial orchid found in wooded habitats across most of Northern North America including most of the western states (except Arizona and Nevada) and almost all of Canada (except most of the Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick). This species is very easy to identify because of the very clear and visible stripes on the petals and sepals. This wild native orchid is known as a myco-heterotroph, meaning it doesn't need chlorophyll to produce it's own food, but instead gains nutrients from either a mutual symbiotic relationship with certain fungi in the soil or by just from parasitism: stealing the nutrients it needs from it's host fungi. These were part of a large colony found in a clump of conifers in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza stri..a)-2
  • The striped coralroot is a very strikingly beautiful terrestrial orchid found in wooded habitats across most of Northern North America including most of the western states (except Arizona and Nevada) and almost all of Canada (except most of the Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick). This species is very easy to identify because of the very clear and visible stripes on the petals and sepals. This wild native orchid is known as a myco-heterotroph, meaning it doesn't need chlorophyll to produce it's own food, but instead gains nutrients from either a mutual symbiotic relationship with certain fungi in the soil or by just from parasitism: stealing the nutrients it needs from it's host fungi. These were part of a large colony found in a clump of conifers in rural Kittitas County in Washington State.
    Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza stri..a)-1
  • The long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) is an attractive medium-sized dark-colored salamander with a yellow, gold or green stripe down its back, that is covered with tiny white speckles along the sides of its body and face. It gets its name for its long fourth toe on its hind feet. Native to the Pacific Northwest , it can be found in all of Washington, and parts of Oregon, Northern California, Northern Idaho, Western Montana, Most of British Columbia and the southwestern edge of Alberta. This one was found hiding under a log in Maple Valley, Washington on a warm early spring afternoon.
    Long-toed Salamander
  • This gorgeous desert bloomer with orchid-like flowers is actually a member of the bignonia family, and is interesting taxonomically because it is the sole species of its genus: Chilopsis. Found across much of the American Southwest (and also in the state of Georgia) it has become an important drought-tolerant landscape plant in many places where water is often scarce. This one was found by following the sound of buzzing bees in a canyon in the Colorado Desert near California's Salton Sea.
    Desert Willow
  • This high plains and mountain-loving member of the rockcress family is found across most of the northern half of North America including all of Canada (excluding Newfoundland and P.E.I.) and nearly all of the northern American states including some southwestern states. Easily recognized by their purple to reddish flowers, this spreadingpod rockcress was found growing in Cowiche Canyon in the eastern foothills of Washington's Cascade Mountains.
    Spreadingpod Rockcress
  • This gorgeous desert bloomer with orchid-like flowers is actually a member of the bignonia family, and is interesting taxonomically because it is the sole species of its genus: Chilopsis . Found across much of the American Southwest (and also in the state of Georgia) it has become an important drought-tolerant landscape plant in many places where water is often scarce. This one was found by following the sound of buzzing bees in a canyon in the Colorado Desert near California's Salton Sea.
    Desert Willow
  • Holboell's rockcress is a very common member of the mustard family found across most of the American west and all of Canada, excluding the Maritime provinces. It is eaily recognized by drooping white or pink flowers and fruits. These were photographed in Central Washington just outside of Yakima.
    Holboell's Rockcress
  • This highly attractive terrestrial snail can be found near streams in the rainy forests of the Pacific Northwest from California to Alaska, and is mainly crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) during the wet spring and fall. This particularly colorful individual was found by lucky accident in Oregon's Cascade Mountains just east of Eugene.
    Pacific Sideband Snail
  • A beautifully patterned garter snake emerges from Lake Elizabeth in the Cascades Mountains of Washington State.
    Cascades Garter Snake
  • Blue-striped garter snake discovered on a trail in the Goethe State Forest in Levy County, Florida. It has the most beautiful turquoise sides and belly!
    Blue-Striped Garter Snake
  • Zebra longwing butterfly seen in the Corkscrew Swamp. These are extremely common in South Florida, but maddening to try to photograph because of their rapid and erratic flight.
    Zebra Longwing
  • Three male zebra longwings were excitedly waiting for this new female to emerge from her pupa in the Corkscrew Swamp in SW Florida. This is a common mating practice for longwings.
    Zebra Longwing Mating Ritual
  • This easily identifiable fuzzy orbweaver spider is found commonly in thickly vegetated habitats where there are enough trees to support their large spiderweb traps and enough insects to keep them fed. Beautiful bold banding on the legs, bright red femurs and an obvious cross on the top of the abdomen make this beauty easy to tell apart from other orb weavers. This one was found deep in a jungle-like, mosquito-infested area in eastern Collier County near the Collier-Hendry border in Southwest Florida, but they can be found in most suitable areas of the Southeast, and as far north up the Atlantic coast as New England, and as far west as the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountain ranges.
    Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver
  • A common orbweaver of thick hardwood forests of the American Southeast, this beautiful spider can be found as far north up the Atlantic coast as New England, and as far west as the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountain ranges. Harmless to humans, these spiders weave enormous webs between the trees and are responsible for keeping flying insect populations in check wherever they are found. This one was spotted in the trees in Goethe State Forest in Central Florida.
    Red-femured Orbweaver
  • Easily North America's most common scorpion, the striped bark scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) is a medium-sized species found across most of the southern states and many of the states in Mexico. Perhaps one of the reasons for its geographical success is the fact that it can thrive in an amazing variety of habitats. It is found in deserts, grasslands, coniferous forests, deciduous forests and is found living under tree bark, rocks and any other suitable environment it can find. Unfortunately this is where it often is found among human habitation. Painful yet mostly harmless, this scorpion is not considered dangerous, unless you are a cricket, beetle or some other such small prey. This one was photographed in the Chihuahuan Desert's Guadalupe Mountains in NW Texas near the New Mexico border.
    Striped Bark Scorpion
  • A striped lynx spider waits patiently for something to be drawn to these false asphodel flowers in the Apalachicola National Forest in North Florida.
    Striped Lynx Spider
  • One of the most striking lizards of my youth, the southeastern five-lined skink is also one of the fastest. This large adult female - chased down and photographed in Thomasville, Georgia - shows the beautiful stripes common to this species, as well as the brilliant blue tail. This skink looks like it had lost and regrown its tail at some point. Sometimes they will have a bright red nose, and males when in breeding season will lose the blue coloration and much of the stripes, while turning a more brownish color with a broad bright red head!
    Southeastern Five-lined Skink (Plest..tus)
  • The Great Basin whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris tigris) is a subspecies of the common western whiptail found in Southeastern California. Found throughout most of the American Southwest, whole populations of western whiptails tend to stay in the same region resulting in great variety of patterns, stripes, and spots based on geographic location across their range. This one was photographed in the Mojave Desert in Joshua Tree National Park.
    Great Basin Western Whiptail
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the edge of a pond in just south of Alamo, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • A Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata), a subspecies of the more common and widespread eastern patch-nosed snake warms up in the sunshine on a surprisingly chilly winter late afternoon in Southern Hidalgo County in Mission, Texas - about 5 miles form the Mexican border. This snake gets its name from the unusually large scale on the tip of its snout and is completely harmless to people and reach about 2 to 3 feet in length. This snake primarily eats anything they can catch which is typically lizards, eggs, small rodents and other snakes.
    Texas Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora g..ata)
  • A song sparrow perches in a tree on a bright summer morning above Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Song Sparrow
  • The green iguana, also known as the American iguana is a large attractive and often strikingly-colored lizard in the Iguanidae family that is native to the Caribbean Islands, Central America and most of the northern half of South America. Although they are are herbivores and are not particularly dangerous to humans or other animals, they do adapt to new environments very well and are a very special species of concern in places where they have naturalized (most likely as escapes from the pet trade, as they make very friendly and docile pets when raised by humans). Green iguanas are now found in Florida, Nexas, Puerto Rico and Hawaii where these enormously strong lizards burrow into the sides of canals and riverbanks causing unnecessary erosion and damage, destruction of rare native plants other species depend upon, as well as decimating gardens and landscaping. This 6-foot beefy male was found on the side of the road with around 200 other well-fed adults along a one-mile stretch on Key Largo, Florida.
    Male Green Iguana-1
  • The green iguana, also known as the American iguana is a large attractive and often strikingly-colored lizard in the Iguanidae family that is native to the Caribbean Islands, Central America and most of the northern half of South America. Although they are are herbivores and are not particularly dangerous to humans or other animals, they do adapt to new environments very well and are a very special species of concern in places where they have naturalized (most likely as escapes from the pet trade, as they make very friendly and docile pets when raised by humans). Green iguanas are now found in Florida, Nexas, Puerto Rico and Hawaii where these enormously strong lizards burrow into the sides of canals and riverbanks causing unnecessary erosion and damage, destruction of rare native plants other species depend upon, as well as decimating gardens and landscaping. This 6-foot beefy male was found on the side of the road with around 200 other well-fed adults along a one-mile stretch on Key Largo, Florida.
    Male Green Iguana-2.jpg
  • Also simply known as the yellow bumblebee, this colorful and large important nectarivorous pollinator is found throughout most of the Northern United  States and Southern Canada where it lives both above ground and below ground, typically in a location within 50 meters of a large food source (large patch of wildflowers). This particular bee was busily feeding from a bull thistle by Henderson Inlet on the Puget Sound, about five miles from Olympia Washington and a hot summer day.
    Golden Northern Bumblebee
  • Also simply known as the yellow bumblebee, this colorful and large important nectarivorous pollinator is found throughout most of the Northern United  States and Southern Canada where it lives both above ground and below ground, typically in a location within 50 meters of a large food source (large patch of wildflowers). This particular bee was busily feeding from a bull thistle by Henderson Inlet on the Puget Sound, about five miles from Olympia Washington and a hot summer day.
    Golden Northern Bumblebee
  • Unusual but not unheard of, this northwestern garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides) was unexpectedly found actively hunting in the grass near the beach on a rare February sunny day on the Oregon Coast in Oswald West State Park. One of the smallest of garter snakes in the region, it is also one of the hardest to identify because of the extreme variability in color and pattern. One of the best clues without counting scale numbers and patterns is the head, which tends to be quite small for a garter snake. This one was quite large for this smaller species - it was over 30 inches when the typical northwestern garter is usually around 24 inches. With a range from Vancouver Island in Canada's British Columbia in the north all the way south to Northern California, these snakes mostly inhabit the area between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountain Range.
    Northwestern Garter Snake (Thamnophi..des)
  • Large for a sandpiper, and of the four species of godwits in the world, the marbled godwit is the biggest. This beautiful cinnamon-mottled shorebird breeds in the central North America's Great Plains (Alberta, the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska) and travels to the coasts to winter where it can be found along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly associated with marshes, mudflats and sand flats, these uncommon shorebirds can sometimes be seen on the beach, such as this one along with several others in Los Angeles, California near the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Marbled Godwit
  • Large for a sandpiper, and of the four species of godwits in the world, the marbled godwit is the biggest. This beautiful cinnamon-mottled shorebird breeds in the central North America's Great Plains (Alberta, the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska) and travels to the coasts to winter where it can be found along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly associated with marshes, mudflats and sand flats, these uncommon shorebirds can sometimes be seen on the beach, such as this one along with several others in Los Angeles, California near the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Marbled Godwit
  • Large for a sandpiper, and one of the four species of godwits in the world, the marbled godwit is the biggest. This beautiful cinnamon-mottled shorebird breeds in the central North America's Great Plains (Alberta, the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska) and travels to the coasts to winter where it can be found along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly associated with marshes, mudflats and sand flats, these uncommon shorebirds can sometimes be seen on the beach, such as this one along with several others in Los Angeles, California near the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Marbled Godwit
  • The venomous, yet slow-moving gila monster posing in the lower branches of a mesquite bush in the Senoran Desert, just outside of Tucson, Arizona. This was my forst time seeing one in the wild, and I actually delayed my travel plan to spend extra time looking for one of these.
    Gila Monster
  • Close-up portrait of a Gila monster. This venomous lizard is only one of two venomous lizards in the world. This one was photographed in the Sonoran Desert just outside of Tucson, Arizona.
    Gila Monster
  • This round-tailed horned lizard would not have been spotted had it not suddenly dashed out from where it stood motionless right in front of me in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico's Socorro County. One of the smallest of the horned lizards, these delicate desert-dwellers make their living eating mostly harvester, honey-pot and big-headed ants, with the occasional termite, small insect or larvae. What is most amazing about them is their natural camouflage!
    Round-tail Horned Lizard
  • This round-tailed horned lizard would not have been spotted had it not suddenly dashed out from where it stood motionless right in front of me in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico's Socorro County. One of the smallest of the horned lizards, these delicate desert-dwellers make their living eating mostly harvester, honey-pot and big-headed ants, with the occasional termite, small insect or larvae. What is most amazing about them is their natural camouflage!
    Round-tail Horned Lizard
  • A female eastern collared lizard hunts in the middle of a Texas springtime day in the Guadalupe Mountains for insects, spiders and scorpions on the side of an arroyo.
    Eastern Collared Lizard
  • This juvenile great horned owl would have gone completely unnoticed had it not been making the most horrendous racket in a tree in Sweetwater, Wyoming as I was photographing prairie dogs.
    Juvenile Great Horned Owl
  • An adult barred owl watches from the hardwoods at the northern end of the Fakahatchee Strand early in the morning in Southwest Florida near Golden Gate.
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • One of the more common lizards of the West Coast of North America, this one was found in its northernmost part of its range in Central Washington, by the bank of the Tieton River on a chilly late spring morning.
    Western Fence Lizard
  • This spiny desert lizard (probably a  juvenile male)  pauses in its hunt for insects, spiders and the occasional centipede under the fallen palm fronds in the Coachella Valley Oasis.
    Desert Spiny Lizard
  • The western side-blotched lizard is a subspecies of the common side-blotched lizard found over most the the American Southwest. This one photographed in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California's Mojave Desert was the most numerous of lizard species I'd found.
    Western Side-blotched Lizard
  • The plateau side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana uniformis) is one of five distinct subspecies of the side-blotched lizard found across the western United States, found only in Eastern Utah, Western Colorado, Northeastern Nevada and the extreme northwestern tip of New Mexico. Unlike its boldly-patterned cousins found to the south, west and southwest, the plateau side-blotched lizard tends to have a more spotted pattern, characterized by many tiny blue spots, unique to this subspecies. This one was photographed in Eastern Utah's Moab Desert after a sudden summer storm.
    Plateau Side-Blotched Lizard
  • The plateau side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana uniformis) is one of five distinct subspecies of the side-blotched lizard found across the western United States, found only in Eastern Utah, Western Colorado, Northeastern Nevada and the extreme northwestern tip of New Mexico. Unlike its boldly-patterned cousins found to the south, west and southwest, the plateau side-blotched lizard tends to have a more spotted pattern, characterized by many tiny blue spots, unique to this subspecies. This one was photographed in Eastern Utah's Moab Desert after a sudden summer storm.
    Plateau Side-Blotched Lizard
  • The plateau side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana uniformis) is one of five distinct subspecies of the side-blotched lizard found across the western United States, found only in Eastern Utah, Western Colorado, Northeastern Nevada and the extreme northwestern tip of New Mexico. Unlike its boldly-patterned cousins found to the south, west and southwest, the plateau side-blotched lizard tends to have a more spotted pattern, characterized by many tiny blue spots, unique to this subspecies. This one was photographed in Eastern Utah's Moab Desert after a sudden summer storm.
    Plateau Side-Blotched Lizard
  • This baby alligator is probably only a couple of months old where it basks in the late afternoon sunlight in the Shark River Valley of the Florida Everglades. Notice the bold black and yellow camouflage pattern - this will help hide it in its early years from hungry herons, storks, otters, raccoons and other hungry predators in the swamps until it turns the tables and begins to hunt the same animals that once used to hunt it!
    Baby Alligator Close-up
  • A barred owl in the fading light next to Deep Lake, in Enumclaw, Washington.
    Barred Owl
  • Typical habitat for the barred owl. Every time I've seen them in the wild, they have been in dark, heavily wooded forests or swamps.
    Barred Owl
  • A wild male California quail hunts for seeds and insects in a disturbed field outside of Yakima, WA in Cowiche Canyon. Although it is California's state bird, this native quail is found from Canada to Mexico along the West Coast in dry, arid habitats.
    California Quail
  • Another photo of my newfound buddy while shooting landscapes just before sunset on Washington's Pacific coastline. Townsend's chipmunks are unlike any other species of chipmunk I've seen all over North America. I don't like to personify wildlife, but these little critters are FULL of personality!
    Townsend's Chipmunk
  • The western blue flax is a widespread native member of the flax family and is found across nearly all of the western half of North America, from Mexico to the Arctic circle. This one was photographed in rural central Wyoming.
    Western Blue Flax
  • A male six-lined racerunner somehow photographed in a brief chase through Jonathan Dickenson State Park on Florida's East Coast. These incredibly fast lizards are found in pine scrubs and similar dry environments. Males have a beautiful turquoise underside.
    Six-lined Racerunner
  • Barred owl perched on a branch in the Fakahatchee Strand. This owl let us get quite close to it for this photograph!
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • Barred owl perched on a branch in the Fakahatchee Strand. This owl let us get quite close to it for this photograph!
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • Barred owl in the oldest and largest mahogany hammock in the Florida Everglades. When still, it can be easily overlooked because of its camouflaged pattern - like this one almost was!
    Everglades Barred Owl
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • A Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata), a subspecies of the more common and widespread eastern patch-nosed snake warms up in the sunshine on a surprisingly chilly winter late afternoon in Southern Hidalgo County in Mission, Texas - about 5 miles form the Mexican border. This snake gets its name from the unusually large scale on the tip of its snout and is completely harmless to people and reach about 2 to 3 feet in length. This snake primarily eats anything they can catch which is typically lizards, eggs, small rodents and other snakes.
    Texas Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora g..ata)
  • A song sparrow sings a beautiful song on a bright summer morning along Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Song Sparrow
  • A song sparrow perches in a tree on a bright summer morning above Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Song Sparrow
  • High on the plateau north of Moab, Utah, this extremely feisty and aggressive little Beck's desert scorpion was found under a shaded rock on a hot summer day at the far northeastern end of its range. I had to consult a professional arachnologist for the correct ID of this species as far too many of these small desert species look very similar.
    Beck's Desert Scorpion (Paruroctonus..cki)
  • Also simply known as the yellow bumblebee, this colorful and large important nectarivorous pollinator is found throughout most of the Northern United  States and Southern Canada where it lives both above ground and below ground, typically in a location within 50 meters of a large food source (large patch of wildflowers). This particular bee was busily feeding from a bull thistle by Henderson Inlet on the Puget Sound, about five miles from Olympia Washington and a hot summer day.
    Golden Northern Bumblebee
  • Also simply known as the yellow bumblebee, this colorful and large important nectarivorous pollinator is found throughout most of the Northern United  States and Southern Canada where it lives both above ground and below ground, typically in a location within 50 meters of a large food source (large patch of wildflowers). This particular bee was busily feeding from a bull thistle by Henderson Inlet on the Puget Sound, about five miles from Olympia Washington and a hot summer day.
    Golden Northern Bumblebee
  • Also simply known as the yellow bumblebee, this colorful and large important nectarivorous pollinator is found throughout most of the Northern United  States and Southern Canada where it lives both above ground and below ground, typically in a location within 50 meters of a large food source (large patch of wildflowers). This particular bee was busily feeding from a bull thistle by Henderson Inlet on the Puget Sound, about five miles from Olympia Washington and a hot summer day.
    Golden Northern Bumblebee
  • This enormous great horned owl was spotted from almost a quarter-mile away perched in a cottonwood tree next to Lower Klamath Lake in Northern California.
    Great Horned Owl
  • Unusual but not unheard of, this northwestern garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides) was unexpectedly found actively hunting in the grass near the beach on a rare February sunny day on the Oregon Coast in Oswald West State Park. One of the smallest of garter snakes in the region, it is also one of the hardest to identify because of the extreme variability in color and pattern. One of the best clues without counting scale numbers and patterns is the head, which tends to be quite small for a garter snake. This one was quite large for this smaller species - it was over 30 inches when the typical northwestern garter is usually around 24 inches. With a range from Vancouver Island in Canada's British Columbia in the north all the way south to Northern California, these snakes mostly inhabit the area between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountain Range.
    Northwestern Garter Snake (Thamnophi..des)
  • Unusual but not unheard of, this northwestern garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides) was unexpectedly found actively hunting in the grass near the beach on a rare February sunny day on the Oregon Coast in Oswald West State Park. One of the smallest of garter snakes in the region, it is also one of the hardest to identify because of the extreme variability in color and pattern. One of the best clues without counting scale numbers and patterns is the head, which tends to be quite small for a garter snake. This one was quite large for this smaller species - it was over 30 inches when the typical northwestern garter is usually around 24 inches. With a range from Vancouver Island in Canada's British Columbia in the north all the way south to Northern California, these snakes mostly inhabit the area between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountain Range.
    Northwestern Garter Snake (Thamnophi..des)
  • Unusual but not unheard of, this northwestern garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides) was unexpectedly found actively hunting in the grass near the beach on a rare February sunny day on the Oregon Coast in Oswald West State Park. One of the smallest of garter snakes in the region, it is also one of the hardest to identify because of the extreme variability in color and pattern. One of the best clues without counting scale numbers and patterns is the head, which tends to be quite small for a garter snake. This one was quite large for this smaller species - it was over 30 inches when the typical northwestern garter is usually around 24 inches. With a range from Vancouver Island in Canada's British Columbia in the north all the way south to Northern California, these snakes mostly inhabit the area between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountain Range.
    Northwestern Garter Snake (Thamnophi..des)
  • Large for a sandpiper, and of the four species of godwits in the world, the marbled godwit is the biggest. This beautiful cinnamon-mottled shorebird breeds in the central North America's Great Plains (Alberta, the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska) and travels to the coasts to winter where it can be found along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly associated with marshes, mudflats and sand flats, these uncommon shorebirds can sometimes be seen on the beach, such as this one along with several others in Los Angeles, California near the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Marbled Godwit
  • Large for a sandpiper, and of the four species of godwits in the world, the marbled godwit is the biggest. This beautiful cinnamon-mottled shorebird breeds in the central North America's Great Plains (Alberta, the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska) and travels to the coasts to winter where it can be found along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly associated with marshes, mudflats and sand flats, these uncommon shorebirds can sometimes be seen on the beach, such as this one along with several others in Los Angeles, California near the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Marbled Godwit
  • Large for a sandpiper, and of the four species of godwits in the world, the marbled godwit is the biggest. This beautiful cinnamon-mottled shorebird breeds in the central North America's Great Plains (Alberta, the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska) and travels to the coasts to winter where it can be found along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly associated with marshes, mudflats and sand flats, these uncommon shorebirds can sometimes be seen on the beach, such as this one along with several others in Los Angeles, California near the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Marbled Godwit
  • Large for a sandpiper, and of the four species of godwits in the world, the marbled godwit is the biggest. This beautiful cinnamon-mottled shorebird breeds in the central North America's Great Plains (Alberta, the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska) and travels to the coasts to winter where it can be found along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly associated with marshes, mudflats and sand flats, these uncommon shorebirds can sometimes be seen on the beach, such as this one along with several others in Los Angeles, California near the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Marbled Godwit
  • Large for a sandpiper, and of the four species of godwits in the world, the marbled godwit is the biggest. This beautiful cinnamon-mottled shorebird breeds in the central North America's Great Plains (Alberta, the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska) and travels to the coasts to winter where it can be found along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly associated with marshes, mudflats and sand flats, these uncommon shorebirds can sometimes be seen on the beach, such as this one along with several others in Los Angeles, California near the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Marbled Godwit
  • If this little chipmunk looks wary, it is for good reason. It was being actively hunted by a short-tailed weasel (stoat) at the edge of Lower Waterton Lake in southern Alberta's Canadian Rocky Mountains.
    Least Chipmunk
  • This song sparrow was welcoming the springtime with the most beautiful singing in Bellevue, Washington.
    Song Sparrow
  • This song sparrow was welcoming the springtime with the most beautiful singing in Bellevue, Washington.
    Song Sparrow
  • This round-tailed horned lizard would not have been spotted had it not suddenly dashed out from where it stood motionless right in front of me in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico's Socorro County. One of the smallest of the horned lizards, these delicate desert-dwellers make their living eating mostly harvester, honey-pot and big-headed ants, with the occasional termite, small insect or larvae. What is most amazing about them is their natural camouflage!
    Round-tail Horned Lizard
  • This round-tailed horned lizard would not have been spotted had it not suddenly dashed out from where it stood motionless right in front of me in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico's Socorro County. One of the smallest of the horned lizards, these delicate desert-dwellers make their living eating mostly harvester, honey-pot and big-headed ants, with the occasional termite, small insect or larvae. What is most amazing about them is their natural camouflage!
    Round-tail Horned Lizard
  • This round-tailed horned lizard would not have been spotted had it not suddenly dashed out from where it stood motionless right in front of me in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico's Socorro County. One of the smallest of the horned lizards, these delicate desert-dwellers make their living eating mostly harvester, honey-pot and big-headed ants, with the occasional termite, small insect or larvae. What is most amazing about them is their natural camouflage!
    Round-tail Horned Lizard
  • This common sparrow found in most parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico is usually found on the West Coast of North America. This particular one was found in a screwbean mesquite tree on a chilly yet sunny spring morning in Socorro County in New Mexico.
    White-Crowned Sparrow
  • Close-up of a beautiful curious eastern collared lizard in Northwestern Texas as she scrambles across the Guadalupe Mountains in search insects, spiders and scorpions in the Chihuahuan Desert.
    Eastern Collared Lizard
  • A male house finch rests in the welcome shade of a soaptree yucca in the bright morning sun in Southern New Mexico's White Sands desert. This native to the American Southwest and Mexico has recently been expanding into the Eastern United States and Hawaii.
    House Finch
  • Found commonly across North America near water with plenty of brush for cover, the song sparrow is a favorite of many birders. This dark Pacific Northwest variation showed up early one chilly winter morning at my campsite on Washington's Point Disappointment (extreme SW corner of the state where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean).
    Song Sparrow
  • Found commonly across North America near water with plenty of brush for cover, the song sparrow is a favorite of many birders. This dark Pacific Northwest variation showed up early one chilly winter morning at my campsite on Washington's Point Disappointment (extreme SW corner of the state where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean).
    Song Sparrow
  • A baby great horned owl - or owlet - that had fallen or had been possibly pushed out of the nest by a parent. Huge for a chick, this one was probably old enough to fend for itself, and with parents who probably still watched and maybe even protected it from a distance for a time.
    Baby Great Horned Owl
  • The biggest black-and-yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) I've ever seen! This huge female was positioned on her massive orb web between a couple clumps of palmettos and some live oaks near Hickey's Creek in Alva, Florida.
    Black-and-Yellow Garden Spider
  • Close-up shot of a freshly-molted captive rose hair tarantula.
    Rose Hair Tarantula
  • This smallest member of the chipmunk family in North America is found in coniferous forests, juniper woodlands, and sagebrush deserts where it feasts on mostly seeds, but will also eat flowers, buds, leaves, grasses, fungi, and even insects, eggs, and carrion!
    Least Chipmunk
  • The smallest chipmunk found in North America, the least chipmunk is also one of the most widespread, found across most of the arid Western states and provinces at higher elevations from the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico clear up to the Arctic Circle. This one was photographed in Central Washington at a rest stop outside of Ellensburg, WA.
    Least Chipmunk
  • A particularly noisy sage thrasher poses on large rock on sagebrush scrub on Antelope Island in Utah's Great Salt Lake.
    Sage Thrasher
  • A particularly noisy sage thrasher poses on large rock on sagebrush scrub on Antelope Island in Utah's Great Salt Lake.
    Sage Thrasher
  • An adult male desert spiny lizard basks in the spring afternoon sun in the desert sand in rural San Bernardino County. This individual had very vivid blues and oranges in the sunlight.
    Desert Spiny Lizard
  • Close-up of the male desert spiny lizard. While the females tend to be a more or less sandy color, the males have very dark markings on the neck, with turquoise to blue under the jaw and along the belly - often with orange to yellow markings on the side.
    Desert Spiny Lizard
  • An adult female desert spiny lizard watches warily from mear the base of a desert fan palm in rural San Bernardino County in Southern California.
    Desert Spiny Lizard
  • The venomous, yet slow-moving gila monster posing in the lower branches of a mesquite bush in the Sonoran Desert, just outside of Tucson, Arizona. This was my first time seeing one in the wild, and I actually delayed my travel plan to spend extra time looking for one of these.
    Gila Monster
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