Eastern River Cooter

This small Eastern River Cooter was basking on a sunny log in the Rappahannock River as a paddled my canoe past it last July.  I don’t know much about the turtles of Virginia so I may have misidentified this one.

Ailanthus Webworm Moth

This Ailanthus Webworm Moth was making its way among wildflowers when I saw it in early September.

Corolla Sunrise

 

Sometimes being a morning person pays off.  I took this photo during a trip to the beach last August.  I noticed the cloud bank that night and thought it was a shame the clouds probably wouldn’t be there at sunrise.  To my great surprise, the clouds barely moved overnight!  I awoke before dawn and watched this amazing sunrise slowly transform into morning.

Grand Prismatic Spring I

As hot mineral water seeps out of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park it leaves tiny layers of minerals.  The heat of the water provides an ideal environment for bacteria, which grow in colorful mats over the wavy mineral deposits.  The end result is an amazing display of color and texture.

Banded Hairstreak

This little Banded Hairstreak was busily drinking nectar when I encountered it in a forest meadow.  I didn’t seem to mind me taking photos.  In fact, it didn’t even seem to notice I was watching it.

Great Spangled Fritillary

I came across a couple of Great Spangled Fritillaries in an open woodland meadow in Central Virginia as I hiked there in late May.  Even if you’re not a butterfly fan, you have to love the name of this species. 🙂

Pearl Crescent

This Pearl Crescent butterfly rests peacefully in a bed of white and yellow flowers.  According to “An Instant Guide to Butterflies” by Pamela Forey and Cecilia Fitzsimons, male Pearl Crescents patrol their territory and will fly at other butterflies and insects.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy

Cycling and photography are two of my favorite activities.  Both activities make me feel happy and alive.

On October 6 I visited one of the more scenic spots along the Tour de Richmond cycling route to try my hand at photographing cyclists in motion.  This photo really captures the speed and motion of cycling as I wanted to portray it.  I thought it fit in well with this week’s photo challenge because the cyclist looks really happy too!  Click on the photo to see a larger image.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Solitary

Hiking through the woods I found this single, orange leaf that had fallen into a sea of brown.  It struck me as quite a standout and a good candidate for this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge topic “Solitary”.

Pipe Vine Swallowtail

Searching for good photographic subjects on Big Walker Mountain, I happened upon a group of these large, blue and black butterflies.  My friend James Shelton, who is quite the amateur entomologist, tells me this butterfly is a Pipe Vine Swallowtail.