Lions, __________, and bears!

Going Green

Go Cardinals!

I know I've already shared this picture once, but I wanted to do it again here to show my excitement for the new World Champions of baseball: the St. Louis Cardinals. With little more than a month left to play, my favorite team was 10.5 games out of the running. Even with only 5 games left to play in late September, we still had a 3 game deficit to cover if we hoped to make the playoffs.

Not only did we make the playoffs, but we beat the highly-favored Philadelphia Phillies in round 1, and the Milwaukee Brewers in round 2 to win the Pennant. In game 6 of the World Series the Texas Rangers were twice one strike away from winning it all, but 11 innings of comeback baseball eventually payed off when our MVP (David Freese) hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th to force game 7. Game 7 was slightly less dramatic, with a final score of 6-2 in our favor.

This is the 11th World Series championship for our beloved St. Louis Cardinals, second only to the Yankees in this category. We're never favored to win, but that makes it all the more exciting when we do!

Make Sure You Get My Good Side

I Heart the Zoo

Ready for St. Patrick's Day

Still Growing

"Excuse Me, But I Think I May be Lost..."

Hidden Camera

I've been getting pictures every night of three deer that keep hanging around our house. I have a motion-activated trail camera that I've been using and putting a mineral block right in front of it seems to be attracting them quite nicely.

Nice Mullet

Little Dog on the Prairie

At this point I would advise the little fellow simply to stay away from sharp objects until those chips have a chance to digest.

I Want That Banana

Have You Seen My Friend Thumper?

Revelation 4:11

Whitetail Deer Footage

I was taking care of my ducks last night when I looked up and spotted these whitetail deer about 100 yards from my back door. I went inside and grabbed my camera, hid behind my grandma’s fenced flower garden, and was able to get this footage of them before they went back into the woods.

Little Me

In case you were wondering, yes, I did take this picture myself (tripod+self-timer).

Relatives

Just reminding you that, if any particular photo you see here catches your eye, you can use the button found on my sidebar to purchase a full resolution digital download through PayPal. The more photos I sell the faster I'll be able to get that DSLR!

Hopped Up on Grass

Photographer? Where?

Sticky Fingers

I'm not exactly sure what kind of frog this is, but it was too cool not to photograph. I really like the texture and deep contrast of the bark and think it really makes the frog stand out. What do you think?

New Look

Well, I finally decided it was time for Dakota's Nature Photos to get a makeover and this is what I came up with. What do you guys think?

Missile Launcher

Luna Moth

Largemouth Bass

I'm not exaggerating when I say I've been fishing for this bass for 3 years. Our favorite camping destination is near a freshwater spring which runs down toward the river, creating a really great environment for these fish with lots of vegetation and very few good spots to get a line in the water. I've caught a few small bass in these waters, but nothing more than 12 inches or so in length.

Every time I went there, however, I would usually see something like this swim by at least once. I would be so determined to catch it that I'd get up at the crack of dawn and trek toward the water, only to be disappointed when it completely ignored everything I threw at it. The spring eventually became so overtaken with seaweed that the only thing you could get in the water was a topwater frog, which proved to be very effective in landing me this 5.25 lb., 20.75 in. largemouth.

Name that Critter! *Win a Prize*

Just for fun, I've decided to give the first three people who can correctly identify the species pictured above a free digital download of any one of my photographs. Just submit your answer as a comment and I'll contact you via email or by commenting on your blog if you're a winner (make sure your email is displayed on your profile if you don't have a blog)! And to make things a bit harder for those who know their zoology, if you're able to correctly identify what the animal is resting on I'll throw in a 2nd photo as well. Go!


Disclaimer: Any photos received by you as a result of this contest will remain copyrighted by their current owner. You may print the photo for personal use, but may not otherwise distribute it or upload it to the Internet. By entering this contest you are agreeing to these terms.

Reporting for Duty

Harmless? Really?

Wikipedia claims this spider is harmless to humans, but I certainly wouldn't want to find something like this crawling in my hair. It's definitely a neat spider, though, and one that I've been hoping to photograph for a long time.

More Salad, Please!

Two of Hearts

Sorry it's been so long since I've uploaded any photos. Now that I've found a job it's suddenly much more difficult to maintain two websites, not to mention the fact that photography has been pretty slow lately. We still have at least one more camping trip planned this year so hopefully I'll get enough shots then to keep things going for a while!

Two of a Kind

We Come in Peace

Just to remind you guys, tomorrow is the last day of my digital download promo. Anytime this month when you purchase a digital download of any photo, half of the proceeds will be donated to Voice of the Martyrs in support of the persecuted church. Check it out!

Rolling Clouds

Don't you love the clouds in this photo? This is one of my favorite landscapes that I visit, which explains why you may have seen me upload similar shots in the past.

Hold Fast

Twins

Be Not Conformed

{Hover Over Image for Inspirational Version}

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." 

-Romans 12:2

Hmm...Needs More Sugar

We've had an especially large number of butterflies around our house this year and I was able to snap this photo one day while on my way to the pool. Getting shots like this without a DSLR (and thus without manual focus) is pretty special.

Hercules

Sunday afternoon I grabbed my camera and tripod, headed for our swimming pool, and began searching for a tree frog that's recently made his home there. A couple minutes passed and I couldn't seem to find him and so, for whatever reason, decided to walk towards our shed despite the blazing heat telling me to go back inside and enjoy the A/C. As I approached the shed I noticed something large moving on a nearby tree and, as I got even closer, I discovered a couple large Eastern Hercules Beetles. It was the first time I'd ever spotted one in the wild, but apparently they can grow up to 2" in length, making them the largest beetles in North America. Pretty cool, huh?

Help Persecuted Christians

As many of you know, the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is a great Christian charity with the mission of bringing relief to the ever-growing persecuted church. Despite the many freedoms we so often take for granted, the fact remains that approximately 1/3 of the world's population is restricted by either law or custom from worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ and is often tortured or killed should they choose to follow Him.

Thankfully, here in the U.S. we not only have the legal freedom to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth but have also been blessed with an opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ through organizations like VOM. The freedoms we've blessed with should not be taken for granted, but rather utilized to help bring those same freedoms to those who are suffering. That's why I'm excited to announce that, this month, Dakota's Nature Photos will be "partnering" with VOM to bring relief to persecuted Christians. Here's how it will work:

Anytime throughout the remainder of this month when you purchase a full resolution digital download of any photo, I will forward 50% of the profits directly to VOM! Simply click the button on my sidebar to your right to be taken to an online order form, fill it out, and hit submit! I'll bill you via PayPal and email you your pics as soon as possible once payment is received. A single digital download is only $1.50, unless you're ordering three or more photos in which case you'll be charged only $0.99 each. Your purchased photo can be freely printed by you for personal use, saved as your desktop, etc. Not only will you be getting an inspiring photo, but you'll be helping to spread that very same spirit of inspiration to those who desperately need it. Won't you consider joining me?

Here's a few photos you might consider:

Bee Stalker

Eye See

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God || Free Desktop

I just finished designing this graphic a few moments ago and wanted to be sure you guys got a chance to see it. In fact, I think this makes a great desktop image and would be happy to send a full resolution copy to anybody who thinks they'd enjoy it.

Going Fishing

I'm typically more of a hunter than a fisherman, but this year I've been doing quite a bit of both:

I caught this largemouth bass yesterday on our most recent camping trip where a nearby spring flows toward the river.  In a lake or pond I would probably say this is a small fish; but considering I caught it purely in the wild I think it was definitely worth getting up at 5:00 AM.

I caught this fish early this week when we went to a local park in celebration of my birthday and, even though it's the only fish I caught, I can't complain considering it was a 6-pound, 24-inch flathead. 

Bugging Out

I never saw as many cicadas at one time as I did this year. According to our conservation department, every 13 or 17 years an extremely large swarm of them will hatch and, apparently, this was that year. This particular cicada was only one of at least 30 on this same plant.

Midday Snack

This photo won 3rd place in the Wildlife Gardeners June Photo Contest.

Preparing to Land

It took hiding in the freezing pool for 30+ minutes with my head lowered and my arms raised, but I was finally able to get the shot I've been after for more than a week.