The Spider and The Fly

1/640 sec. – f/3.3 – ISO 100
(Click Image for Larger Version)

Lady in Red

{Hover Over Image for Inspirational Version}
1/500 sec. - f/4.4 - ISO 100

Luna Moth

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.

More Salad, Please!

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!

Hold Fast

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?

Bee Stalker

Eye See

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.

Could You Spare an Umbrella?

Down for the Count

I was sitting around the campfire eating a cheeseburger when, all of a sudden, I noticed a fight going on between a very large ant and an inchworm. I quickly put my burger down and rushed for my camera, thankfully being able to get a few decent shots before the battle was over (note: the ant won). Even though this may be a bit gruesome, it's honestly about as nature as you can get.

A New Creature

You can't really tell by looking at the picture, but the place where I was standing was literally surrounded by these little trees and the locusts apparently loved them because they were all over the place. Though I didn't include it in this particular shot, right below the cicada was the shell from which it had emerged. It seemed to be a perfect illustration of 2 Corinthians 5:17,

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, He is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new."

Family Reunion

Sitting in the middle of a beautiful glade with my family, I decided to walk around a bit and see what nature around was worth photographing. I came across this small tree and noticed that, every few seconds, ants were scurrying across its branches in either one direction or the other. It took me a while to figure out where they were all going, but I was finally able to get this cool shot of them all gathered together on a couple of the leaves. Can you see the tiny eggs near the main stem?

My Hiding Place

Does anybody know what kind of moth this is? I spotted it the other day and thought it looked very photogenic.

The Last One to Reach Noah's Ark

A Nutty Grasshopper

Best Friends Forever