Cotton Candy Sky
I think this should be called a cotton candy sky, gorgeous and delicious for eyes. It is the setting sun to the west lighting up clouds of distant showers and thunderstorms. If we are going to have hot and sticky weather we might as well get some precipitation benefit from it to keep our lands lush, green and full of life. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreRaindrop Explosion
It is not quite “stop and smell the roses”, but if you pause and take in what is immediately around you then you may end up with some beautiful surprises. I have tried to do this more recently, and avoid staring at the birds or bugs that I know well, those flashy flowers, or some cool weather phenomenon. A recent day saw just a few drops of rain falling from a passing shower. A raindrop landed on this leaf, “exploding” and leaving us with this…the very basis of life! There was not a single drop on any other nearby surface that I could find. This was it, and it...
Read MoreCelebrate Wild America
Here’s another setting sun to end another busy week. We will be outdoors all weekend working to educate the public on all sorts of natural neighbors. What better way to celebrate the birth of America than going outside to spend this weekend with Wild America? Be sure to take the kids, too!
Read MoreGnarly Sunset
I went outside to try to photograph some mammatus clouds a few days ago, with the evening sky revealing those dense pockets of descending cool air after a volatile day after severe thunderstorms and heavy rain showers. It did not go very well! The mammatus clouds to my east were a bit too spread out in distribution and too diffuse, not catching the light correctly for some reason. However, the light was funky to say the very least, with everything on the ground having these odd tones as the sun went below the horizon. This soon lit the cloudy skies to the west with fiery, gnarly tones which...
Read MoreTowering Osprey
Can you identify this photo’s distant subject? That Osprey and its mate have built a nest in what looks like an optical illusion or mind maze, but in reality is a massive radio tower. It is a wonderful thing that the species’ comeback has been so successful in the last several decades that they are now relegated to using any bare structure they can find. I certainly would worry about it up there during a thunderstorm, for a few reasons, but having an abundant breeding population is one of those good problems. Even if these individual birds are not successful this season you can...
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