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| Stinkhorn Mushroom (Clathrus columnatus) |
These are more of my favorite photos of the year. Because I had them all out, sorting them and trying to decide which was the best I thought I would share them again. The 6 images that I randomly selected to enter into photography contests are on the previous post or this link:
Above: The Stinkhorn Mushroom is one of the nastiest-smelling things we encounter in the natural environment in Florida. It is quite beautiful in the close-up however. The bright orange and brown mushroom emits an incredibly foul odor to attract flies which spread its spores.
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Lubber Sex
Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (Romalea microptera) |
The lubbers were not amused by me sticking a camera in their face. . . still it didn't cause them to pause their coitus. I really like this grasshopper. They start off jet black with a yellow or orange streak along their wings then as they mature they morph into this colorful creation.
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| Dung Beetle Sex (Scarabaeinae) |
If you look closely at this image (click on the image to enlarge) you'll see that there are 3 dung beetles somehow procreating. I'm not all that familiar with beetle sex, but it is clear that's what they're doing.
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| Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) |
This is one of my all time favorite photos. That little Sandhill Crane struggled to keep up with his mother. . . trudging through the mud. . . in what was left of our lake late spring 2011. The lake is now completely dry and the Sandhill Cranes have not returned. Presumably as the drought rages on they move to areas where there is still some water (and food). I made this image with a 1300 mm lens mounted on a tripod. The cranes were perhaps 1 mile from my location.
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| Sandhill Cranes with colt |
I liked this shot because it was so clear. He was looking right at the camera. The osprey have moved on along with the cranes as the lakes have completely dried.
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| Bog Buttons (or Hat Pins; Lachnocaulon beyrichianum) |
I love these spring flowers. . . they're the epitome of whimsical. Unfortunately, they too are missing this spring as the lake beds where they thrive are powder dry and cracked. We can only hope for rain to bring them out before their season passes.
With slightly damper weather last spring I made these artsy images. . . imagining the hat pins to be as tall as trees. They are actually 6 inches to 1 foot tall (15-30 cm).
