Mexican Gray Wolf

Mexican Gray Wolf - Columbus Zoo & Aquarium - Powell, Ohio

I was scrolling through my lightroom catalog, browsing for images of State Nature Preserves to keyword properly (for the day job) and this photo of the Mexican gray wolf subspecies caught my eye.  The RAW file was flat as flat could be, due to a smudged and dingy piece of glass that I was shooting through. But I thought the pose was just too good to let it sit on my hard drive.

From my brief bit of research on this subspecies- they were exterminated in the wild, and today, are extremely rare after reintroductions via captive breeding programs.  I typically focus my writings on bugs and birds- things that still exist in a landscape long after people arrive- but wolves are one of those things that would have been roaming the forests of Worthington several centuries earlier. Now, the closest I can get to one is the Mexican subspecies at our local zoo.

-Tom

Chicago

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the National Natural Areas Conference in Chicago.  I'd never been to the "windy city".  In fact, I never really understood what the hype was really all about.  Now I get it. Chicago is a fantastic world-class city.  Here are a few images that I snapped during my stay.

-Tom

Litchfield Beach South Carolina- A Family Vacation

Thanks for watching! :)

-Tom

Cloudscape

As of late, I've been cultivating my curiosity for timelapse photography.  There's nothing quite like spending thirty minutes scrolling through the amazing timelapse creations at Vimeo.  Over the winter, I purchased a device called an intervalometer, which allows me to program my camera to capture images at specified intervals over long time periods.  This Sunday afternoon, I pointed the camera skyward andprogrammed the invervalometer to capture images once per second for an hour.  Here is my first timelapse effort.  Consider this a contemplative look at the passing of time.  Watch as the clouds move from right to left as individual pieces tear apart and disappear.

-Tom

Crab Spider vs. Ogre Fly

This action unfolded earlier this week on the flowering stem of little bluestem, right in our backyard.

-Tom

For the Adults

On June 5, I was on my deck, grilling on my Weber gas grill, and heard some buzzing.  I looked down, and this is what I saw.  Yes, I'm a little tardy with this post.  Does anyone recognize what species these creatures might be (i'm not even sure if they are bees or bee mimics), and what exactly we're seeing here?  I mean, I know what's happening, but I'd like to know the names of the parts and how everything works.... Help!

...edited:  Maybe this photo will help with an ID?  They sure look like flies that look like bees...

-Tom

A Male Northern Cardinal feeding a Female

-Tom

Tufted Titmouse Fledgling

Still a little rough around the edges, with anxious parents looking on, this little one peeped every ten seconds or so, just to let them know where it was.

-Tom

Brody is my Bug Kid

Look what we found yesterday- all by rock flipping and looking closely at our natural garden areas, right here in Worthington Ohio, within the Metro-Columbus area outerbelt.

He has no problem holding things.  Not at all.

-Tom

Slate Run Historical Farm Megapost

We always enjoy a trip to the Slate Run Historical Farm.  Thank you Columbus Metroparks.

-Tom

A Visit to the Ohio Railway Museum

Get this friends:  Weston is now four years old.  How the heck did that happen?  This Mother's day, as a gift to the mother of our house, Weston and I went to the Ohio Railway Museum.  Megan got to stay home and take a much needed nap.  The Ohio Railway Museum is located in Worthington Ohio.  It's now open for the season.  If you visit, just make sure you keep an eye on your kids.  There is plenty of trouble (rusty metal) for them to get into.  Ultimately, Weston had a great time. It's pretty cool that our small little city has an actual operating train ride.  It is a short ride- maybe about 15 minutes or so- but yes, but a real train it is.

The yellow shirt with the orange jacket ensured that I didn't lose him. :)  Don't worry, I brought him home.

-Tom