Surveying the Meadow

Photograph of a beetle perched on the tip of a leaf

I stopped to look around at the edge of a meadow in Powhatan State Park on a hot summer day. The sun was blazing, and most of the wildlife was laying low. That’s when I noticed this little beetle perched on the edge of a leaf. It seemed to be surveying the meadow, just checking things out to see what was going on. I managed to snap this photo just before it flew away.

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Snake In The Grass

photograph of a black snake coiled in a grassy meadow

Hiking through a meadow on a sunny, summer afternoon I spotted this beautiful black snake resting just off the hiking trail. In my experience black snakes are fearless of humans and this one was no exception. I got close enough to get this picture with my iPhone and the snake didn’t seem in the least bit interested or concerned.

Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle on Thin-Leaved Sunflower

photograph of a Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle on Thin-Leaved Sunflower

At first I thought the beetle on this thin-leaved sunflower was a soldier beetle but something didn’t look quite right.  Looking more closely I’ve identified it as a Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle.  According to insectidentification.org, the Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle is highly beneficial in their predation of aphids.  As a bonus, their quest for insect prey turns them into efficient pollinators.

Black Eyed Susan

photograph of a wild black-eyed susan flower growing in a field

It’s been a very busy summer and I haven’t spent as much time with my camera as I would have liked so I’m pulling out some photos from last year that I never got around to publishing.

This Black Eyed Susan was growing in a forest meadow alongside wild daisies.  It looked sort of like the odd man out, surrounded by white flowers.  I took a few photos of the lone blooming Black Eyed Susan surrounded by Daisies but I preferred this more closely cropped image of the flower.

On The Prowl

photograph of a black bear in Yellowstone National Park

This black bear slowly wandered through a meadow while we watched it from a safe distance.  I wish the lighting had been better but that’s one of the challenges of wildlife photography.