Whitetail Deer winter well......

Usually the deer in our area are very thin in the spring,however this year they look good. Even though we live in a developed area ,there are large pockets of natural terrain.

Wild Turkeys in the Meadow ....... Photographed these 12 hens and 3 gobblers this morning,have not seen this many at one time ,this mating season. Weather was cool (37 F) with a 15 mph wind.

Common Morpho (left ) and Owl Butterfly (right) eating on fermented fruit. Both native of central and south america. Photographed these at Butterfly World in South-Eastern Florida

Snowy Egret watches Gator........Visited Shark Valley, Everglades, was photographing the gator and the egret was working the waterway searching for food, had to move between me and the gator,about a 10 feet passage. Egret did take the chance of becoming food and flew.

Micrograph of Florida sea shell.......Took sand samples from Fort Myers beach, washed and sieved them to obtain small shells . This one looked like a spiral , but under the digital microscope look different. Photomicrograph approx. 15x

CRANE MIGRATION:
Was outside this afternoon, catching up on late winter chores and I heard a sound like a raspy woodpecker. Looked up and saw a long thin line of migrating birds. they were cranes, estimated about 100 to 150 of them, ran inside and found my camera, got one picture as they fly fast. Assume them to be Sandhills heading for their winter home in Texas. they were flying south-west. Some research indicates , they have an anatomical peculiarity, the windpipe is long (about 5 ft.) and is coiled within the hollowed keel of the breast bone somewhat like a french horn. Thus allowing for the loud long distant calls. Note the broad view and the closeup view, cranes fly with neck outstretched.

T.C.Steele State Historic Site (Indiana).......Took a day trip to Nashville ,IN yesterday and visited this historic site. A true pleasure!!!. Steele bought this 211 acres in 1907, to be used as his homesite as well as his artist studio. Steele a leading Indiana painter ,both portait and Impressionist ,made many visits to the Indiana University campus. Photos .... View of yard in front of home .. Autumn Wisteria bloom on an arbor

COPPERHEAD CREEK GEODE -KY....Found this geode on a friends property near Berea Kentucky. This one has a reddish cast, which may contain Ferrous compounds. Geodes are voids in sedimentary rock,that are filled with mineral laden ground water,after many years, form either crystal or solid interiors. i.e A small cave.

CECROPIA MOTH LARVA......The larva feeds on a variety of trees and shrubs but mainly on cherry,plum,elderberry,apple,box elder and willow. Found this one near my flowering cherry. The legs or feet reminds me of miniature elephants hoofs.

TRANSFORMATION PROCESS...... Found this larva attached to a sign post in my yard. Thought it was a branch from the walnut tree,but upon closer examination it was a worm doing transformation. Amazing !!!!!