Ancestors

Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-02 at 02:43

Going to review some of my favorite photos from 2024 as we move into this new year. It's a really nice way to remember some of these cool little moments.

We'll start with my friend the Prairie Lizard sunning on one of the many large logs in the Log Pile. Going to miss these friends

[#]lizards #reptiles

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-02 at 03:25

An absolutely gorgeous fresh male Luna Moth at the legendary Allen Acres in March 2024

[#]insects #moths #lepidoptera

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-02 at 04:04

A very confiding Six-spotted Tiger Beetle in the woods at our place back in March

[#]insects #beetles

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-02 at 06:57

A female Red-winged Blackbird hanging on a reed in Ohio, May 2024

You can see a hint of the red on her wings here in the bright sunlight

[#]birds #birding #photography

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-02 at 18:30

A Carolina Satyr butterfly clinging to the hairy Anglepod vine on the edge of the woods. April 2024

[#]insects #butterflies

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-02 at 21:10

This is a fun one because it was me attempting to take insect photos with the Nikon P900, which is mostly built for taking advantage of its amazing zoom to look at birds. So I was actually about 30 yards away for this shot, and it was cool that I was able to get some good focus and details and even a little bokeh on the background

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-02 at 21:36

One of the many amazing Trumpeter Swans from the trip to Ohio in May, its head and neck feathers stained red by the iron-rich tannins in the marshy water from constant foraging

[#]birds #birding #photography

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-03 at 00:25

A really fun one from Ohio in May, a Blanding's Turtle. Love its little smile.

An extremely endangered species due to habitat loss and not reaching sexual maturity until 14-20 years of age. But if they do reach maturity, they incredibly show no physical signs of aging and are capable of reproducing through eight+ decades of life.

[#]reptiles #turtles

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-03 at 21:54

Green Heron at Magee Marsh in May

Don't usually get to see these skulky friends from below!

[#]birds #birding

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-16 at 19:41

I am very much not done posting my best photos of 2024 so

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-16 at 19:44

A male Palm Warbler sneaking a peak from the new growth

[#]birds #birding

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-21 at 00:35

Male Chestnut-sided Warbler at Magee Marsh in May

[#]birds #birding #warblers

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-22 at 00:13

Male Prothonotary Warbler singing his heart out just a few feet off the boardwalk at Magee Marsh

[#]birds #birding

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-22 at 23:21

Chipping Sparrow at Oak Openings Preserve in Ohio

[#]birds #birding

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-23 at 00:34

Lupine lit up by the bright afternoon sun in Ohio

[#]NativePlants #photography

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-23 at 03:28

Tree Swallow on a rare break from zipping around everywhere

[#]birds #birding

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-23 at 18:21

I was the weirdo at Magee Marsh in early May taking pictures of things that WEREN'T birds and really annoying every person that asked me what I was looking at

I really love a good look at a Damselfly. This is an Eastern Forktail, Ischnura verticalis

[#]insects #odonata #photography

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-25 at 01:54

A little bitty tree frog on a buttonbush leaf one morning

[#]frogs #herps #photography #iphonePhotography

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-25 at 04:17

Speaking of frogs… do you see?

[#]frogs #herps #photography #iphonePhotography

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-25 at 04:32

More herps?

A painted turtle enjoying the sunshine early last year

[#]turtles #herps #photography

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Toot

Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-25 at 06:37

A carpenter ant herding aphids on a willow leaf

The more-than-human world is really cool, y'all. Look closely!

[#]ants #insects #aphids #photography

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Descendants

Written by MissConstrue on 2025-01-25 at 06:55

@danielthedaring That's wild...I've seen similar clusters on the jurassic honeysuckle that is consuming my house, and the carpenter ants are why I cut everything back to the arbor, because carpenter ants love wood frame houses, (and in Texas, where there are any ants, there are fire ants, and I don't want to call tactical nuke strikes on my bathroom) but I didn't know that's what the ants were doing! That's amazing, and I'll be sure to take care not to disturb clusters. Thanks for the groovy photo and info!

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-25 at 07:12

@MissConstrue Thank you! The more I observe them, the more it feels like any dominant native ant species is a keystone species, and there are likely so many more interactions like this that we don't even know about.

I was born and raised in south Louisiana, so believe me I have no love for fire ants!! But our native ants really have such a wonderful role, seemingly all across the food web

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Written by MissConstrue on 2025-01-25 at 07:25

@danielthedaring Yeah, fire ants I will kill with glee, but we try to use poison that only works on them. When sugar ants and similar non aggressives get in the house, our first attempt is to lure them back out, and if that doesn't work, baby powder. They don't like the scent or the cornstarch, and they'll retreat. Worse case, borax and table sugar, but I try not to kill them.

But carpenter ants cost me a lot of money repairing damage. Fortunately, just one small wall near a window where they got in, but still...ripping out sheet rock, replacing studs, and having to hire a real exterminator, which made me sick for weeks. They're very clever, and I'd love to see a terrarium or something where they've build tunnels...just not so much in my bathroom. Heh.

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-25 at 23:07

Yellow-billed Cuckoo skulking in the batture along the Mississippi River

[#]birds #birding #photography

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Written by Daniel 🐅🏔 on 2025-01-25 at 23:29

The batture is a unique ecosystem in this area. Thick woods of water-loving tree species line the river side of the levee in areas where the ground is exposed during lower flow times. Huge cottonwoods, sycamores and willows, tied together with vines of all sorts.

On this day in late April it was teeming with birds. Orioles were singing from every direction, and there would be a flash and suddenly something like the cuckoo above would appear just a few feet away.

Magical

[#]nature #photography

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