Kind of reminds me of a slice of lemon hanging there on the jewelweed.

I believe this is a Buckeye Butterfly. Interesting markings.

Just really liked the colors of this plant. Could be a tree or a bush, I don't know what it is. It has large, 3 to 4 inch, spike-like thorns on trunk that would run fully through your wrist if you fell on it. I believe now that this is what's known as a Honey Locust tree.

In Jurassic Park, the local wildlife always has its eye on you. In this case, it is the butterfly population that needs to be cautious. The mantids lie in wait in the tops of ironweed plants for unsuspecting butterflies.

An almost futuristic appearance...

...especially in the head area!

After flying right past me and nearly taking my head off, this owl perched on a nearby tree. I immediately started shooting photos of him/her and slowly walking closer to get a better shot. Though the owl looked around as if nervous, it stayed there as I inched closer and closer. Eventually, I was almost directly below it and it was about 10 feet above my head. It finally looked directly at me and I got this shot. Just after I took this, the owl turned around and shot a load of "owl juice" my way. It was as if it had been expecting me to continue sneaking up on it and it had planned to "bomb" me. A few moments later it flew away.

The exact location where this owl was photographed can be seen by the waypoint marker on the map below.

View larger map.

I think God put in a little bit of overtime on this guy. Like flying stained glass...

There can be no denying that these guys are really alien scout ships. Note the metal construction of the body (fuselage) and "head" (cockpit). Note too the serrated jaws. Though not visible in this shot, the underside of this bug (craft) reveals a complex hydraulics package for driving the mechanized wings. The two dark orb-like windows at the front give nearly 360 degrees of vision to the pilots.

You lookin' at me? No, those are not pupils in the eyes of this praying mantis who was watching me walk by, but they sure made me fee creepy when I looked up at it. This carnivore is pretty much a killing machine that I, for one, am grateful does not exist in a size much larger than seen here. This one was too high for me to get a real good look at but I'd say it was about five inches in length. I could almost imagine servo motors whirring as it moved its head from side to side.

In the jungle (actually, it's a local state park) death comes quickly at the end of my camera lens. You want flies with that?

When walking through the woods, or life, remember to look down every once in a while. You might be surprised by what you see there.

Ever hear someone talking about "eating like a bird"? The assumption is that birds don't eat very much. How else do birds stay "light as a feather"?

Well, I'm here to tell ya that the birds who frequent my backyard eat like pigs! I am constantly filling the feeders with seed and suet and they make quick work of consuming it all.

As much as the birds eat, the squirrels eat even more! They eat the bird food and chow down on ear after ear of the corn that I put out for them. Well, the last thing I want on my conscience is a dray of fat squirrels! From here on out, the squirrels are going to have to work for their dinner.

As you can see in the video below, the early results are good!

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The wily squirrel is out early in search of his prey.