"Lightning Bug Backyard" by Anna Miller
Plant(s): Lightning bugs in native plant garden (winterberries, arrowwood viburnums, moss, ninebark, littleflower alum root, ferns)
Photo Story: We have been leaving leaf litter to allow overwintering bugs and had more lightning bugs this year so we set out a camera with an extended exposure to capture them.
Equipment: Olympus OMD EM1-MK2
Title: Lightning Bug Backyard
Photographer: Anna Miller
Location: St. Louis City backyard
Chapter: St. Louis
"Bolete Beauty" by Bonnie Benson
Plant(s): Reddish brown bolete
Tylopilus rubrobrunneus
Photo Story: I happened upon this beauty while helping remove non-native/invasive plants in the Andersen Preserve near Cross Plains, Wisconsin. I used the Seek app to identify it. It was so perfect and magical. I almost expected to see a leprechaun appear. I got down on the ground and snapped this picture.
Equipment: IPhone 11
Title: Bolete Beauty
Photographer: Bonnie Benson
Location: Andersen Preserve DCA, Cross Plains, Wisconsin
Chapter: Madison
"Chicken of the Woods" by Renee Benage
Plant(s): Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus
Photo Story: Discovered on a spring hike in the natural area.
Equipment: Canon PowerShot SX70 HS
Title: Chicken of the Woods
Photographer: Renee Benage
Location: Valley View Glades Natural Area, DeSoto, Missouri
Chapter: St. Louis
"Witches Butter" by Renee Benage
Plant(s): Witches Butter (Tremella mesenterica)
Photo Story: This was taken on a trip to Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Missouri
Equipment: Canon Power Shot SX70 HS
Title: Witches Butter
Photographer: Renee Benage
Location: Gray Summit, Missouri
Chapter: St. Louis
"Peekaboo" by Judith Bechtum
Plant(s): Tree frog in Paintbrush cactus
Photo Story: These little guys grace us with their presence every summer; I never know where or when I may find one or more.
Equipment: Iphone 7
Title: Peekaboo
Photographer: Judith Bechtum
Location: Webster, MN
Chapter: Prairie Edge
"Meditation in Green" by Diana Kuklinski
Plant(s): Gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor); common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Photo Story: While strolling through my front prairie landscape, I noticed a lump on the leaf of one of the milkweed plants. Looking closer, I noticed a perfectly camouflaged tree frog cupped by the leaf. The little frog stayed there all afternoon, motionless, resting as if meditating!
Equipment: Olympus Pen-F digital camera.
Title: Meditation in Green
Photographer: Diana Kuklinski
Location: My front prairie landscape (Bemidji, MN)
Chapter: Arrowhead
"Monarch caterpillar on Blunt leaf milkweed" by Kathy Bildner
Plant(s): Monarch caterpillar on Asclepias amplexicaulis (Blunt leaf or Sand milkweed)
Photo Story: Caterpillars are not pollinators, so I enter this in "It's alive". It seems any milkweed will do. This milkweed is unusual in Missouri. It only grows in Sand habitats along the big rivers, in this case the Mississippi.
Its thick, stiff leaves overlap near the stem and the edges of the leaves are wavey. The red veins are beautiful. There were half a dozen mature caterpillars.
Equipment: Nikon-coolpix-P900
Title: Monarch caterpillar on Blunt leaf milkweed
Photographer: Kathy Bildner
Location: Sand Prairie Conservation area SE Missouri
Chapter: St. Louis
"Any milkweed will do" by Kathy Bildner
Plant(s): Monarch caterpillar (not a pollinator as a caterpillar) on a Blunt leaf or Sand milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis)
Photo Story: We went to the sand prairie mid May to photo the flowers of this milkweed. I was happy to see a half dozen mature caterpillars on the 5 plants lined up on the edge of a sand dune. This milkweed only grows in a few places in Missouri. It grows in sandy areas such as this, sand put here by the Mississippi river. The leaves are thick and stiff with wavy edges. The leaves meet and overlap at the stem. Note the red veins. (I entered this once before and I did not get an email that it was accepted, so I did it again)
Equipment: Nikon coolpix P900
Title: Any milkweed will do
Photographer: Kathy Bildner
Location: Sand Prairie Conservation area SE Missouri
Chapter: St. Louis
"Frog Camo" by Kristin Bailey Wilson
Plant(s): Common Duckweed - Lemna minor
Green Frog - Lithobates clamitans
Photo Story: That’s not algae. It’s a frog and dozens of ducks! Common duckweed is the smallest flowering plant known. Ducks and fish eat duckweed, but frogs do not, although this little guy may have snacked on some duckweed when he was but a tad---pole. The oval leaves, about a 1/8th of an inch, float on top of the water, and the microscopic flowers can’t be seen even with a high-powered camera. Despite the minuscule flower size, the pollen attracts spiders, mites, and flies. So for this frog, it’s duckweed camouflage. When a fly lands on a duckweed petal for a bite of pollen, the frog can nab the fly.
Equipment: Nikon D5600; 300 mm
Title: Frog Camo
Photographer: Kristin Bailey Wilson
Location: Westmoreland, TN
Chapter: Middle Tennessee
"Hiding" by Kim Lowman Vollmer
Plant(s): Green Tree frog hiding on Prairie Dock leaf-Silphium terebinthinaceum
Photo Story: I was wondering through my prairie and enjoying all the colors and beauty. Something caught my eyes, but I kept walking, until it registered - a frog?
Equipment: cell phone
Title: Hiding
Photographer: Kim Lowman Vollmer
Location: My yard
Chapter: Rock River Valley
"Forest Find" by Nan Pokerwinski
Plant(s): Unknown fungus
Photo Story: Found on a walk through the woods on our property
Equipment: Nikon Coolpix P610
Title: Forest Find
Photographer: Nan Pokerwinski
Location: Croton Township, Michigan
Chapter: River City-Grand Rapids Area
"Mushroom and Moss" by Nan Pokerwinski
Plant(s): Unidentified mushroom growing on fallen log with moss
Photo Story: Found on a late afternoon walk last October in the woods behind our home.
Equipment: Nikon Coolpix P610
Title: Mushroom and Moss
Photographer: Nan Pokerwinski
Location: Croton Township, Michigan
Chapter: River City-Grand Rapids Area
"Kitydid in Purple Poppy Mallow" by Diana Linsley
Plant(s): Purple Poppy Mallow, Callirhoe involucrata
Photo Story: Katydid relaxing in a poppy mallow
Equipment: Canon 7 d, Marco 100 lens
Title: Kitydid in Purple Poppy Mallow
Photographer: Diana Linsley
Location: My Backyard
Chapter: St. Louis
"Upright Coral Fungus" by Katherine Moore
Plant(s): The fungus is an upright coral fungus and I am unsure of the exact fern type
Photo Story: My husband and I choose to leave most of the dead wood on our land in order to help provide habitat and in this case, food, for the many organisms living in the woods. We have enjoyed identifying and learning about the many different types of fungus we find, including this coral fungus.
Equipment: Sony A6000
Title: Upright Coral Fungus
Photographer: Katherine Moore
Location: Our land in Presque Isle, WI
Chapter: Madison
"Guardians of the Green Galaxy" by Claire Westenhaver-Loretz
Plant(s): Ant (Crematogaster cerasi) on Common Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fascicuata)
Photo Story: Ants are not pollinators of Partridge Peas nor do they disperse the seeds. Rather, the Partridge Peas have extrafloral nectar glands that secrete the sweet fluid and draw in the ants at the precise moment the leaves of the Partridge Peas would be vulnerable to damage from aphids and other herbivore grazers. Not only do the ants drink the nectar from these glands, they clear the plant of insect eggs. A small and productive bodyguard!
Equipment: Nikon D3200
Title: Guardians of the Green Galaxy
Photographer: Claire Westenhaver-Loretz
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
Chapter: Greater DuPage
"Boudoir for a Beast" by Bette Kauffman
Plant(s): Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides), Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica), plus native graminoids that cannot be identified in the photo, with an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) resting on a log.
Photo Story: I was riding in a flat-bottom boat with about a dozen other sightseers on a swamp tour. We were weaving between cypress and tupelo trees when the boat turned toward a more open area. Suddenly we were so dazzled by the sun streaming through the Spanish moss that we almost didn't see the 'gator on the log. It was a big one. I shot one frame before it slid into the water.
Equipment: Pentax K-3 with a Pentax 100mm zoom lens.
Title: Boudoir for a Beast
Photographer: Bette Kauffman
Location: Lake Markin, near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Chapter: Western Gulf Plain
"Fattening up!" by Ruth Oldenburg
Plant(s): Cecropia moth caterpillar (Hyalophora cecropia Linnaeus) on grey dogwood.
Photo Story: This photo was taken on a Wild Ones River City Chapter field trip to Hudsonville Nature Center prairie. The prairie walk was led by naturalist, Craig Elston. Craig identified the caterpillar. Spotting this large caterpillar was the highlight of the evening for me!
Equipment: iphone 11pro
Title: Fattening up!
Photographer: Ruth Oldenburg
Location: Hudsonville Nature Center, Hudsonville, MI
Chapter: River City-Grand Rapids Area
"Keeping an eye on you." by Judy Nelson
Plant(s): Milkweed
Photo Story: Checking for monarch eggs ran across this little guy sunbathing.
Equipment: iPhone
Title: Keeping an eye on you.
Photographer: Judy Nelson
Location: Centreville Michigan
Chapter: Kalamazoo Area
"Monarch egg on common milkweed" by Ward Ransdell
Plant(s): Monarch butterfly egg (Danaus plexippus) on common milkweed (Asciepias syriaca) leaf
Photo Story: Taken while doing monarch survey recording at sanctuary to document monarch activity
Equipment: Canon 90D
Canon Macro lens 100mm
Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX
Title: Monarch egg on common milkweed
Photographer: Ward Ransdell
Location: Floracliff Nature Sanctuary Lexington, KY
Chapter: Lexington
"Shroom Glory" by Janet Thew
Plant(s): Various fungi including chanterelles, black trumpet, spotted cort, and cauliflower
Photo Story: Janet Thew
We went on a shroom forage in an Asheville forest and saw the most colorful array! The trip leader arranged our bounty.
Equipment: Google Pixel 3 phone
I don't see how to name it
Title: Shroom Glory
Photographer: Janet Thew
Location: Aug 26
Chapter: Western North Carolina
"Butterfly" by Francis Kalinski
Plant(s): Black Cherry
Photo Story: This little guy kept me company all morning as I ran a water pump
Equipment: iPhone 13 Mini
Title: Butterfly
Photographer: Francis Kalinski
Location: Dexter Michigan
Chapter: Oak Openings Region
"Monarch Caterpillar" by Shanda Behrens
Plant(s): Monarch (Danaus plexippus) on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Photo Story: A late instar monarch caterpillar taking a break from eating for a picture
Equipment: iPhone
Title: Monarch Caterpillar
Photographer: Shanda Behrens
Location: Ashville, Ohio
Chapter: Columbus
"Bluebird with pine needles" by Shanda Behrens
Plant(s): Bluebird with pine needles
Photo Story: An early spring bluebird collecting pine needles for nesting
Equipment: iPhone
Title: Bluebird with pine needles
Photographer: Shanda Behrens
Location: Ashville, Ohio
Chapter: Columbus
"Bump on a Log" by Abigail Rexer
Plant(s): American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
Photo Story: Abigail Rexer, age 15
I spotted this toad climbing up a log on the side of the trail while hiking. It sat still while I snapped this picture!
Equipment: Canon EOS 2000D
Title: Bump on a Log
Photographer: Abigail Rexer
Location: Beaman Park, Nashville, TN
Chapter: Middle Tennessee
"Shrooms" by Bill Wickers
Plant(s): Not sure
Photo Story: Zoomed in close for these fungi on a dead stump
Equipment: Sony E6000
Title: Shrooms
Photographer: Bill Wickers
Location: Coral Woods Conservation Area, McHenry Cnty
Chapter: Greater Kane County
"orange" by Bill Wickers
Plant(s): Not sure
Photo Story: Just loved the color of this fungi on a branch
Equipment: Sony E6000
Title: orange
Photographer: Bill Wickers
Location: Coral Woods Conservation Area, McHenry Cnty
Chapter: Greater Kane County
"Happy in the Spatterdock" by Janie Braud
Plant(s): American Alligator, spatterdock, Nuphar advena
Photo Story: Interesting to reflect on the American Alligator population, as I remember as a young child - you could purchase baby alligators, but we saw fewer and fewer of them in the wild. Following their protection with hunting regulations - alligators are a fairly common sight in the river. Now I am cheering for the native spatterdock population, but we are seeing more and more of the invasive water hyacinths in the river.
Equipment: Nikon d7100 with telephoto lens (200mm - 500 mm)
Title: Happy in the Spatterdock
Photographer: Janie Braud
Location: Natalbany River outside Springfield, LA
Chapter: Greater Baton Rouge
"Formations" by Emily Crook
Plant(s): coral pink merulius (Phlebia incarnata)
Photo Story: My husband and I have a tradition of hiking on New Year’s Day. This year was especially difficult because we were under a wind advisory. It all paid off when we stumbled upon this beauty.
Equipment: IPhone 12 pro
Title: Formations
Photographer: Emily Crook
Location: Booker T. Washington State Park
Chapter: Tennessee Valley
"Wonderland" by Emily Crook
Plant(s): I'm not 100% which mushroom this is but I believe it to be a ruby bolete (Hortiboletus rubellus)
Photo Story: We stumbled upon these mushrooms during a particularly warm hike. It just goes to show that there is always wonder to be found in nature no matter if it is big or small.
Equipment: Iphone 12 pro
Title: Wonderland
Photographer: Emily Crook
Location: Audubon Acres (Chattanooga TN)
Chapter: Tennessee Valley
"Tree Frog on Anemone" by Chelsey Smith
Plant(s): Common Tree Frog (Hyla arborea)
Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
Photo Story: Captured while collecting Anemone seeds for Northern Ecological Services.
Equipment: Google Pixel 2 cell phone
Title: Tree Frog on Anemone
Photographer: Chelsey Smith
Location: Meadowlands, MN
Chapter: Arrowhead