discarded by the nymph as it enters the adult stage.
Exoskeleton is 2.5 cm (one inch) in length.
Cicada exoskeleton strongly backlit by the setting Sun.
Fiber optic cable...
has been pulled through the recently buried orange conduit to the back wall of my rural home. The 21st century is getting closer!
Now all that is needed is an optical network terminal that bridges the glass-copper connection to the home and converts pulses of light into electrical signals for the router. Faster, please!
Virga represented in pictographs...
in Buckhorn Wash, Utah?
Large anthropomorphic “angels” showing wings that appear to represent virga falling from the sky. Are these depictions of rain gods?
Virga - precipitation falling from a cloud that evaporates or sublimates before reaching the ground - behind Castleton Tower.
Lightning strike...
on Porcupine Rim early this evening as a storm rolls over Castle Valley from the west.
There was a stiff wind blowing as indicated by the horizontal windsock, but unfortunately, no rain. And the good news is that there were no ground strikes in the valley itself.
Towards the east, a curtain of virga falls behind the incredibly scenic skyline as sunset approaches.
Lightning is extraordinarily difficult, and sometimes dangerous, to photograph. I can highly recommend the Lightning Trigger LT-IV by Stepping Stone Products, a device that controls the shutter release on a camera within milliseconds of detecting the flash. Also, consider your safety first!
Active weather over the La Sal Mountains...
this hot and windy afternoon. Could be an exciting late afternoon with lightning but I hope we get some rain.
I estimate the highest cloud tops to be around 28,000 feet in this image that I shot returning from my sojourn to see the Comet Thrower.
Another large storm cell forms over the Book Cliffs. Those are the Merrimac and Monitor Buttes, center and right, respectively.
The Comet Thrower...
pictograph in upper Hellroaring Canyon is a huge anthropomorphic figure that appears to toss (catch?) a comet! I chose today for a sporting (climbing) descent into the canyon to visit this fascinating panel because around 11 am on the 30th of May a narrow shaft of light illuminates the figure for only a few fleeting minutes. I wanted to witness this archeoastronomical event for myself. It was just me and the Thrower today. Priceless.
Comet Thrower pictograph in the shade, showing multicolor pigments used by the artist. Image spans about two meters in width, and three meters in height. This guy is big and the comet is distinctly yellow!
The curvature of the rim of the Wingate Sandstone escarpment controls the play of the Sun’s rays on the big wall, especially on the Comet Thrower pictograph (lower left). Those are the Kachina Spires in the distant lower right.
A triangular beam of light sweeps across the Comet Thrower between 10:50 am to 11:00 am on 30 May every year. The brightening occurs very slowly at first, a subtle thing, then proceeds in a counter-clockwise movement as it becomes increasingly lit. Wonderful.
Tip of the hat goes to RT of Castleton who alerted me to this phenomenon that he first observed years ago. Thanks!
Engineering digger bees...
have constructed these miniature sedimentary towers, so-called turrets, only a couple centimeters (less than an inch) high as entrances to their subterranean nests. These are the same bees (Diadasia diminuta) that collect pollen from the desert globemallow plant (Sphaeralcea ambigua). Industrious little diggers!
Bees exit the nest in a backwards direction. In doing so they lift loose sediment out of the turret on their backs.
Fully loaded pollen tanker returning to the nest.
For macro photography you must get CLOSE to the subject, and in this case, down on your belly!
Mallow bee in a globemallow blossom gathering pollen.
Here are a couple of good articles about the ground-dwelling behavior of the globe mallow bee and about the rose-mallow bee.
Collared lizard photo festival...
today, and why not? They’re real and they are spectacular!
Once again I want to thank R & C for allowing me access to their lizard-rich property in Castle Valley. I’m shooting the big guy from about three meters (10 ft) away with a tripod-mounted Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon EF 500 mm prime lens.
Big eyes...
on such a tiny squirrel. And big feet too!
White-tailed antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus).
Super Flower Moon...
was visible for a fleeting few minutes as it cleared Fisher Towers but was quickly engulfed in more clouds. This is the best shot I was able to salvage!
Sunset at Fisher Towers...
last night as I was preparing to photograph the rising full moon that was, unfortunately, obscured by clouds.
Classic view of Fisher Towers during golden hour.
Dramatic cloudscape towards the northwest over the Dome Plateau.
Under the towers at the trailhead as the clouds roll in prior to moonrise. Dang!
Big Bend meander...
on the Colorado River at dusk this evening, with light traffic on Utah 128 between Moab and Castle Valley.
Image beta: This was shot a little after 9 pm after I had scrambled about 400 ft up the steep and loose talus-mantled slopes to near the base of Dolomite Spire. Tripod-mounted Canon R6 with Canon EF 16-35 mm lens at 16 mm focal length, 20 sec exposure at f/22, ISO 2000.
Face off between...
two whiptail lizards.
The International Dark Sky Association...
is being petitioned by the Town of Castle Valley to be designated an International Dark Sky Community, in recognition of local efforts to preserve the night sky through responsible lighting policies. Faster, please!
Milky Way Galaxy spanning the community of Castle Valley. This image was shot around 2 am under a new moon, when it is completely dark. It’s easy to see that there’s one light polluter who doesn’t have appropriately shielded outdoor fixtures at the lower right. Hmm. I’ll have to chat with the homeowner.
Dusted with pollen...
as this busy bee does its dance inside a prickly pear cactus blossom.
The wonderful outdoor studio...
that has allowed me to get some terrific lizard shots the last couple of days is generously provided by R & C who live near the very upper end of Castle Valley. They enjoy the lizards so much that they’ve created a rock garden for them to bask. Thank you very much!
Wide view of my setup, several meters from the rock garden.
The key to good wildlife photography is to be at eye level with the subject, no matter how great or small.
This sagebrush lizard kept me company while patiently waiting for the collared lizard to make its appearance. We were stood up.
Northern whiptail lizard...
out for a late afternoon crawl.
Northern whiptail lizard (Cnemidophorus tigris septentrionalis).
Note to fledgling wildlife photographers: Best shots are at eye level with the subject, so yes, I was down on my belly on the ground when shooting these lizard images and others. I do not follow this guidance when photographing rattlesnakes, though.
Brewing afternoon storm...
rolling off the La Sal Mountains today.
The lizard with charisma...
is quite vain, allowing one to get within a couple of meters to snap a photo. I love these reptiles!
The so-called common collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), but there is nothing common about this spectacularly colorful adult male.
Stake out for the colorful...
collared lizard at a neighbor’s property yielded this diminutive sagebrush lizard instead, lazily basking in the late afternoon sun.
Northern sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus graciosus).