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A lovely monarch butterfly and the milkweed. This symbiotic relationship helps the milkweed be pollinated while the Monarch can enjoy the nectar from the flowers. 

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The American Toad - Anaxyrus americanus

You can tell this toad apart from other similar species by the spots having only one or two warts vs many and also does not have a boss between it’s eyes.

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White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma)

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Citheronia regalis, the regal moth is the largest moth in the area! The Hickory Horned Devil is the name of this moths final instar before pupating and although it looks terrifying it is quite harmless. 

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Freshwater crayfish and baby crayfish that has crawled out from under the mothers swimmerettes . The crayfish lifespan is 3 to 8 years long and reaches adulthood in 4 months. 

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American Dagger moth Caterpillar (Acronicta americana).

The black and yellow bristle is called setae and touching it can leave a small sting. These are bright caterpillars but the moth they become is a gray brown beauty.

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Alder Tree branch

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This is a Carolina Bay in South Carolina, named for its population of different species of bay trees, sweet bay, red bay and loblolly bays. This ecosystem is full of species diversity from birds to worms and trees to shrubs, this type of system is one the most rich in biodiversity. 

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Winter came fierce these past couple weeks! Here’s a quick shot from the side of creek, frozen in a very unique arrangement.

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Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh, PA. 

This photo was taken in the “Desert Room” at the conservatory.  Featured is the Desert Gold Star a work of art by Dale Chihuly, a beautiful yellow chandelier. Of all the amazing places in Phipps this room had me in awe, with the sheer size and quantity of the cacti and succulent plants I’ve only ever seen in pots. These plants have adapted to dry and arid conditions, evolving to succeed where the days are hot and the nights are cold. 

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My dream job #goingafterit #oneday

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Photo taken at Penn State University when I was visiting their arboretum. These bright and colorful leaves belong to the garden croton, Codiaeum variegatum.

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Using a variety of chemicals and about a month of work this small fish had its skin bleached clear and cartilage dyed. This extensive process is used to study the skeletal systems of different marine animals. 

This piece was done by me in my ichthyology class in 2015.

Check out a professionals work here! 

https://www.wired.com/2014/02/beautiful-fish-skeletons/

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Agraulis vanillae

The common name of this beautiful butterfly is the Gulf fritillary. This stinky insect omits a foul smelling chemical when predation is near, being avoided by most. The larva that becomes this butterfly is a red color with black spikes and will be in this stage for around two weeks. This insect is a migratory species; moving northward into Carolina in the spring and southward into Florida in the fall. 

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The Jack O’ Lantern mushroom ( Omphalotus illudens ) is a poisonous fungi found east of the Rocky Mountains. Often said to have bio-luminescent qualities the mushroom is often a favorite of mushroom hunters. A commonly mistaken mushroom is the very tasty nontoxic Omphalotus olivascens.  Happy Hunting!

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Plestiodon laticeps

This lizard is commonly known as the broadhead skink. As a reptile the skink is a cold-blooded species, their metabolism is not capable of regulating their temperature. They are a tree dwelling species, often sunning on a tree limb or stump. Their diet consists of insects and other invertebrates; if large enough, preying on other lizards and small mammals. The range they can be found sweeps from along the south east coastal regions to central America. The Plestiodon family uses autotomy as a defense, shedding it’s tail to escape, regrowing the limb later. This species of skink is not considered threatened and is in the class of least concern. What a beautiful reptile!

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Symplocarpus foetidus, otherwise known as skunk cabbage. This extraordinary wildflower native to eastern America is one of a few plants capable of generating its own heat through cellular respiration. Using thermogenisis the flower is able to warm up the ground around it and be one of the first species to show their face in winter and early spring. The skunk cabbage focus’s each year is extending its roots further into the ground, rather then grow upward like many other plants, usually only adding leaves each year. After many years of this downward growing the system becomes so rooted in the ground the older plants are very difficult to remove. The cabbage prefers a wet soil and will likely die in ever dried out, this makes the wildflower an OBL indicator in a wetland system.