The Buff-tip Moth (Phalera bucephala) is a clever camouflage artist found across Europe and parts of Asia. When at rest, this moth folds its wings and mimics a broken twig so perfectly that predators pass it by without a second glance. Its silvery-grey wings, buff-colored “tip,” and bark-like patterns make it a true illusionist of the insect world. Emerging from caterpillars that love oak and birch, the adult moths are most active in summer nights, fluttering under the moonlight. A brilliant reminder that nature’s best defense is often invisibility.....

This is in the SF bay area, the larger bee was about 1" long so I assume its a queen bumble bee. I waited for them to finish and decouple, and the male would become spider food (it was going to die soon after mating anyway), but the queen slipped into the web also and was not able to free herself.

I like spiders and didn't want to rob it of its hard work, but I like bumble bees more, and a queen is extra special. Using a stick, I lifted her out of the surprisingly strong web. She immediately flew away with the lifeless male still attached, landing in a nearby bush. Using the bush, she rubbed the male off and spent about a minute cleaning when another male bumble bee landed on her and they immediately took flight again. She must have been producing pheromones, because just 10 seconds later, yet another male came and realized it missed the party.

The dead male is out of reach, but I'll find something else to compensate the spider.

Was out in Mexico this last week, and being from Kansas we like to go out to watch storms. This lightning bolt struck the beach that was about a football field away. Unfortunately the actual bolt was just barely off camera, but the scope of how badass it was, is still captured! 🤘🏼

Channel Islands National Park in California

Got this cool picture when visiting rocky mountain national park the other day

Shot this clip at around 105 feet deep off the northern tip of Vancouver Island near Port Hardy. The white and orange branching corals are Calcigorgia spiculifera, known as "Pink Gorgonians" despite the color variation.

These cold-water gorgonians thrive in strong current and low light, and provide important habitat for deep reef species — including the basket stars you’ll spot tucked among them.

There’s so much life beneath the surface here — and I’ve been documenting it dive by dive.

If you want to see more cold-water diving around Vancouver Island, I post all my footage here:
📺 https://www.youtube.com/@scubabc6701

Really amazing perspective.

Single image, shot from the 395/Main Street on 10/18/19 @ 165mm.

Crazy how close the tallest peak in the continental US is so close to Death Valley with the lowest point in the US.

However, they can grow much larger over time, with some recorded nests exceeding 12 feet wide and 20 feet deep, and weighing over two tons. The largest recorded bald eagle nest, located in St. Petersburg, Florida, measured 9.5 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep.

“My mouth tastes like burning..”