Fun Friday: “Squid” Spider

By Jim | Published August 23, 2019

Caution, Acracnoids … Spider Ahead!!! Today’s blog post features an unidentified species of spider I found on a Tropical Milkweed leaf, while photographing butterflies at the new butterfly garden at the Lake of the Ozarks (MO).  My first reaction was it looked like a very small, land-based squid! If you are an entomologist, or know […]

Posted in 2019, Blog, Fun Friday post, Insect Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Jumping Spiders

By Jim | Published February 9, 2016

When hiking prairies in the summer, I always try to stay alert for Jumping Spiders (Family Salticidae). Not because of any danger to me, but because they are so cool. They are typically small, the females reaching a length of ~8-15 mm long, and the males a bit smaller, ~6-12mm in length. They have an […]

Posted in 2016, Blog, Insect Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Prime Orb Spider Habitat, Pt 1

By Jim | Published October 5, 2015

While photographing wildflowers in my rural Missouri wildflower garden, I found several nice orb spider webs … some with it’s resident home. Today’s post, Part 1 of a multiple part post, features a Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) that I spotted directly behind a nice clump of purple asters. Here are a few of my […]

Posted in 2015, Blog, Insect Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Wary Little Jumper

By Jim | Published May 11, 2015

Warning to Arachnophobics:  Spider Images! From one of my last trips to the nearby natural prairie, this little Metaphid Jumping Spider (Metaphidippus spp.) who was hiding under the shelter of a May Apple wildflower leaf. As he continued to hide, he would often peer from under the leaf at me: I found this little guy […]

Posted in 2015, Blog, Insect Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Backlit Beauty

By Jim | Published October 25, 2014

On my last visit to the local Missouri prairie, there was not much wildflower activity. A few blooms here and there, but most plants are going to seed and browning up. However, I found this interesting orb spider web at the edge of the woods. It is a web built by an Arboreal Orb Weaver […]

Posted in 2014, Blog, Insect Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Triangular Orb Weaver

By Jim | Published September 1, 2014

While hiking one of the trails at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center (Blue Springs, Missouri), we came upon several orb weaving spiders. This little guy, a Triangulate Orb Weaver (Verrucosa arenata) was a real find. I’ve only seen these a couple of times previously. With a light wind blowing down the pathway, it was very […]

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Fun Friday: And Now … the Rest of the Story

By Jim | Published June 27, 2014

While photographing on the prairie the other morning, I came upon a Low-flying Amber-wing (Perithemis tenera) that landed on a dead twig. I carefully set up my tripod and captured a series of images. Here is one from that set of images: After capturing a few images (with the camera’s viewfinder still at my eye), […]

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Spiderwort Continues to Bloom

By Jim | Published June 24, 2014

Today I’m featuring a few more Spiderwort wildflower images from recent hikes on a nearby Missouri prairie. Our continued rains have prompted these beauties to continue blooming. And although some spent flowers are found on some plants, there are still a lot of unopened buds! The first two images are focus-stacked images, each one combining […]

Posted in 2014, Blog, focus stacking, Insect Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Fun Friday: Where’s Waldo?

By Jim | Published June 13, 2014

Today’s Fun Friday photo comes from the prairie I’ve been working. While photographing wildflowers and small insects the other morning, I just happened to catch some movement out of the corner of my eye. As I adjusted my tripod to capture my little prairie friend, he quickly darted behind a flower on the Common Milkweed […]

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Arachnid Lovers Rejoice!

By Jim | Published January 12, 2014

Caution: Spiders Lie Ahead, in this blog post!!! Here is one of my first blog posts, from 2009. I just had to “dust the cobwebs off” :o) With the recent weather a bit less conducive to getting the kayak (“Rubber Duckie”) out, I have spent some time shooting some Garden Spiders. I currently have 6 […]

Posted in 2013, Blog, Insect Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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