Archives
A Sample of Pop’s “Bee” Images

Another Day at Work

Apis Workers' Party

Predator

Some of Your Beeswax

Sedum Bumbler

Look of Defiance

Chicory Bee

Bumbling Bees

Garden Cafe

Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond

Pick Your Poison

Blind Side Attack

On a Mission

Honey Bee on Sedum

Covering the Cosmos

Center of the Cosmos

Three's a Crowd

Popular Spot

On A Pedestal

A Sample of Pop’s “People” Photo Collection

Big Harry Fireworks Display

To Impress the Girl

Different Perspective

Sweet Ride

Perfect Little Piggies B&W

Flipping the Light Fantastic

Festival of Flights

To the Crowd's Delight

Amish Go Round

Wondersome One

The Stars In Her Eyes

Tuesday's Child

Sleeper Hold

Considering the Next Move

Sugar and Spice

Front Porch Portrait

Caged Competitor

Early Adoration

Child In the Ligtht

Stroll Through the Weeds

Attention Grabbing

Eye Contact

On the Line

Eyes of Wonder

Rounding the Curve

Troubadours of Basin Spring Park

Down by the Creek

Sun Day

Catching Some Light

EAA Fireworks

Hear Me Roar

Snake

Slender Sunbather

Snake, Serpent, Woods

While hiking a nature trail on the east end of Baird Creek in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I spotted this fellow sunning itself on the side of a small hill in the forest.  The area was mostly shaded by the trees, but it found one area of sunlight.  I’m not snake expert, but I believe this is a common gartersnake.  It may have been two to three feet long.  As I got closer with my camera, it quickly slithered away.

I know a lot of people don’t like snakes, but if you’d like to get a closer look at this harmless variety, simply click on the photo to view a more detailed, full-screen version of this photo.

All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.

On The Hunt

Snake, Reptile

Keep your eyes open.  It’s snake season. This is a harmless, Western Fox Snake found slithering through the woodlands of northeast Wisconsin.

We were out on a springtime, family hike in search for morel mushrooms. My wife – an avid mushroom hunter – was the first one to spot this beauty. The snake was kind enough to rest quietly while I snapped a few shots.

As I said, these snakes are harmless to humans. They prefer to dine on mice and other small rodents. These snakes can seem fairly bold and don’t mind getting close to other animals and humans if undisturbed. When confronted, they will ‘rattle’ their tail to imitate a rattlesnake and attempt to scare away a perceived threat. They will also go into the S position and rapidly lunge in your direction. These are all defensive maneuvers in an effort to scare you off so they can escape.

One of the interesting details of this image is found on the lower lip of the snake. (That is, if snakes had lips.) You have to look closely, very closely, to see an ant going along for a ride. Zoom in as far as your monitor will let you and you may be able to see it.  Not sure what the ant is doing there, but I thought it was interesting.

I’ve taken photos of this breed before, in my own yard.  Get a real close-up view from my image, “Forked Tongue.”

To view a larger, more detailed version of this image, click on the photo and a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.

All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.

Forked Tongue


Snake, Tongue, Forked Tongue, Grass I’m not a ophiologist, but I believe this is a Western Fox Snake – also commonly called a Pine Snake. This formidable looking serpent, measuring a bit longer than 4 feet, was spotted gliding across our lawn. My camera’s fast shutter speed stopped that quickly flicking tongue.  My apologies to those who are creeped out by snakes.

Here’s a bit of info about this type of snake from a Wisconsin DNR publication…

Family: Colubridae    Size: 36-56 in.    Status: Common
The fox snake has many large reddish-brown, chocolate brown, or black mid-dorsal blotches along its back and other smaller blotches on its sides on a background color of yellow, tan or olive gray. The head of adults is usually a dark copper, rust or orange color. They live in a variety of  open habitats including marshes, sedge meadows, prairies and old fields. Their diet consists primarily of rodents and ground-nesting birds. Young fox snakes will occasionally eat amphibians. This species is the most frequently encountered snake in people’s homes, especially if the house has an old rock foundation where the snake(s) may be hunting for food or hibernating in the basement. The fox snake is often mistaken for the venomous copperhead snake due to its head color, and subsequently is often killed. Copperheads do not live in or near Wisconsin. Fox snakes are also often mistaken for rattlesnakes, as they often ‘rattle” their tails in dry leaves, grasses or against objects when disturbed.

To view more of the detail, click on the image and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.

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Sneaky Snake

Snake, Snake in the Grass, Grass, Wildlife, Nature

I call this guy, Sneaky Snake.  I stumbled upon him on a walk through the woods of northwest Missouri.

On vacation I got to spend some time in the woods with my camera.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, when I’m alone in the woods I like to walk slowly, stopping often to look around me, taking my time to spot anything of interest. It was at such a stop on a path that I noticed this snake in the grass. I really don’t know how I spotted it, it was so well hidden.

This was an unusual find for me because the snake wasn’t on the ground. It had coiled itself up on some of the stalks of grass, resting in its own stand, about a foot of the ground.

It sat motionless as I tried to move my camera into a position that would allow me to get a shot through the grass. After snapping a few frames, I decided to try and move some of the grass that was obstructing my view since the snake was holding steady, with only the a slightest movement of it’s head. Using a stick, I tried to part some of the grass nearest me. The moment a blade of grass moved the stake dropped to the ground and was gone.  It was freaky fast. No way to follow it through the tall grass.

I have no idea what kind of snake it was. I’m guessing its overall length was about three feet.

This image is much more impressive in the large size.  Click on the photo to see the bigger version.

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