Lunch Time

After a very long drought in SD, here a cotton tail dines on lush vegetation in the grasslands just entering the Badlands.

Mom's Watchful Eye

Wild Mustangs... here Mom is keeping a close watch
over this young foal. Most often they will get between visitors and or predators and their young, but this portion of the Sanctuary is use to human visitors.

Frolicking Foal

Young foal at the Wild Horse Sanctuary
in Hot Springs, South Dakota

Bison Silhouette

While driving through Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota on my way home from a wild horse sanctuary in Hot Springs, SD this lone Bison paused long enough for me to get this lovely pic.

That's not a tumbleweed

This porcupine paused briefly, but he was on a mission to get someplace pretty fast, as was the photo op. This was in the Badlands National Park.

Bison

This bull was part of a herd of at least 50 that I was blessed to watch for about 20 minutes while on a drive through Custer State Park in SD. Like a good fish story, you should have seen the one that got away ;) REALLY, there was a HUGE bull about 1/3 the size larger than this "little" guy. BTW 50 is a rather small herd.

Bison

He almost seems to be smiling.
This is his rest time, and he does
look quite content to be living free
in Custer State Park. Windcave National park also in SD is another great place to experience these massive and incredible animals, always from a distance... and a zoom lense ;)

Wild Mustang

It was touching to watch these two friends who didn't seem to care about my presence. I highly suggest taking the tour if you're in South Dakota in the awesome Black Hills, it lasts two hours and if you go "off season" you may be as lucky as I was and have the guide all to yourself in a private vehicle. Oh, and try to go so you'll be finishing up around sunset, WOW. IF I were a horse, I'd love to be living on this 11,000 acres sanctuary.
http://www.gwtc.net/~iram/

Sunset

Wild Mustang on the horizon at sunset.
This was an incredible scene to be part of.

Wild Mustang

Grazing at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary
check out their web site, sponsor a horse.
http://www.gwtc.net/~iram/

Bighorn Sheep

This handsome ram was crossing the highway with about 12 lovely ladies of his kind, known as ewes.

Elk in battle

Winner takes all

Elk

On the trail of a scent, give this big guy a lot of room, especially during the rut.

White Tail Deer

These beautiful gals didn't pay much attention to me as I enjoyed watching them browse on the grasses and twigs.

Frozen Under the Bridge

Winter in Upstate NY offers many photo opps. These icicles under an old stone bridge in Durhamville was just one of such opportunities.

Praying Mantis, second pic

Praying Mantis

Fall visitor to the flower box

BIG Brown Spider

This spider was "heard" hitting the ground after it fell or jumped off of an overhead garage door on Monday Sept.18, 2006 in Alder Creek NY. His body was about an inch and a half long, with a leg span... close to 3 inches. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's a wolf spider. If anyone has information otherwise, please feel free to let me know. This spider was not aggressive in anyway and tolerated the photo shoot very well.

Another pic of the Big Brown Spider

Here's a full body view of the big brown spider.

Dobsonfly, male... different view

This is a male Dobsonfly, approximately 4" long. They live 3-4 years in the water in their larvae stage. After a few years of living and growing underwater, the larvae crawl out onto land and pupate. They stay in their coccoons over the winter and emerge only to mate. Upon emerging, in late spring or early summer they live for only a few days. Dobsonflies have large, powerful jaws, and in the case of females, are capable of drawing blood from humans. Though both male and female hellgrammites (larvae) have short, sharp mandibles, those of the male dobsonfly are much bigger than the females' and are unable to harm humans, as they're so long and flexible that they are incapable of breaking the skin. They are used exclusively for grasping the females during mating. Female dobsonflies, however, retain the short, powerful pincers they had as larvae, so they can inflict painful nonvenomous--bites. When threatened, they will raise their heads and spread their pincers menacingly. They also possess an irritating, foul-smelling anal spray, as a last-ditch defense. These pictures of the male were taken in Alder Creek. The Hellgrammites can only survive in clean running water and are a good indicator of the conditions of the water.

Dobsonfly, male