Wild Delaware

It is a busy time in the insect world and this morning I found a mob of Red Milkweed Beetles gathered on the tip of a Butterfly Milkweed plant.

Usually an offshore seabird, an immature Northern Gannet came ashore today south of Dewey Beach.

The book Wild Delaware is in layout now and goes to the printer in three weeks. So, I’m not able to shoot everyday now and thought you would like a sneak preview of how the pages will look. Many of the best photographs will run full bleed across two pages and other images work best paired with another photograph. Of course, there will be captions with all of the photographs.

If you have not reserved your signed and numbered copy of Wild Delaware it is a great day to do that! Only 1,000 will be available signed and numbered plus you receive FREE SHIPPING and two free lithographs.

Green Heron and Red-bellied Cooter in duckweed

Osprey

Screech Owl and Great Horned Owl 

baby Skunk, Opossum and Red Fox

Warblers

Herpetology is the branch of zoology dealing with reptiles and amphibians. Interestingly, the Greek origin of the word derives from “a creeping thing.” With the expert help of herpetologist Jim White from the Delaware Nature Society I was able to get close to lots of cold-blooded creeping, crawling and slithering critters who live all around us but we seldom get to see. Jim is writing an essay for Wild Delaware that will shed some light on things that live in the shadows of our woodlands and wetlands.

Barking Treefrog

Eastern Tiger Salamander

Hog-nosed Snake

Red-bellied Cooter

Spotted Turtle

Lots of folks are afraid of snakes and would prefer not to cross their path. Like ‘em or not, snakes are an important part of wild Delaware. The clouded eye of this rather sinister looking King snake indicates it will soon shed its skin. King snakes feed on rodents, birds and other snakes.

Colored leaf-green, Rough Green Snakes spend most of their life climbing vines, shrubs and trees in search of spiders and insects. Their range is mostly below the Mason-Dixon Line with Delaware being pretty much their northernmost habitat.

Canary Creek ebbs and flows with waters from The Great Marsh in Lewes. Last night the water was dead calm mirroring the beautiful moonrise.

From wildlife to wildflowers, there are many beautiful things to photograph for a book titled Wild Delaware. Some subjects like these wildflowers burst into color briefly and then blend back into the green summer foliage. Here’s a look at three plants blooming now.

marsh mallow

butterfly milkweed

monkey flower

I spent the morning lying motionless on the sand in the middle of a ghost crab colony at Cape Henlopen State Park. These little crabs, ranging in size from about a dime to a silver dollar, are called ghosts because of their ability to instantly disappear into their holes whenever they sense danger. Their eyes have sharp 360° degree vision which allows them to catch low-flying insects. But mostly, they feed on whatever they can scavenge from the ebb and flow of the tide.

These young osprey are ready to fledge and will soon soar above the wetlands that surround Cape Henlopen State Park. Nearby the rich waters of the Delaware Bay and Lewes and Rehoboth canal provide a fishing paradise.