Earlier this week, I wandered out into the cold at sunset on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh and got some pictures to take home. Still some open water out there in the bay, so there are a few ducks and geese around, as well as bald eagles. #lakewinnebago #oshkoshwi #winter

We took a quick trip out into the snow today to look for ducks on the Fox River and Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, WI. Hooded Merganser, Mallard Duck, and Ring-billed Gull. I saw a few others, but were too far away, and it was too snowy for pictures or proper ID. #ducks #birds #winter #oshkoshwi

The Orion constellation in the November night sky. For me, Orion the Hunter is one of the easiest constellations of stars to find in the night sky. The three stars that make up his belt are bright, even with the fair amount of light pollution in the sky at home. #astrophotography #nightsky #orion

The Great-blue Heron is our most common heron. They can be seen silently standing or wading along the shorelines of lakes, rivers and in wetlands. They will pretty much eat anything they can swallow, fish, frogs, crayfish, and small mammals. Horicon NWR, WI. #brids #herons #horicon

Fall colors in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, October 2025. Driving around my old stomping grounds, I had to stop and take a photo that might have been from my childhood. #fallcolors #trees #Waupaca

I broke out the old Canon 35mm slr last month with some fresh film, and fired off a roll. $50 dollars later I got a few good pictures. Lakeshore, Forest County, WI. Canon FTB QL 28mm f2.8 Ilford HP5 400

Striated Deer Fly (Chrysops striatus) has a lunch date with my arm as I go about my wetland walk. Deer flies and horseflies can be my nemesis. I am not too bothered by mosquitoes, but these bite you and lap up the blood; it is hard not to be bothered by that. #deerflies #flies #wetlands #parasites

Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens) is a legume found in prairies in the Midwest and Great Plains states. This July, I found them in Jefferson County, WI, with their flowers covered with bumblebees. #leadplant #nativeplants #wisconsin

The Oval Ambersnail is a small air-breathing, land snail found in a variety of habitats in North America. It is usually found in moist areas, but can be found in more upland ones as well. This one was seen in Faville Grove Sanctuary in Jefferson Co, WI this July, #wisconsin #snails #invertebrates

A meteor streaks across the early morning sky towards the end of last week's northern lights show. I captured hundreds of satellites streaking across the sky this night, there are 10 in this photo alone! #meteorshower #NikonZ50II #Wisconsin

Quick test timelapse of the Northern Lights from last night near Three Lakes, WI #norhternlights #auroraborealis #timelapse

Spotted Tussock Moth (Lophocampa maculata) caterpillar feeding on Gray Alder (Alnus incana) leaf in Forest Co. WI bog, August 2025. What a fuzzy, spikey little guy. Nikon z50 16-50mm #caterpillar🐛 #insects #Wisconsin

A couple of duck butts at Horicon. Tell me what you really think of me Mallards. #ducks #horiconmarsh #birds

Night sky at Yellowstone National Park. I am building a series of images of the night sky to capture what might be the last of it, since light pollution and numerous satellites are forever changing it. #nightskyphotography #yellowstonenationalpark #stars

Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) glows golden brown in the early morning light. Even ferns have their fall colors. Hartman Creek State Park, Waupaca Co., WI. #ferns #nativeplants #fallcolors

Winter is coming. Most of the leaves are off the trees, and there have been several frosts so far; the signs are there. No snow yet, but I post this photo of quaking aspen in the winter morning light to remind me of what is around the corner. #winter #trees #Wisconsin

Stone steps lead down to an overlook of the Eau Claire Dells in Marathon County, WI. The rock formations below are an unexpected sight for Wisconsin. For this photo, I dusted off the old Canon FTB and Canon 50mm f1.8. Shot on Ilford HP5 400 #eauclairedells #FilmFriday #filmphotography #Wisconsin

The Pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) is one of the prettiest fish, fresh or saltwater, in the world. This photo, taken years ago in my aquarium, only hints at its beauty. Sometimes we forget the beauty of the familiar. #fish #sunfish #wisconsinfish

Autumn Meadowhawk Dragonfly (Sympetrum vicinum) visiting my garden Aug 2025, Winnebago Co., WI. Dragonflies and other beneficial insects are always welcome in my yard, and I especially appreciate it when they pose for a photo and eat some garden pests. #dragonflies #dragonfly #meadowhawk

A strange, tiny fungi growing on a log on a lakeshore in Forest Co., WI, 8/25. My best attempt at ID is Multiclavula mucida, White Green-algae Coral. It seems to. Although tiny, I found it very striking. If you know the species, please let me know. #fungus #mushrooms #multiclavulamucida

Nobody wants to mess with the Bald-faced Hornet, so much so that other insects will mimic it. The Bald-faced Hornet Fly (Spilomyia fusca) is a pollinator native to the Northeastern United States and adjacent parts of Canada. Forest County, WI. Nikon z50, 50-250mm #insects #flies #macrophotography

I went to the Horicon Marsh to look for birds. We found many, including this Red-Winged Blackbird, which is looking for something among the cattail fluff. It probably isn't seeds, since they are so tiny, I can't imagine it is worth the calorie expenditure. #horiconmarsh #birds #Wisconsin

The cool fall foliage of Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) a small shrub of the forest understory. While most trees and shrubs run from yellow to orange to red. This guy has gone a different route, pink. Waupaca Co., WI #fallcolors #nativeplants #wisconsinplants

Silhouette of a bald eagle on a dead tree. Both the eagle and I are waiting for the sun to come up and warm the day. Forest Co. WI. #baldeagle #birds #Wisconsin

Another sunrise photo from a stop I made at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge this week. This one is of the floating boardwalk from where I took the duck photos. #HoriconNationalWildlifeRefuge #Wisconsin #Sunrise

Ducks paraded their silhouettes through the marsh at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. Such a beautiful sunrise on Thursday. I wonder if the ducks enjoyed it too? #ducks #horiconnationalwildliferefuge #horiconmarsh

I found several Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea), two larger than basketballs, at work yesterday. They were begging to be stomped on, but I thought better of it, though. Breathing in a few billion spores might not be a great idea. #fungus #mushrooms #puffball

A Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) butterfly hanging out on my corn earlier this summer. It had probably been feeding as a caterpillar on one of the hickories or oaks behind the house. Now this tiny adult is posing on the corn where it has no business but to rest. Rest up! #butterfly #pollenator

I was blessed to witness and share the spectacle of the Northern Lights with my family last night. The light pollution in my neighborhood outside Oshkosh, WI, isn't too bad. #northernlights #auroraborealis #wisconsin

People grow milkweed for Monarch Butterflies, and it is easy to see why; however, many other species also need the plants. While they aren’t Monarchs, the Large Milkweed Bug is just as important a part of the ecosystem and is most welcome on the milkweed plants in my yard. #milkweed #nativeplants

A painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) suns itself on a log while doing a little leg stretch. #turtle #reptiles #nature

youtube.com/shorts/_5xE0... Some clips from a beautiful sunrise this week along the Rock River and the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. Growing up, I spent a lot of time on the Rock River, and I can always hear the geese when I close my eyes. #wetlands #wisconsin #naturephotography #horicon

Red-legged grasshopper (Red-legged Grasshopper) on a Prairie Dock leaf. I am not sure if I interrupted the grasshopper's meal, or if it was just hanging out. #blackandwhite #insectphotography #macrophotography

Backlit Prairie Dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) leaf glowing like a stained-glass window just before sunset. Get down on your knees and look. You will see beauty and maybe find reverence for natural things. NE Wisconsin prairie remnant. #prairie #nativeplants #plants

Sunset over a Wisconsin cornfield on the last day of August. The corn is well on its way, and like the end of the day, so is the end of summer. #sunset #corn #photography

ellow-collared Scape Moths (Cisseps fulvicollis) cover a Blazing star, Liatris ligulistylis, I believe. #nativeplants #naturephotography #moths

I was out walking today, and this honeybee paid me a visit. I think it was looking for salt. #bees #pollinators #naturephotography

I came upon a scene that looked like a funeral for a tree. A tree, likely a hemlock, fell to the ground many decades ago. Something about the lighting of the scene made it appear to me that the deceased was being watched over by its neighbors. #blackandwhite #trees #forest #naturephotography

The broad-winged hawk is a small raptor of the forest. This one happened to fly out of a spruce bog in northern Wisconsin and was polite enough to perch and give me a look over. #birds #nature #birdsofprey #hawks