Nature – Page 10 – Wandering Dawgs

Sea Otter Awareness Week

September 23, 2024September 23, 2024Posted in Alaska, Nature, WildlifeTagged sea otter awareness week, Sea Otters12 Comments

This year Sea Otter Awareness Week is from September 22 – 28, 2024. In the 1800’s these animals were prized for their fur and by the early early 1900’s they were nearing extinction because of the over hunting. Hunting bans and conservation efforts have helped the population rebound but in some areas their population is declining. Some aquariums and zoos are offering special programs this week to celebrate the sea otters.

I fell in love with these adorable animals when I first saw them on a wildlife cruise in Seward, Alaska in 2013. They are so fun to see floating on their backs. Sometimes they hold on to each other to stay together. A mother otter will often float on her back with the baby otter on her stomach.

Sunday Stills: Peach and Orange

September 15, 2024Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Nature, WildlifeTagged autumn, Color, Color Challenge, Georgia Peach, Gulf Fritillary, Mexican Sunflower, Orange Blooms, Peach and Orange, Sunday Stills26 Comments

Terri’s latest color challenge is peach and orange. When I think of these colors I think of autumn leaves and pumpkin patches. Here in coastal Georgia our leaves don’t change colors and I don’t see many pumpkin patches.

My home state of Georgia is known as the Peach State so my first two images feature delicious Georgia peaches. Their season is short and is over for this year. I really wish I had some fresh Georgia peaches to enjoy right now.

I don’t have any images of orange leaves or pumpkins but I found these orange flowers and butterflies in my garden this month.

Happy Fall, Y’all!

Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge Peach and Orange

Exploring Nature’s Golden Yellows with Gardens, Flowers, and Butterflies

August 14, 2024August 14, 2024Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Nature, PhotographyTagged garden, Lens-Artists, natures golden yellows, Sunday Stills, What's In a Garden, Yellow35 Comments

Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge is Nature’s Golden Yellows. The Lens-Artists challenge from Ann-Christine is What’s in a Garden? Both these challenge have flowers and nature in common so combining them into one post made perfect sense to me.

I’ve discovered many golden yellow flowers and butterflies during walks in nature and when visiting gardens. The following images are a few of my favorites.

I’ll finish with a gallery of yellow flowers

Many thanks to Ann-Christine for her Lens-Artists Challenge #311 What’s In a Garden?

Many thanks to Terri for her Sunday Stills challenge Nature’s Golden Yellows

Landscapes in the Great Outdoors

July 5, 2024Posted in National Parks, Nature, PhotographyTagged great outdoors, Landscapes, Sunday Stills13 Comments

Terri wraps up her Great Outdoors Sunday Stills photo challenges with the challenge of Landscapes.

America’s National Parks are some of our greatest treasures. Our national parks, monuments and preserves feature many different types of landscapes. The header image is from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, America’s most visited national park. I’ve included a few different landscapes from around the United States.

Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington

Polychrome Overlook, Denali National Park, Alaska

View from Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park, America’s first national park

Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Landscapes of the Great Outdoors

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #306 – Habitat

July 2, 2024July 2, 2024Posted in Birds, Nature, PhotographyTagged Coastal Georgia, Georgia Salt Marsh, Habitat, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, salt marsh34 Comments

Tina’s challenge is to examine the habitats of both humans/and or animals.

A quote from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources tells us that “Georgia’s coastal marshlands encompass approximately 368,000 acres in a four to six mile band behind the barrier islands. Thriving in the waters of the estuaries, these marshes have been identified as one of the most extensive and productive marshland systems in the United States. There are nearly 400,000 acres of coastal marshlands in Georgia which represent a considerable portion of all remaining marshlands along the entire eastern coast of the United States.”

I chose to feature images of some of the birds that feed on the fish, shrimp, snails, and other small creatures that live in the salt marsh. Sometimes I see the birds perched in a tree or on a dock above the marsh as they search for food. It’s fun to watch them wade through the marsh or a creek as they feed.