Barkeria Lindleyana

Barkeria lindleyana semi-alba. A forgiving Central American orchid species that will grow hanging from a wire with no media whatsoever, given a little humidity and some decent water. These vary from bright lavender to pure white.

Unknown Dendrochilum

Dendrochilum species, unknown. Fascinating little Dendrochilum species with a compact growth habit and the cutest little dog biscuit shaped lip.

Honey bee on Broom Baccharis

Honey bee (Apis), her back legs full of pollen, on Broom Baccharis (Baccharis sarothroides - Asteraceae). Broom Baccharis is native to a riparian habitat and blooms from June through October. It is in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret, Egretta thula, Mission River Preserve, San Diego, California. We went to the preserve to see if the ducks had made it this far South yet. They had not. There was not a duck to be seen anywhere. There were, however, lots of terns, egrets, herons and an early flock of avocets.

Rth. Jungle Jumbalaya 'Arnilicious' HCC/AOS

Rth. Jungle Jumbalaya 'Arnilicious' HCC/AOS 77pts, from tonights Pacific South American Orchid Society Judging at Balboa Park, San Diego, California.

AH-1 Huey Cobra Helicopter

AH-1 Huey Cobra Helicopter, Miramar Air Show, San Diego, California.

Anguloa eburnea

Anguloa eburnea. Anguloa are often called the tulip orchids because of their resemblance, at a distance anyhow, to a tulip. Anguloa eburnea is a native of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru where it is found at around 4500 to 7500 ft. This species is notably distinguished from Anguloa uniflora, which it is often mislabled as, by eburnea's diamond shaped, elongated midlobe (on the lip).

Dendrobium cuthbertsonii var semi alba

Dendrobium cuthbertsonii var semi alba.

Dendrobium cuthbertsonii bicolor form

Dendrobium cuthbertsonii is native to New Guinea where it grows on mossy rocks along streams at high altitude (3k-10k ft).

C. Caudebec 'Carmela' AM/AOS

C. Caudebec 'Carmela' AM/AOS. This magnificent plant with huge upright stems of waxy, vibrantly spotted flowers was upgraded to an Award of Merit at the San Diego Botanical Gardens Show.

Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. Osaka Castle consists of two raised platforms of landfill supported by interlocked granite walls each surrounded by a moat. The castle is eight stories tall and construction was begun in 1583 Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The Pearl of the Orient

The Oriental Pearl Tower next to the Huangpu river in Pudong, Shanghai. River boats covered with brightly colored lights go up and down the river and night making for great viewing with a nice hot cup of coffee. This was taken from the lobby of the Shanghai Grand Hyatt in the Jin Mao Tower. Until 2007 it was the tallest building in China and the fifth tallest in the world. The Shanghai Grand Hyatt occupies floors 53 (lobby) to 87 (penthouse). Hats off to Jian for IDing the tower and Dave Ross for IDing where this photo was taken from!

Bodhisattva Rising from the Ashes of Destruction

Wat Maha That Ayutthaya (Wat is the Thai word for Temple), Bangkok, Thailand. This was at one of the many temples on the Bangkok river tour where you are taken in a small boat to a whole series of amazing, ancient temples, a river market and, yes, a little thai zoo with snake charmers... It's quite an adventure but dress for hot weather.

This bodhisattva was surrounded by rows of beheaded, worn bodhisattvas that had been descrated by an invading Burmese Army. The heads are mostly gone, perhaps removed to another locale; however, this head was apparently lost underground and arose, somewhat miraculously upright and visibly entwined in the roots of that bodhi-ficus tree.

Les Arenes de Nimes

Les Arenes de Nimes, Nimes, France. While many have heard of the infamous Coliseum in the center of Rome, there were actually multiple arenas throughout the Roman Empire. This one is in Nimes, France and is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters still in existence. When new, the Nimes Amphitheater could hold up to 24,000 people.

They had pictures and narratives about all the different types of gladiators that fought in the Arena, each specializing in particular weapons and tactics. The narratives also noted that the combat was only rarely to the death, contrary to popular myth.

Little Rock, Arkansas

Pulaski County Courthouse, Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas. It's a beautiful building. Perhaps not as imposing as many more modern courthouses. It's a picture I snapped when I was walking through Little Rock one evening. It was one of the older and more scenic buildings in Little Rock. As it turns out, Little Rock is a friendly, welcoming place and, outside of being nowhere near the beach, is a pretty nice place to hang out. I still remember the waiter at the restaurant saying they had a special on pate, immediately bringing to mind tiny portions surrounded by crackers. In fact, he brought out a huge plate covered by what looked like slices of meatloaf! It was both tasty and, surprisingly reasonably priced. So, if you're ever in that neck of the woods, stop by Little Rock.

White Bengal Tiger

White bengal tiger, Pana'ewa Zoo, Hilo, Hawaii. The tiger's name is Namaste, and was donated to the Pana'ewa zoo by Dirk Arthur, a magician at the Tropicana Resort in Las Vegas. Note, his eyes are not pink as he is not an albino per se. Just white.

Will the Real Katydid Please Stand Up?

True Katydid, Pterphylla camellifolia, that wandered into the living room. I have to admit, they look a lot scarier up close!

Meet One of the Most Poisonous Animals in the World!

Golden Poison Dart Frog, Phyllobates terribilis. The Golden Poison Dart Frog, a native of the Pacific coast of Columbia, is one of the most poisonous animals in the world. While captive-bred specimens are not toxic, the roughly one milligram of batrachotoxin found in a wild P. terribilis is sufficient to kill about 10,000 mice,over 10 humans, or up to two African bull elephants. The toxin is likely derived from alkaloids present in its natural food source, possibly a small Columbian beetle in the family Melyridae.

Birdman of Coronado

Man feeding pigeons in Coronado, California. Some people just have a way with animals! This man was proudly feeding some of the boldest pigeons I've ever seen. He even tried, with less than perfect success, to get them to roost on his head. Nothing a little bird food and a lot of patience cannot solve!

Fly by Night?

A plane flying by as the flight descended into Baltimore, MD in the early evening.

Aerial View of Pearl Harbor, Pearl City and Aiea, Hawaii

Aerial View of Pearl Harbor with Pearl City and Aiea Heights in the background. You can see a tiny sub in the center and what's left of the beautiful coral reefs that surrounded Pearl Harbor and the Honolulu Airport.