Aphrodite Fritillary
Two profiles of the Aphrodite fritillary butterfly as it fed on a wild thistle blossom. Side views of butterflies are the most common, to highlight their distinctive wing patterns, which is the basis for most identification. Still, there is something to be said for a nice head-on photo, which sometimes feels more engaging and treats […]
Little Wood Satyr
Another butterfly with a delightful name, the little wood satyr, posing on a blade of grass. This was my first sighting of this small butterfly, but hopefully not my last. While his overall coloring may be less eye-catching than a monarch or swallowtail, I am a huge fan of the arcane markings along the trailing […]
The Humble Buttercup
There’s no real story behind this photo itself – I was sitting on my folding camp stool, watching for bluebirds near an active nest box without much luck. I was bored, and turned my telephoto lens to a nearby buttercup blossom, and grabbed a shot. I’ve encountered buttercups my whole life; they are a staple […]
Red-Eyed Vireo
The aptly-named red-eyed vireo, this little guy dwells in forest stands and feeds on insects throughout the summer season. Described by the Cornell Bird Guide as “a tireless songster,” their voice is one of the most common during their tenure of northeastern Pennsylvania’s woods. But in my experience, the red-eyed vireo is often heard but […]
Bluebirds
Another morning encounter with eastern bluebirds this past summer, where I was fortunate enough to watch both parents in their endless cycle of feeding. Nestlings are basically insatiable, and both parents spend this period constantly hunting for insects in the surrounding trees and brush, and carrying them back to the nest. Their only break seems […]
Ricketts Waterfalls
BRENT PENNINGTON – Autumn along the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park, PA, on the morning of 21 October 2025. Wrapping up the series from my October visit to Ricketts Glen, which has dragged on for too long now! Here at long last are the shots that draw visitors to the glen, featuring one […]
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
The eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly is the most common of the large butterflies which I have encountered the past several summers, and is unmistakable and therefore an easy ID. These graceful beauties are fairly tolerant – moreso than monarchs, in my experience, and I don’t usually have much trouble getting near enough for a good […]
Waterfall Trail
A benefit of being early on the trail, you can setup your tripod anywhere you want without having to worry about blocking anyone. I set off up into Ricketts Glen as the sun was still rising, and had reached this point just as the light was starting to fall into the gorge, having seen only […]
Happy Yule
Silent Night
One of my favorite wintertime captures, which I made a somewhat startling number of years ago. It was a silent night, save for the creak of the ice. I recall standing on the dam with an old Canon on a tripod, shivering through several layers and a winter coat, and yet marveling at the Vermont […]
Common Yellowthroat
Male common yellowthroat – this dapper bandit was hunting for breakfast when I found him, and had the good fortune to see him return to a perch with a fresh caterpillar in his beak! It is interesting to imagine how birds – and other creatures – visualize their world. This yellowthroat hunted through a swath […]
Assorted Flies
BRENT PENNINGTON – Condylostylus sipho, a longlegged fly, in Scranton, PA on 13 June 2025. BRENT PENNINGTON – Margined calligrapher fly in Scranton, PA, on 13 June 2025. Another assortment of flies from the summer’s macro catalogue. Flies don’t rise to the top of most people’s list when it comes to favorite creatures, although I […]
Lakeside Trail
Early autumn along the Kennedy Creek Inlet trail, trying to catch peeks of the lake through the trees. This short trail is my favorite at the park; less than a mile, it follows the short from it’s start near the bridge over the lake until it’s terminus at Kennedy Creek, with a spur near the […]
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Birdsfoot trefoil, a delicate little flower that I most often find along the edges of trails at the Eales Preserve, and always delight in seeing. There’s something about little yellow wildflowers that is unfailingly cheerful, and despite already having captures in my library I usually stop and get the camera down low to the ground […]
Waves
Waves in the sand, waves on the surface, and this beam of light sliding across them. It’s a simple capture and an attempt at something a little abstract.
Autumn Stream
A few more from my autumn visit to Ricketts Glen State Park, including one of the smaller waterfalls and some more tranquil creek side scenes. I’ll wrap up this series soon with a batch of my favorite waterfall shots from this outing!
Mini Modern Dinosaurs
This feels like an appropriate photo for today, Thanksgiving Day, where denizens of the United States traditionally gather eat turkey together. I don’t think I have any photos of wild turkeys; they are not uncommon in the area, but I usually see them at inopportune moments, such as when I’m driving and they decide to […]
Trail Markers & Signs
We’re not talking deep art or mind-blowing images here today. Some might even call these photos mere snapshots, and I’m not going to take offense if they do. Photography serves more than one purpose; sometimes it’s about documentation, sometimes it’s about beauty or art, and sometimes it’s just to preserve a record of something we […]
Tenmile Autumn
The leaves are fully down now, but I’m still enjoying the glory of autumn through photos I captured, including this set that goes back to last year, where we rounded out a visit to Narrowsburg, NY, with a visit to the historic Tenmile bridge in nearby Tusten. From what I could tell, there isn’t much […]
Threat of Rain
Stacked ridges of the Endless Mountains from beyond one of the high fields at Salt Springs, all under an ominous summer sky. It was the cool tones that drew me to the scene, which I photographed with the long telephoto which creates the compression effect, making each layer feel like it’s immediately beyond its predecessor. […]