Hudson Yards Towers-Sundown Transformation

A vertical format view of the towers of Hudson Yards in midtown Manhattan and the Hudson River during the last deep golden glow of sundown with deep blue twilight skies. Nightfull is just minutes away.

NY Skyline-Macy Fireworks

Red,white and blue fireworks for Independence Day. A view of one of the first bursts of the Macy's Independence Day fireworks seen behind the New York Skyline and One World Trade Center. Sadly, the low cloud cover and smug obscured the view of the disaply from this perspective on two or three minutes after rutning the sky completely black with haze and eventually covering the buildings as well..

One World Trade and Fireworks

Red,white and blue fireworks for Independence Day. A view of one of the first bursts of the Macy's Independence Day fireworks seen behind the New York Skyline and One World Trade Center. Sadly, the low cloud cover and smug obscured the view of the disaply from this perspective on two or three minutes after rutning the sky completely black with haze and eventually covering the buildings as well..

Hummingbird Moth on Butterfly Bush

A busy little clearwinged Hmmingbird Moth hovering over butterfly bush flowers to feed. While they are not related to hummingbirds, they behave in a similar manner hovering in midair like hummingbirds, humming like hummingbirds and nectaring on the same types of flowers. Humminbird moths are about the third of the size of a humminbird., not much bigger than a large bumble bee. There are several types of Hummingbird Moths, including the Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth, the Tersa Sphinx Hummingbird Moth, and the White-lined Sphinx Hummingbird Moth and more. The moths source of food is exclusively the nectar from the flowers.

Black-eyed Susan Cluster

A close up view of a cluster of Black-eyed Susan flowers (Rudbeckia hirta.) Black-eyed Susan is a native North American flowering plant in the sunflower family, also found in China and in alll 10 Canadian Provinces. Other common names for this pollinator friendly plant include: brown-eyed Susan, brown betty, gloriosa daisy, golden Jerusalem, English bull's eye, poor-land daisy, yellow daisy, and yellow ox-eye daisy.

A close up view of lavender monarda flowers. Monarda, a plant native to North America, is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae., also known as bee balm, horsemint, oswego tea, and bergamot. Available in a variety of pink and red hues, monarda plants are often used in gardens and wildflower native plantings to attract hummingbirds, pollinating insects, and insects that control garden pests.

Purple Coneflowers

A close up view of the tops of a cluster of purple conceflowers.

Bumble Bee on Coneflower

A bumble bee enjoying the nutrition of a purple coneflower and collecting pollen.

Pink Rose Mallow Blossom

A close up view of one of the large blossoms on a rose or swammp mallow bush. Swamp mallow is a hibiscus family plant that comes in several varieiteis blooming in pink and white. It is a native American plant that thrives in wetland areas. Hibiscus is the latin name for marsh mallow. The marshmallow confection that is so popular today was originally made from the roots of these plants. Photographed in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Black Swallowtail Butterfly on Coneflower

A close up view of a Black Swallowtail butterfly nectaring on a purple coneflower.

Monarch Butterfly

A close up view of a monarch butterfly feeding. Photographed in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Sunbathing Forster's Tern

A vertical format portrait of an adult Forster's Tern standing on a pile of stone, seemingly enjoying the morning sun as a group of terns with adults and young congregates nearby. Perhaps this is the designated guard of the group since he repeatedly turned and watched in all directions.

Tern Alert

An adult Forster's Tern making his dissatisfaction known as a group of people walked past on a path, disturbing the solitude and quiet of a summer afternoon. This tern has been settled on the rocky shoreline for quite a long time, changing his position and watching from left to right as though serving as a watchdog for a group of adults and young nearby. Sure enough, as the people walked by, he sounded an alarm and the group flew off and scattered into the air. Photographed in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Wading Forster's Tern

A portrait image of an adult Forster's Tern wading in shallow marsh water near a rocky shore while a group of adults and late summer juveniles are congregating nearby. With fast beating wings that flash in the sunflight, foster terns patrol lover low marsh and coastal waters watching for fish and then diving for a meal. The medium-sized white birds with long wings and forked tails are similar to Common Terns. The males have black beaks in non-breeding season, but a large section of the beak turn bright gold/orange during their breeding period.

Preening Mallard Duck

One of a flock of mallard adults and their young bothingand preening in the New Jersey Maadowlands. The birds are in various stages of feather regrowth after their spring molt. Most species of ducks experience two mols, in the spring after mating and nesting and again in late fall when they lose their body feathers which are replaced with their bright distinctive mating plumage. .

Mallard Show Off

A mallard duck shaking water off wings and having a big stretch, feeling quite attractive I think, after a nice bath and preening. The mallards are just getting their feathers back after their post-breed and nesting molt. They will molt again in late fall or early winter when their new breeding plumage will appear. Wild mallard photographed in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Wading Mallard Ducks

A pair of wild mallard ducks wading along the shoreline of marsh waters in the New Jersey Meadoslands. Not their unusual feather coloring and patterns. The ducks are just getting in their features after their post breeding and nesting molt. They will molt feathers again in late fall or early winter when they wioll be replaced with their colorful and readily identifiable male and female breeding plumage.

Splish-Spash-Im Taking a Bath

A wild mallard duck enjoying a bath on a hot summer day in the New Jersey Meadowlands marsh waters.

Woodland sunflowers Portrait

A close up view of several yellow woodland sunflowers and green leaves against a partially visible blue sky. Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) is a a member of the Aster family. Also knownas Rough Sunflower, this cheerful, deciduous perennial is native to the U.S. and is seen in much of the country.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Just one of the many varieities of hydranges, the oakleaf or oak-'leaved hydrangea is native to the southeast USA. It grows there in primarily woodland habitas and is also commonly used in the north as a garden plant. The plant s deciduous and blooms with white flowers that change to deeper colors in late summer.

Hosta Blossoms

A view of the lovely, lavender blossoms of a hosta plant. Hostas are America's most popular perennial garden plant for very simple reasons: Hostas are one of the few plants that thrive in shade, and they are extremely easy to care for and propagate. Unlike many perennials, which must be laboriously lifted and divided every few years, hostas are content to simply grow in place without much interference at all. If you do want to propagate them, hostas are among the very easiest of plants to split up and share with others. A very small piece of root is all it takes to create a new plant. Hosta plants are popular, low growing clump plants that come in a vireity of leaf shapes and patterns, They are happy in shaded areas and are mostly grown for their foliage but they do produce flowers. The delicate looking, small trumpet shaped flowers grow on long, tall stems and, while the most common flower colors are lavendar and white, some varieties produce blossoms in blue, pink and red.