Family Portrait

A mama elk and her babes look back as they hear the snaps of visitors.

On the Prowl

A cheetah steathily makes his way through the grassland.

Stare Down

South Africa's national animal, the Springbok, cautiously stares to determine whether we're going to come closer.

Sweet Nectar

An Arizona hummingbird seeks the sweet nectar of the South African Aloe striatula's tubular bloom.

Nester

A white winged dove warms her nest within the safe embrace of a desert cactus.

Power

A white lion blends in to his South African surroundings as he has a morning rest.

Peek 'a Boo

A giraffe at the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park, AZ leaning in for treats from a guest creates a textural blend with the surrounding posts.

Buckeye Butterfly

A buckeye butterfly known for its conspicous eyespots comes to a rest in the AZ Desert Botanical Garden butterfly exhibit, a must see each year.

This particular photo is of a Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly. Each year in spring the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix have a butterfly display. I could spend hours in the display watching these beautiful insects. Each year I make it a point to go. On my last visit one of the volunteers informed me most of the butterflies only had a 2 week life expectancy. So much beauty in such a short span of time.

Another visit to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix produced this image of the Julia butterfly. This image represented to me the ever so short cycle of a butterfly's life and the circle of life in general that we so often see in Mother Nature.