Up Close and Personal

Breath Of Fresh Air

Perfect 80 degrees with a storm rolling in and a cool breeze: this was the setting up on Mount Lemmon just north of Tucson, AZ. The scent in the air, life running and flying everywhere. I needed this little piece of freedom after being stuck in a cube 5 days a week and 100+ weather outside. I have decided I'm going to make Mount Lemmon a regular trip before I make my departure from Arizona. Some things are far too beautiful to take advantage of and must be appreciated if you have the chance.

Enjoy the photos!

Birds nest, there was an egg but I didn't want to get too close.

Shiny rock! 

Overlooking Tucson, AZ before the storm.

Tucson Botanical Gardens-Butterfly Exhibit

This weekend I went for a road trip with Owen McNamara to Tucson, Arizona. The Botanical Gardens was hosting a Butterfly Exhibit, something I could not miss. They had a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes, all mesmerizing and stunning. We were lucky enough to stay during their after hours and hear a class on butterfly sex, which was hilarious and informative. After the class we went back into the butterfly tent and release newly emerged butterflies from their chrysalis exhibit. This was one butterfly event I will not forget and one I recommend everyone to go see! I hope you enjoy the photos I took. Warning to anyone going to the event and looking to take photos, it is very humid in there and your lens will fog up, so be patient until it clears.

Go here to find out more information on the Tucson Botanical Gardens and their upcoming events or here if you want to go to the Butterfly Exhibit before it ends on April 30th, 2012.

Click to see the full image!

That's me being a butterfly (bottom right), an ity bity wasp on Owen's fork (top right).

Moths are my favorite, they're so beautiful.

This is one of the new ones I released. (photo taken by Owen McNamara)

That's Owen's arm (bottom left), They seem to like him more because they kept landing on him.

Cover your eyes! They're doing it! (left), Leaf mimic (right)

I don't know what kind of shampoo this guy is using, but they kept landing on his head.

(Photo taken by Owen McNamara)

The International Wildlife Museum

I went to The International Wildlife Museum in Tucson, AZ and saw some very interesting creatures. To my surprise they had a bug room and it was filled with some of the most amazing butterflies and moths I had ever seen. The fun didn't stop there; they also had some awesome animal displays and skeletons! I hope you enjoy the pictures, I had so many it was hard to narrow them down.

The Snow Leopard is now one of my favorite cats. I couldn't resist that gorgeous face!

 

This interesting looking butterfly is known as a gynandromorph, which is when they contain both male and female characteristics. At first I thought they had glued two different sexes together to show the size difference but they had a magnifying glass next to it showing that it was real. This was a real treat to see!

BUGS!

I went to Tucson, AZ for the Bug Festival hosted by the Entomology Department on the University of Arizona mall. I saw so many exotic and bizarre looking creatures I never knew existed. I was amazed by the different shapes, textures, patterns, sizes and best of all, the COLORS!

The combinations put together by nature are absolutely beautiful. Sometimes these colors are hidden by camouflage, but when they show them off, it's an explosion of colors and patterns you don't want to miss. The beetles on the other hand show off their very colorful shells with pride, from the dark hues to the bright metallic shine, their colors are brilliant!

Beetles can also be a fashion statement. Check out these awesome necklaces sold at Atlantis Dry Goods.

Bugs are just misunderstood. Yes, some sting, bite, spit and pinch, but only when they feel threatened. They're just as scared of you as you are of them. But when they can be appreciated, they are one of the most fascinating creatures on earth. Take a moment before you scream and run away from the next insect you see and observe how wonderful they really are.

If you want to see more in the world of bugs, check out my friend's amazing photography here!