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Today's post is the second episode of my introductory presentations on primates. This longer video covers some details about prosimians, New world monkeys, and Old world monkeys. The video concludes with a look at my assessment of some of Hollywood's most famous primates....Just click on the video to view it. I recommend clicking the "full screen" icon in the lower right to make the video larger. I look forward to your feedback! > read more

A Primate Primer - Part 1

Published on 2012-02-19 11:17:00

This post represents the beginning of an expansion of the scope of the Blue Lion Blog to include my work with biology education as well as my nature photography. Over the more than 20 years of teaching, I have had lots of parents express a desire to be able to visit my classes to learn some of the topics their children come home and talk about over the dinner table. In order to make this something of a reality, I have decided to take certain concepts and create short five to ten minute videos t [..] > read more

The Monthly Blue Lion Photos Raffle

Published on 2012-01-28 10:20:00

Friends, Romans, Blue Lion Blog Readers, Lend me your ears ..... This month marks the first drawing of Blue Lion Photos monthly raffle. In this FREE raffle you may enter to win YOUR CHOICE of any Blue Lion Photo as an 8 x 10 print. If you've ever wanted to a Blue Lion image for yourself or a loved one, this is your chance to get it totally free! All you need to do is to go to the entry widget at the bottom of this page and enter. You can also enter by going to the Blue Lion Photos Facebook Page. [..] > read more

Looking back on a smart move!

Published on 2012-01-12 18:56:00

Earlier this week I saw on CNN video of a young Australian woman who was visiting Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River at the Zambia/Zimbabwe boarder. On New Year's she decided to be adventurous and bungee jump from the Victoria Falls bridge which sits almost 400 feet above the river. Sadly, the bungee cord snapped and plunged her into the mighty currents of the Zambezi. Miraculously she survived with little more than some very nasty bruising but no broken bones! If you have not seen this video, [..] > read more

ZEN MONKEY

Published on 2012-01-07 09:04:00

With the holidays over and life returning to "normal", we can all take some time to sit back and reflect on things...... Just like this Chacma Baboon seems to be doing up in his tree."ZEN MONKEY"Cape of Good Hope, South AfricaIf you'd like to "reflect" on other cool critters....please visit Misty Dawn's Camera Critters Meme. > read more

THE TOP TEN BLUE LION PHOTOS OF 2011 - THE WINNER!

Published on 2011-12-31 21:06:00

DRUMROLL PLEASE………………..With many thanks to all of you who have been friendly and faithful followers of Blue Lion Photos this past year, I am proud to present you with this years most viewed image.NUMBER 1: THREE OF A KIND.These three baby bunnies were discovered by students at my school one morning as they were crossing the quad. The bunnies were “frozen” in their protective state and were easily gathered up by my middle school students who brought them to me with pleas to save t [..] > read more

THE TOP TEN BLUE LION PHOTOS OF 2011 - Post 5 of 6

Published on 2011-12-30 18:49:00

NUMBER 2: “FOCUS” The second most viewed Blue Lion Photo of 2011 was taken in Awendaw, South Carolina at one of my favorite places. The Center for Birds of Prey is an amazing organization that has rehabilitated close to 6000 raptors over the past 20 years as well as providing the Charleston, South Carolina area a world-class educational facility supporting these impressive birds. “Focus” features a Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax) which is an eagle that is found throughout African and Southern [..] > read more

THE TOP TEN BLUE LION PHOTOS OF 2011 - Post 4 of 6

Published on 2011-12-29 15:54:00

Welcome to Installment 4 of the Top Ten most Viewed Blue Lion Photos of 2011. Today you get to see the 3rd and 4th most popular images of the year.NUMBER 4: “Shark Bite” This image is from one of my two visits to the South African town of Gansbaai. This town is world renowned for its shark diving and I was lucky enough to go out twice to see the Great White Sharks that encircle Seal Island. In the presence of these might fish, you truly understand their power, but you also appreciate they a [..] > read more

THE TOP TEN BLUE LION PHOTOS OF 2011 - Post 3 of 6

Published on 2011-12-28 17:57:00

Welcome to Installment 3 of the Top Ten most Viewed Blue Lion Photos of 2011. Today you get to see the 5th and 6th most popular images of the year.NUMBER 6: “BeeBonnet” This image of a bee pollinating a bluebonnet in Allen, Texas is one of my personal favorites as it evokes memories of one of my favorite, secret bluebonnet patches. I enjoyed many visits to this patch until I discovered the city of Allen recently built a “Hydropark” on this very spot. This coming spring I will just have t [..] > read more

THE TOP TEN BLUE LION PHOTOS OF 2011 - Post 2 of 6

Published on 2011-12-27 20:31:00

Here in the second installment of the 2011 Blue Lion Photos Top Ten list, we have the 8th and 7th most viewed images from Blue Lion Photos.NUMBER 8: “Buttonbush”As a Biology teacher, I find a great deal of fascination in many aspects of nature. However, this flower is one of my all-time favorites. I enjoy it because it is so unusual in its shape and intricate detail. It also is an unusual flower in that it thrives at the most inhospitable time of the year – the dog days of summer in Texas [..] > read more

THE TOP TEN BLUE LION PHOTOS OF 2011 - Post 1 of 6

Published on 2011-12-26 18:48:00

Now that the rush of the Christmas season is over and I have some time to start reflecting on the year that has been 2011, I thought I’d share with you the most viewed images from the Blue Lion Photos website this past calendar year. A major aspect of this year has been the growth of members of the Blue Lion “Pride” from all over the globe. 2011 saw visitors from 108 different nations representing 2847 cities look at the posts here on the Blue Lion Blog.In addition to the geography of [..] > read more

Wild at Wingswood - Come Join Me!

Published on 2011-10-27 14:54:00

This weekend I am excited to be able to head to South Carolina to help out my good friends at the Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw (near Charleston) as they hold their yearly fundraiser "Wild at Wingswood". For the second year in a row, the esteemed Jack Hanna will be on hand to lend his vibrance and passion to the proceedings. I am lucky to be able to attend and serve as photographer for the events this weekend. On Saturday (10/29) there will be a family event from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm tha [..] > read more

A Bevy of Beautiful Butterflies!

Published on 2011-07-03 21:34:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure to spend several hours visiting the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park in Dallas. I am ashamed to say after all my years in Dallas, I had never visited the TDG. They have the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House which i > read more

Happy 4th of July!

Published on 2011-07-02 08:13:00

As a nature photographer who also has enjoys photographing flags, I thought I'd post some of my American Flag themed composites to celebrate the 4th of July. I often like to take flag photos and convert them into textures which can then serve a > read more

Red Spotted Purple Butterfly Portrait

Published on 2011-06-28 18:04:00

For this week's Wordless Wednesday - A Red spotted Purple Butterfly taken while I spent a fantastic afternoon at "Whispering Wings" at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina last week. ENJOY! Click in the image to see it in the origina > read more

NOT a Rolling Stone

Published on 2011-06-07 20:02:00

For this week's Wordless Wednesday Meme...... "Not A Rolling Stone" Click in the image to see it in the original gallery > read more

My Favorite Summer Flower

Published on 2011-06-03 12:14:00

As we prepare to enter the heat of the summer months here in Texas, many folks know that we will lose the beauty of all the amazing spring blossoms that make so much of the Texas landscape appealing. Indeed the floral options during the dog days of s > read more

BPRC - Red Tailed Hawks

Published on 2011-05-28 11:18:00

Last weekend I had the great pleasure to visit the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center on the shores of Lake Lavon just east of Plano, Texas. I had the privilege of meeting 11 birds of prey which I will share here on the Blue Lion Blog over time. E > read more

Thoughts on an Eagle's Eye.....

Published on 2011-05-21 11:54:00

After having a great morning at the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center (BPRC) here in North Texas, I thought I'd share an image that I talked about with fellow photographers at the BPRC today. In particular, we were discussing the fact that ow > read more

Beautiful Indian Blankets

Published on 2011-05-14 17:48:00

I was very pleased earlier this week to discover a field of one of my very favorite native Texas wildflowers growing less than a mile from my house! Once the weather and wind cooperated I was able to get out today and shoot some of theseWonderf > read more

Happy Mother's Day

Published on 2011-05-06 09:54:00

During this spring season of rebirth and growth, we take a day to recognize and celebrate those women in our lives who play such a pivotal role in the outcome of each of our lives. From the nausea, cravings, and discomfort of the miracle of pregnancy > read more

And Justice was Served....

Published on 2011-05-03 20:50:00

To honor the work of the brave soldiers who helped bring Osama Bin Laden to justice. No more needs to be said.Click in the images to see either in their original galleryVisit Wordless Wednesday for more non-verbose offerings.... > read more

Nature's Fury

Published on 2011-04-28 14:36:00

This week across the United States has been an amazing week for severe weather. Twice in the past few days North Texas has had brushes with severe weather in the form of high winds, hail and multiple tornadoes. Luckily for me, our town of Allen misse > read more

EASTER BUNNIES!

Published on 2011-04-23 11:39:00

To everyone celebrating the Easter Holiday here's one of my favorite images. It's titled "Three of a Kind" for obvious reasons. These three bunnies were discovered by some of my students hunkered down in the quadrangle of our school during the midst > read more

SHARPTOOTH!

Published on 2011-04-19 19:55:00

This week's Wordless Wednesday post ...... "Raggie" Sand Tiger SharkClick in the image to see it in the original gallery > read more

Nature's Nice Surprise!

Published on 2011-04-14 13:42:00

Here in North Texas we are being pleasantly surprised with a very good local crop of wildflowers. Late winter predictions were pretty dismal as we are dealing with a profound drought throughout much of the state this year.However, it seems the the ar > read more

Moaning Jaguar

Published on 2011-04-13 09:13:00

On this WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, I'll let this Jaguar do the talking! Click in either image to view in the original gallery > read more

Oxbow Sunset

Published on 2011-04-07 15:45:00

This week's SKYWATCH FRIDAY post takes me back to Grand Teton National Park and the oft visited Oxbow Bend observation point. This view looks toward the massive Mt. Moran across the Snake River. On this night late in June, I was luck enough to captur > read more

A (digital) Floral Bouquet

Published on 2011-04-05 19:48:00

Here's this week's post for WORDLESS WEDNESDAY. Click the image to view....... ENJOY! > read more

Wandering along the Bluebonnet Trail

Published on 2011-04-04 07:17:00

Bluebonnet CarpetBluebonnet PondOne of a KindDon't Fence Me InSpringtime PaletteClick in any image to see it in the original galleryEnjoy more floral fun at TODAY'S FLOWERSThis was a small slice of MY WORLDThis weekend I had the great pleasure of > read more

I Too Have Shot Elephants!

Published on 2011-04-02 20:45:00

With all the furor over Go Daddy's CEO Bob Parsons internet video posting of his Zimbabwean elephant hunt, I thought I'd use this week's Camera Critters post to share images from the two chances I had to "shoot" elephants. Like Mr. Parsons, I am prou > read more

Wyoming Skies

Published on 2011-03-31 13:06:00

One of my favorite spots on earth is the northwest corner of Wyoming where you'll find two gems of the US National Park System. Both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks offer the visitor a tremendous wealth of stunning sights from the waters o > read more

Signs of Spring!

Published on 2011-03-29 08:45:00

Ahhh.... Spring is truly arriving here in North Texas. I'll allow Mother Nature to share her show with you - She speaks far more eloquently than I ever can! White Throated SparrowPurple Wing ViolasDark Eyed JuncoClick in each image to see it in > read more

Kaikoura Skies: A natural fireworks show!

Published on 2011-03-24 17:44:00

During my 2009 visit to the South Island of New Zealand I had the great pleasure to spend time in the fishing town of Kaikoura on the northeast coast. Kaikoura is a very unique place in the world as it has vistas of the ocean and snow capped mountain > read more

Spring has Sprung! (Finally!)

Published on 2011-03-21 20:38:00

Yesterday we took my daughter back to college after her spring break and spent almost 8 hours on I-35 between Dallas and Austin, Texas. We were sitting in the car at 4:22 pm local time when the moment of the Vernal Equinox passed. While the sce > read more

Busy as Bees!

Published on 2011-03-19 12:40:00

Today's post was inspired by my friend, Mark Moffett's extraordinary photo spread of exotic pollinating creatures in the March Issue of National Geographic. On my visit to the Dallas Arboretum for their "Dallas Blooms" event, I was able to spen > read more

"Remarkable" Dawn

Published on 2011-03-17 11:31:00

Today's post is of dawn over the Remarkables mountain range just outside of Queenstown New Zealand. The image was taken on my last morning in Queenstown and came after a rather sleepless night as we had just experienced the effects of the word's stro > read more

A Visit from our Local Cooper's Hawk

Published on 2011-03-15 20:30:00

The Highly efficient visit of our neighborhood Cooper's Hawk last autumn.He was yet to read "To Kill A Mockingbird".Click in any image to see it in the original gallery.This is a post to WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY, & CAMERA CRITTERS > read more

Mexican Plum Blossoms...Welcome Springtime!

Published on 2011-03-13 18:59:00

For this week's MACRO MONDAY post I am sharing my most recent shots. On Friday morning, I put my macro lens through the paces as the Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana) tree near my office was in full & glorious bloom. These blossoms were so inviting > read more

Macro Monday Mystery -- The Answer!

Published on 2011-03-13 09:31:00

Last week I posted this image as a Mystery shot. And many of you guessed its identity. As promised, here is the great "reveal" of its true nature! I really enjoyed the range of guesses and second guesses that everyone put into this! The image was tak > read more

Zambezi Sunset

Published on 2011-03-10 20:29:00

Zambezi SunsetThis week's Skywatch Friday post comes from my 2006 visit to Southern Africa. I was lucky enough to be able to present at a conference in Johannesburg, South Africa that June. To make good use of the long trip and to live out a lif > read more

Seeking a caption....

Published on 2011-03-08 17:40:00

It's Wordless Wednesday and this shot needs no words! (But feel free to suggest a caption that I might want to use on "non wordless" days!) Click in image to view in the original gallery > read more

A Macro Monday Mystery

Published on 2011-03-06 19:00:00

In honor of Macro Monday I am posting this macro shot for you to ponder. What is it? And to what does it belong? Feel free to share your guesses in the comments. I'll post the answer next Sunday! > read more

LAST LIGHT

Published on 2011-03-02 19:30:00

Last Light on Aoraki/ Mt. Cook Southern Alps, New ZealandClick in the image to see the original galleryA post to WORDLESS WEDNESDAY > read more

A real life "Spring Beauty"

Published on 2011-02-27 19:27:00

Yesterday I had the fun of visiting Helen Lee's Daffodil Garden near Gladewater Texas to see and shoot daffodils. One of the great surprises of the day was getting to see a flower I had long overlooked. This is the very small blossom of Virgini > read more

Preposterous & Pink!

Published on 2011-02-25 22:17:00

On a visit to the Fort Worth Zoo last week I spent some time really watching the flamingos. The more I watched them and zoomed in on them with my 400 mm lens the more preposterous they seemed to become. After sifting the water for food, they wo > read more

Thoughts & Prayers for our Kiwi Brothers & Sisters....

Published on 2011-02-22 17:46:00

In honor of those impacted by this week's devastating earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. A view of New Zealand's tallest Peak, Mt Cook (Aoraki) reflected in the Tasman River.Mt Cook (Aoraki) reflected in the Tasman RiverClick in image to see it > read more

Beebonnet

Published on 2011-02-19 07:44:00

Last year I was lucky enough to get word of a small (several acre) patch of bluebonnets just a couple miles from my home here in in North Texas. I spent portions of several days visiting this patch hoping to get some good landscapes of these ic > read more

The Fires of Mordor

Published on 2011-02-17 17:35:00

I took this image near Queenstown, New Zealand looking across Lake Wakatipu toward the Remarkables mountain range. The sky was not looking favorable for much of a sunset shot and then a break in the clouds allowed me to see the front of the Rem > read more

FOCUS

Published on 2011-02-15 20:06:00

"FOCUS"Tawny Eagle Center for Birds of Prey, Awendaw, South CarolinaEnjoy WORDLESS WEDNESDAY posts by clicking on the link.Pay a visit to WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY > read more

A Splash of Winter Color

Published on 2011-02-12 08:26:00

The past two weeks in North Texas have been unusually cold and wintry with plenty of snow and ice for us. Over the first eight school days of February, our students only went to school for 3 of them -- unheard of here in Texas! The cold weather also > read more

Teton Twilight - An Ode to Maxfield Parrish

Published on 2011-02-10 17:39:00

Even as a kid I really enjoyed the look of Maxfield Parrish's work. He seemed to always find the perfect hue of blue to supplement the mood of whatever piece he was creating. I am especially keen on his tones of cobalt blue.... this twilight si > read more

Visions of Spring......

Published on 2011-02-08 18:58:00

This week's WORDLESS WEDNESDAY post.... click the link to see other wordless offerings....Click in the image to see it in the original gallery. > read more

Urquhart Castle - Loch Ness

Published on 2011-02-06 01:14:00

Today's post in honor of Scenic Sunday & My World is from a trip I took to Scotland. Urquhart Castle dates from the 13th century and it's ruins are one of the most visited sites in all of Scotland. This is probably due (in part) to the > read more

Avian Condo

Published on 2011-02-03 17:01:00

This week's SKYWATCH FRIDAY post is the view of a silhouetted birdhouse from Pawley's Island, South Carolina. Talk about prime real estate! Click in the image to see it in the original gallery > read more

Marmota flaviventris- The Rockpile Sentinel

Published on 2011-02-01 16:41:00

Click HERE to enjoy other Wordless Wednesday entriesYou can find more Camera Critters entries HEREYellow Bellied MarmotGrand Teton National ParkClick in the image to view it in the original gallery > read more

Monarch on Ironweed

Published on 2011-01-29 09:27:00

Today's image is from a visit I had to Brookgreen Gardens in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina. This ever familiar monarch had landed on this small flower that captured my attention. I had never seen a flower quite like this before. I was particularly > read more

Wordless Wednesday - Solitary Sea

Published on 2011-01-25 17:50:00

Today's WORDLESS WENESDAY & WATERY WEDNESDAY PostSolitary Sea Truman BeachWest Coast of the South Island, New Zealand Click in image to view in its original gallery > read more

7 Years on Mars! Happy Anniversary to "Opportunity".

Published on 2011-01-25 10:47:00

I just became aware today that the Mars Rover "Opportunity" just celebrated its 7th anniversary on the Martian surface! I'm embedding NASA's video marking the anniversary. I assume most folks have forgotten about these amazing vehicles that were only > read more

Artist Point - Yellowstone National Park

Published on 2011-01-22 21:03:00

Today's Scenic Sunday post is of the iconic view of the 308 foot plunge of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point. The spot has been a photographic pilgrimage of sorts since Ansel Adams made the Lower Falls famous with his 1941 im > read more

All Mine!

Published on 2011-01-22 08:52:00

This photograph was taken near Daisy Geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. My family and I were hiking throughout the geyser basin and we stopped to talk to two young women who were unpacking their lunches as they > read more

Skywatch Friday (January 21,2011)

Published on 2011-01-20 19:58:00

Here my first contribution to Skywatch Friday. These are 3 moon images. The first two were taken during the Lunar Eclipse of December 21,2010. The third was the full moon on my birthday January 18,2011. All three were taken in Allen, Texas > read more

Wordless Wednesday (January 19,2011)

Published on 2011-01-18 17:36:00

I'm interested to see who can figure out what this is....... post guesses in the comments :) (I'll reveal the answer on Sunday 1/23 - patience my friends) Click in the image to see it in the original galleryOther WORDLESS WEDNESDAY entries > read more

Watchful Ladies........

Published on 2011-01-15 10:25:00

Today's post is a photograph I took on my visit to the Impodimo Lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa. Watchful Ladies click in the image to see it in the original galleryMadikwe is a great example of local conservation ideas that really work > read more

Wordless Wednesday

Published on 2011-01-12 09:27:00

Shrimper's Solitude Click in the image to see it in the original gallery.Click here to see other Wordless Wednesday Entries! > read more

Scenic Sunday - Subsiding Storm

Published on 2011-01-09 13:24:00

As I have expanded my forays into the blogosphere, I have discovered a couple of Blog Memes that have weekly posting along certain themes. I'll be sharing these through Blue Lion Blog and I encourage my visitors to visit other sites in the memes as w > read more

A Bad Hair Day ;-)

Published on 2011-01-06 12:35:00

Some days you get out of bed and it seems nothing can possibly go right! On those days we often can feel like no one else in the world has it as bad as we do. Of course a bad day is usually just that, and things get better the next day. So when you'r > read more

Photo of the Year 2010 (Part 3 - The Winner!)

Published on 2011-01-01 11:30:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Greetings to all of you This New Year's Day! Here on 1/1/11 I am announcing the Photo of the Year for 2010 at Bluelionphotos.com. This year's Photo of the Year took me by surprise as it received a lot of attention early in the year be > read more

Photo of the Year 2010 (Part 2)

Published on 2010-12-31 09:57:00

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! Today I reveal the runner up to the 2010 Photo of the Year at Blue Lion Photos. This photo of a Eurasian Kestrel comes from the Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw, South Carolina. This individual was being held by its > read more

Photo of the Year 2010 (Part 1)

Published on 2010-12-30 18:20:00

Welcome to the final days of 2010! I have just gone through the statistics from the past year and compiled a list of the top 4 photos on www.Blue Lion Photos from January 1st until today, December 30th. Tonight I shall reveal the 3rd & 4th place > read more

Photo of the Week December 12, 2010

Published on 2010-12-12 14:00:00

The photo(s) of the week in this post are a reflection of the season. As autumn fades away and winter prepares to envelop us in longer nights and frosty temperatures, we all prepare for the holidays that celebrate the value of light in our lives > read more

Photo of the Week - November 28,2010

Published on 2010-11-28 08:32:00

Greetings Blue Lion Friends! I hope this post finds all of you happy after a very restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. Here in North Texas things went well as I had a nice Thanksgiving with family as well as a nice day selling Blue Lion cards, > read more

Photo of the Week - November 21, 2010

Published on 2010-11-21 17:57:00

Greetings friends!This week was a good one here at Blue Lion Photos! This week's Photo of the Week, my Eurasian Kestrel, was by far the most popular image on the website as it was my first image to be featured on the front page of a newspaper! The ph > read more

Photo of the Week - November 14

Published on 2010-11-14 10:42:00

Hello Friends,This week's Photo of the Week was a runaway winner. It takes us back to the Dallas Zoo and the photo shoot I did on October 30th. I found this "Lady Leo" quite mesmerizing as I hope you will. Click HERE to see the higher resolution vers > read more

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