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grays.art
Gray
@grays.art
4.8K followers 2.8K following 2.9K posts
Chicago nature photographer:
“the native beauty that lives despite us.”
Hope U ♥️ spiders, bugs, birds & flowers!

📸 Daily original photo(s)
📸 Live critters
📸 In-the-field, manual, hand-held
📸 No tripod, studio, stacking, nor AI
📸 Canon, Olympus & Apple eq
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grays.art
Gray @grays.art · Aug 2
Intro

Felicitations.
Thanks for visiting my nature photos.
Yes, my given name is Gray.
Further info is divided into sections comprised of comments, and sub-comments below this pinned post.

⚠️ This is an arthropod safe zone: we treat other Earthlings with respect, as conscious beings, and guides.
Male dark-veined longhorn bee (melissodes trinodis) on a sunflower petal, seeming to point the way. This way, to more nature photos, and maybe some hints as to what this world looks like from the perspective of other Earthlings who’ve been here billions of generations longer than human beings, the newcomers, carpetbaggers, immigrants, and aliens. Photo taken one evening in the golden hour of the summer of 2024, on a sunflower I grew in the 2x3 area next to my back porch. 📸 canon r5 iso100 f11 1/250
grays.art
Female regal jumping spider
(Phidippus regius)

nesting on a trail marker
at Crew Flint Pen Strand hiking trail
Lee County, Florida

#MacroMonday #BlueSkyMonday #MinimalMonday #ColorADay #PinkMon #EastCoastKin #bugSky #arachnids #spiders #jumpingspiders #macro #photography #macrophotography #art 🕷️
Curious and friendly, handled safe as houses, large, fuzzy spider, just under an inch (22 mm) long, with a gray body, patterned with white spots and stripes. She has very large, forward-facing eyes that provide excellent vision, and her small, leg-like mouthparts (chelicerae) are covered in dense, soft, white hairs, like much the rest of her. Her fangs appear irridescent purple, green and blue.
November 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM
grays.art
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #StandingOnThings except the Floor, and the Alternative is #Gulls

I've gone with an Anhinga on a fence, though he looks fairly certain to me.

Olympus 180mm

#birds #photography #EastCoastKin #birdphotography #florida #waterbirds #naturephotography #birding
Close up of anhinga fills the 9x16 frame, from beach in the upper right hand corner, to taloned flippers at the bottom, giving no U.S. side eye of course.
November 9, 2025 at 12:48 PM
grays.art
Scarlet Skimmer in natural light
(Crocothemis servilia)

with fly parts on grass blade.

Non-native, Asian dragonfly
at Crew Flint Pen Strand trail
Lee County, Florida

7th & final #dragonflyweek photo

#stunDay #eastcoastkin #nature #insects #macro #photography #macrophotography #art #dragonfly
Backlit multicolored dragon fly with tail-end in upper left corner, eyes facing lower right corner, wings caped about legs resting on long grass blade bisecting the photo, the black head and remains of a fly littering the grass blade.
November 9, 2025 at 5:53 AM
grays.art
Portrait of a female Band-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax umbrata)

on evening walk down sandy river path, a blue heron glides down, around the bend, to find a dinner spot.

#ColorADay #GreenSat #BlueSkyArtShow #evening #NightmareNov #red #eastcoastkin #florida #native #insects #macro #photography
Close up eyes to eyes, red top half, light olive green with black false pupil spots on the bottom hemisphere, of the spherical head, mouth and eyes of the dragon fly, clutching the top of a dry twig in its talons, background of its wings’ veinations.
November 8, 2025 at 5:01 AM
grays.art
Today's #BirdOfTheDay is all about #Fighting — for which present a couple of territorial Snowy egrets, which also qualify for #FlyDay

Delors Wiggins Pass 3-9-21
Bonita Springs, Florida
Canon 100mm

#birds #photography #EastCoastKin #birding #florida #delnorwiggins #egrets
Two egrets in shallow water dispute fishing rights, one attacking from beyond the top of the frame, while below, one with wings outstretched, running/flying/fleeing crosses the frame from right to left, noon shadows beneath them.
November 7, 2025 at 9:51 AM
grays.art
Happy Fly-day. We made it!

Male Eastern amberwing
(Perithemis tenera)

on red mangrove leaf
a dragonfly under an inch (~2cm)
10-8-25 in Bonita Springs, FL

#FlyDay #eastCoastKin #bugSky #macro #photography #macroPhotography #florida #native #insects #bugs #dragonflies #nature #art #dragonflyweek 🐉🪰
Small, red-and-yellow-eyed, yellow and orange dragonfly perched on the end of the upper branch of a pink twig with two branches terminating in the remains of dried flowers.
November 7, 2025 at 5:30 AM
grays.art
Thank goodness tomorrow’s Flyday!

Post original photos & art of live, self-propelled, flying creatures. 1 or more submissions welcome tagged:

#FlyDay #EastCoastKin

Welcome no matter location, nor skill level.

#photography #painting #Art #ArtChallenges #ArtPrompts

Questions/comments? @grays.art
November 6, 2025 at 9:44 PM
grays.art
Good morning. Today’s #BirdOfTheDay alternative theme is #fluffy , birds with feathers fluffed up.

This male cardinal displayed itself fluffed, and in the comment, unfluffed,

in Cleveland, Ohio 6-21-21
Canon 5D Mark IV ISO1250 f6.3 1/500

#birds #photography #EastCoastKin #ptiloerection #birding
Northern cardinal has fluffed itself into a sphere, and displays his crest
November 6, 2025 at 8:00 AM
grays.art
Male Seaside Dragonlet
(Erythrodiplax berenice)

on mangrove leaf
Cape Coral, Florida 10-10-25

Unique native dragonfly that can breed in seawater.

#eastCoastKin #bugSky #insectThursday #macro #photography #macroPhotography #native #insects #bugs #dragonflies #nature #art #dragonflyweek
Eye to eye with a dark, medium-sized dragonfly, about 1.5 inches long, with a slender body and mostly black and dark blue coloration, with dark, blackish body and clear wings veined like stained glass.
November 6, 2025 at 6:44 AM
grays.art
Female Seaside Dragonlet
(Erythrodiplax berenice)

Cape Coral, Florida

Unique native dragonfly, can breed in brackish, & even seawater.

#ColorADay #RedWed #NightmareNov #legs #eastCoastKin #bugSky #macro #photography #macroPhotography #native #insects #bugs #dragonflies #nature #art #dragonflyweek
Dynamic flicker of life, about 1 to 1.5 inches (~3cm) long, jewel of the salt marsh, a delicate mosaic of bold color. A vibrant creature, painted in striking strokes of orange, yellow, and contrasting deep, velvety black. Her main body section, the thorax, is like a canvas of narrow "tiger" stripes, an intricate pattern of black lines set against her background of brilliant, warm orange and yellow, where her four shimmering wings and six slender legs are attached, a bustling central hub of energy. Her long, segmented tail, or abdomen, is mostly orange on the upper side, while her underside is a contrasting black. Her eyes, large and essential for her aerial hunting, are a warm red-brown ontop, black-spotted green below. Her wings are a marvel of engineering, translucent and delicate, with a complex network of fine veins like stained glass.
November 5, 2025 at 6:23 AM
grays.art
Male Mallards 🦆
Lincoln Park, Chicago
Summer, 2021

#BirdOfTheDay theme today is #rock meaning any bird perched on a rock.

#birds #photography #EastCoastKin #birding #chicago #ducks
One duck leaning up out of a pond to drive its beak into the breast feathers of another, standing on a rocky edge.
November 4, 2025 at 1:35 PM
grays.art
Male Green darner dragonfly
(Anax junius)

on palmetto 10-26-25
Barefoot beach preserve
Collier county, Florida

#AnimalArtTuesday #ColorADay #BlueTue #eastCoastKin #blue #bugSky #macro #photography #macroPhotography #native #insects #bugs #dragonflies #nature #art #wildlife #dragonflyweek
Bright green head and thorax (mid-section), and the distinct body shape, which is long and needle-like, like a darning needle. Males have a bright blue abdomen like this one, with wings about 4” wide (10cm).
November 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM
grays.art
Eastern Amberwing dragonfly
(Perithemis tenera)

Bonita Springs, Florida
10-17-25

📸 Olympus 180mm ISO200 f11 1/250

#MacroMonday #eastcoastkin #ColorADay #PinkMon #MinimalMonday #minimalism #bugSky #macro #photography #macroPhotography #native #insects #bugs #dragonflies #nature #art #wildlife
Small, red-and-yellow-eyed, yellow and orange dragonfly perched on the end of the upper branch of a pink twig with two branches terminating in the remains of dried flowers.
November 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM
grays.art
Perplexing Rotund-resin Bee
(Anthidiellum perplexum)

Bonita Springs, Florida
10-19-25

#StunDay #ColorADay #OrangeSun #eastcoastkin #native #bees #insects #macro #photography #macrophotography #pollinators #florida #Hymenoptera #art #wildflowers #flowers 🐝
Small, pill-shapes, stout, solitary bee, primarily black with distinct reddish-orange markings, with black wings, shown pollinating pink-red and light green flowers.
November 2, 2025 at 9:26 AM
grays.art
S-banded Tiger Beetle
(Cicindelidia trifasciata)

on the beach on the northern edge
of Lover’s Key State Park
Fort Meyers Beach, Florida

My very first tiger beetle.🪲

#NightmareNov #dark #eastcoastkin #native #insects #Coleoptera #beetles #tigerbeetles #nature #macro #photography #macroPhotography
Small (about 1/2” (12mm)), iridescent beetle with a distinctive shape: long, slender legs for running, a head that is wider than the middle section (thorax) due to large, bulging eyes, and large, sickle-shaped mandibles (jaws).
November 1, 2025 at 10:10 AM
grays.art
Happy Halloween FlyDay
We made it 🎃

Jamaican Digger Wasp 🇯🇲
(Sphex jamaicensis)

on Latherleaf
(Colubrina asiatica)

10-19-25 Barefoot Beach
Bonita Springs, Florida

#flyDay #Spooktober #Halloween #eastcoastkin #wasps #insects #orange #nature #macro #photography #macrophotography #art #pollinators
As though crawling toward us, top-forward view of long, slender waisted wasp colored a deep, rich red-brown-orange on top, with dark, leathery-looking wings that appear brownish-blue with faint, small black angular venations. Light grey background of waxy, light green latherleaf leaves, stems, and spherical fruits.
October 31, 2025 at 4:01 AM
grays.art
Three-banded Scoliid Wasp
(Dielis trifasciata)

on Feay's palafox
(Palafoxia feayi)

Koreshan historic site trail
Estero, Florida 10-26-25

#ColorADay #YellowThu #eastcoastkin #insectThursday #bugsky #florida #native #wasps #insects #flowers #macro #Halloween #photography #macroPhotography #spooky
Large, stout wasp with a fuzzy, mostly black body that has a reddish-brown hind abdomen. Its wings are dark and look blue-black in the light, and have a corrugated, wrinkled texture. A key identifier is the broad, bright yellow bands on the abdomen: three distinct bands for females and two for male.
October 30, 2025 at 4:21 AM
grays.art
Thank goodness tomorrow’s Flyday!

Post original photos & art of live, self-propelled, flying creatures. 1 or more submissions welcome tagged:

#FlyDay #EastCoastKin

Welcome no matter location, nor skill level.

#photography #painting #Art #ArtChallenges #ArtPrompts

Questions/comments? @grays.art
October 29, 2025 at 9:04 PM
grays.art
Today #BirdOfTheDay theme = #gulls

Straight of Dover
July 5th, 2018

#birds #nature #wildlife #photography
#birding #eastcoastkin #ferryboats #featherscrolling #flockme #fog
October 29, 2025 at 4:16 PM
grays.art
Halloween orb weaver spider
on Tithonia

September 19, 2024
Andersonville neighborhood
Chicago, Illinois

#eastcoastkin #ColorADay #RedWed
#Spooktober #CreepyCrawly
#macro #photography #macroPhotography #arachnids #nature #natives #spiders #red #art
Close up of orbweaver on Mexican sunflower
October 29, 2025 at 6:38 AM
grays.art
Brown pelicans

For Rob & Alan

#BirdOfTheDay is all about 'Pairs Of The Same Birds' which makes it a #DailyDouble with #TwosDay

#birds #EastCoastKin #birding
Two pelicans atop a green warning marker, both giving side-eye, blue sky background above bokeh trees.
October 28, 2025 at 12:54 PM
grays.art
Right eye web
(had one of these this morning too)

Made yesterday walking
near barefoot beach, Bonita springs

#Spooktober #trees #31daysofhalloween #eastcoastkin #photography #nature #halloween #spiderweb #webs #spooky
A spider has pulled two twigs together like a snowshoe for its web, with two twigs above looking somewhat like an arched eyebrow.
October 28, 2025 at 12:40 PM
grays.art
Gopher Tortoise 🐢
(Gopherus polyphemus)

Koreshan State Historic Site Trail
Collier County, Estero, Florida
10-26-25

Threatened by predation & habitat destruction, keystone species because its burrows shelter 360+ other animal species.

#native #herps #photography #nature #tortoises #turtles #art
Scaly, beaked face looking at us, rough, brown shell, and powerful, shovel-like forelimbs built for digging, sitting on the sand.
October 28, 2025 at 8:58 AM
grays.art
Great Blue Heron
(Ardea herodias)

This week at Bowditch regional park
Fort Meyers Beach, Florida

📷Olympus 180mm ISO320 f11 1/320

#Heron #Birds #Wildlife #Florida #Nature #BirdOfTheDay #EastCoastKin #Photography
Standing on the beach in profile with a watery background, this is a large, slate-blue bird with long legs, a long, slender neck, and a long, pointed bill. It has a white head with a black stripe extending from the eye to the back of the head, and its body is predominantly slate-blue with some white and black feathers on the breast and flanks.
October 27, 2025 at 4:12 PM
grays.art
Sunshine Mimosa flower
(Mimosa strigillosa)

Sensitive leaves fold on touch.

Gordon river greenway, Naples, Florida
Collier County, 10-21-25

#ColorADay #PinkMon #macroMonday #eastcoastkin #native #flowers #plants #flora #flores #fiore #bloomscrolling #pink #pinktober #breastcancerawareness #art 🩷
powderpuff-like flower, like pink fireworks, with a yellow center, and white ends.
October 27, 2025 at 5:21 AM