Tessera

Gray

@grays.art

Nature with an amateur naturalist. Hope you ❤️ spiders, bugs, birds & flowers! 📸 Daily originals of live critters & habitats 📷 Common & Latin names 📸 In-the-field, manual & hand-held 📷 No tripod, studio, stacking, AI, nor burst 📸 Canon, Olympus & Apple eq

10244 Posts7366 Follower 4173 Folgt

Gray @grays.art · 12h ago

What, what’s freedom if we can’t love & grieve for whom we desire attend funerals or not remember the dead or not even names of friends becalmed (tidal memories some lost some tenacious (they loved the tilt of your head parasail full of wind)) drawn thru thick seas by names unspoken you loved?

Gray @grays.art · 13h ago

This cheeky, young, native green anole (Anolis carolinensis) stowed-away on the car I was driving away from the Naples Botanical Garden late last month. Noticed him on the hood (see comments), pulled over, he obligingly jumped onto hand, & accepted a walk to shady bushes. #colorADay #greenSat #eck

Gray @grays.art · 23h ago

Green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) with spiked egg sac CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 10-3-26 Mom guards her brood beneath a leafy canopy. #ColorADay #greenSat #31DaysOfOctober #ClassicMono #ECK #SpiderWeb #Spiders #art #Halloween #Cobweb #arachtober #bugsky #green

Macro of a female green lynx spider guarding her large, spiky brown egg sac underneath a green leaf. She’s a vibrant, translucent neon-green head and body, while her long, light tan and green legs are covered in distinct black spots and prominent, sharp black spines. Her legs wrap securely upward to anchor onto the textured, papery brown surface of the egg sac suspended above her in a network of fine silk. The background is completely dark and dissolved, isolating the protective mother.

Gray @grays.art · 2d ago

Happy FlyDay! We made it! White-footed leafcutter bee (Megachile albitarsis) on beggar tick wildflower (Bidens alba) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 10-1-26 #FlyDay #eck #macro #nature #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #bees #bugsky #insects #pollinators

Macro of a female bee captured in a head-on portrait. Facing directly forward on the bright yellow center disk of a wildflower with white petals, she has a broad black head and a heavily dimpled black thorax. Distinct bands of dense white hairs line the margins of her large compound eyes and facial vertex, while her mandibles point downward into the florets. To her stage-right, a vertical stalk holds multiple unopened green buds and a single blooming cluster, with a tiny black ant scaling the stem. The background is a dark, uniform green bokeh blur.

Gray @grays.art · 2d ago

respond to me as you would a child your child i’ve called you from afar lend me all your attention as if expected as if this is your purpose your only purpose to listen to reflect so certain in your love i take you for granted you wouldn’t have it any other way

Gray @grays.art · 3d ago

Boat-tailed grackle belts (Quiscalus major) on a sandy lake shore CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 5-19-26 Rob’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #crooners & Alt is #Eating: birds with food in beaks, or singing. #birds #ECK #birding #threewordgenre #nature #singing #photography

Gray @grays.art · 3d ago

Ambush bug vigil (Phymata species) on Mexican clover bloom Patient predator stakes out an egg raft. CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-12-26 #ColorADay #YellowThu #InsectThursday #eck #macro #nature #yellow #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #bugs #bugsky

Macro of an ambush bug perched on a rounded cluster of small white Mexican clover flowers. The insect is positioned at the top right, facing toward its right, showcasing a heavily textured, jagged black and yellow exoskeleton with prominent ridges on its thorax. Its pale yellow legs grip the tiny blossoms. Extending out to its left, a vibrant green leaf holds an organized, geometric raft of small, oblong, cream-colored eggs arranged in neat rows. The entire scene is set against a smooth, warm bokeh background of sunlit yellow-green tones.

Gray @grays.art · 3d ago

Hump-day (Wednesday) humor #humpDayHumor

A two-panel comic cartoon showing a road with a humorous twist on a road sign.

In the top panel, a cartoon deer with antlers bounds across an asphalt road lined with trees. On the right side of the road stands a triangular warning sign with a red border and yellow background, showing a black silhouette of a leaping deer.

In the bottom panel, the deer is gone, but a curved segment of the asphalt road itself is lifting up and leaping through the air as if it were a crossing animal. On the right, the warning sign is a standard triangular road sign but instead of depicting a black curved arrow indicating a bend in the road ahead, it’s a crossing sign for curved road segments.

Gray @grays.art · 4d ago

Eastern amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera) perched on wild seed head backlit amber stained glass wings CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 10-2-26 #ColorADay #redWed #eck #macro #nature #red #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #odonata #bugsky #insectThursday

Macro of a male dragonfly from a top-down dorsal perspective in symmetry. Rested flat with wings spread wide open horizontally, the insect showcases translucent, deeply saturated amber-red wings, illuminated by a bright backlight accentuating a complex network of dark venation. Its slender, segmented abdomen displays alternating bands of dark brown and warm orange-red running straight down the center. Its large, round compound eyes at the top of its head glow with a warm reddish-orange hue. The subject focused against a smooth, dark green bokeh background.

Gray @grays.art · 5d ago

Courting blue butterflies (Ceraunus blue) on wild sensitive plant (Chamaecrista nictitans) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 10-3-26 #TwosDay #ColorADay #BlueTue #eck #macro #nature #blue #art #macroPhotography #native #butterflies #bugsky #Lepidoptera #threewordgenre ❤️

Macro of a male and female blue butterfly perched closely together on a leaf of a wild sensitive plant (Chamaecrista nictitans) covered in tiny water droplets. The male on its stage-left has wings spread wide, and he has a shimmering, iridescent blue-lavender upper wing surface bordered by a soft brown edge. The female on its stage-right rests with wings upright, and she has a pale, patterned gray underside alongside a glimpse of her dark brown upper wing with blue scaling restricted to the base. The background a soft, dark green out-of-focus bokeh, isolating the fine textures.

Gray @grays.art · 5d ago

The conference of a murder of crows 14 genuflect, cavort, caw, & preen, self-organized on sand pine branches, 1/4 & 1/8 notes inking morning fog, their topic: Rebranding, they’d prefer to be called a “party,” for in ultraviolet light, how they see, they’re rainbow-colored, playful & arty.

Telephoto shot of a serene misty marsh landscape at sunrise. In the upper third of the frame, a dark, dense silhouette of a pine forest tree line stands crisp against a solid, warm golden-orange morning sky. Below the trees, a thick, low-lying blanket of soft fog cuts across the center, partially obscuring the distant grassy marsh banks. The lower half of the frame features a perfectly calm, smooth water surface that acts as a mirror, casting soft, blurred golden reflections of the mist and the dark vertical shapes of the forest above.

Gray @grays.art · 6d ago

Florida ivory millipede (Chicobolus spinigerus) coiled around a bare brown twig CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-20-26 #macroMonday #eck #macro #nature #green #art #macroPhotography #native #threeWordGenre #bugsky #invertebrates #invertefest

Macro of a millipede coiled tightly around a vertical brown twig against a solid black background. Positioned on its stage-left, the creature's smooth, rounded, segmented body arches in a dynamic curve, displaying alternating glossy bands of cream and deep chocolate brown. Dozens of its delicate, pale translucent legs extend inward, firmly gripping the rough woody bark. The smooth, rounded head capsule is visible near the upper center, tucked close to the twig. The lighting highlights the glossy, reflective texture of the exoskeleton, while the background is completely dissolved.

Gray @grays.art · 6d ago

Boredom living on a sailboat make repairs; do laundry; watch the weather; brew morning coffee; let the cat on deck; follow him on inspection, detectives, solving nightly stow-away mysteries: three ballooning spiders; two flying fish; Coleridgian albatross excrement… imagination can polish a turd.

Gray @grays.art · 6d ago

Little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) CREW pen flint strand Bonita Springs, Florida 9-19-26 Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #WingsOpenNotFlying. Alt theme #Blue plumage. #birds #ECK #nature #photography #wildlifePhotography #native #stunday #threewordgenre #birding #pelecaniformes #ardeidae #bugsky

A little blue heron wading through calm marsh water, framed by tall, sunlit green marsh grasses. The bird is viewed from the side facing stage-right, with its slender, dark blue-grey slate neck curved elegantly upward above the water's surface. It has a long, straight, pointed bill that tapers to a dark tip, and a piercing light eye. Ripple rings expand outward in the water from its position, and small patches of warm, reddish-brown breeding plumage are visible along its neck. The background shows soft, sparkling specular highlights on the water between the vertical stalks of grass.

Gray @grays.art · 7d ago

Regal jumping spider (Phidippus regius) on hairypod cowpea leaf (Vigna luteola) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 10-1-26 Upside-down, blonde sentinel. #ColorADay #OrangeSun #stunday #eck #macro #nature #jumpers #threeWordGenre #art #spiders #macroPhotography #bugsky

Macro of a rather large (~1” (2.5cm)) female jumping spider resting beneath the curve of a vibrant green hairypod cowpea leaf. Facing forward, she showcases her large, round, dark anterior median eyes centered on a tan cephalothorax. Her chelicerae and face are densely covered in long, fine, pale blonde hairs that form a thick beard texture. Her spiky, hair-covered legs extend upward to firmly grip the underside of the leaf blade. The lower foreground features a softly blurred green leaf edge, while the background melts into a dark, warm green bokeh blur.

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

Light rain crackles across the marsh, we measure our footsteps— considered progress, slow enough to gather each tendril— separate plant from animal, harvest the grass mantis— captured only by our cameras, our eyes get tired instead— when we return to our blank homes, we sleep like the dead—

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

Male Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) on a dried grass stalk CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 7-21-26 Alan’s #BirdOfTheDay is #Black&Red. Alt is #LongBeak. #birds #ECK #birding #florida #nature #art #passeriformes #threewordgenre #colorADay #greenSat

A male red-winged blackbird is perched facing its left on a slender, angled stalk of dried brown wild grass. He has sleek, glossy black plumage across his entire body, with his beak open wide in a vocal call. His tail feathers are flared slightly downward for balance, and a hint of a light white or pale patch is visible along his upper wing shoulder. The bird rises above a dense cluster of vertical, feathery brown grass seed heads, all set against a soft, bright green and cream-colored background bokeh.

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

(American) Green tree frog (Dryophytes cinereus) on climbing hempvine (Mikania scandens) CREW pen flint strand marsh Bonita Springs, Florida 10-1-26 Vigilant among the autumn buds. #ColorADay #greenSat #eck #wildlife #nature #threeWordGenre #art #macro #macroPhotography #native #herps #marshlife

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

Hawaiian beet webworm moth (Spoladea recurvalis) on dried beggar tick wildflower (Bidens alba) Resting trailside by the lake. CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 10-2-26 #MothFaceFriday #teammoth #flyDay #eck #macro #nature #art #insects #macroPhotography #moths #bugsky

Macro of a Hawaiian beet webworm moth in a head-on portrait. Facing directly forward, she has large, prominent patterned compound eyes and a dark brown face with fine, pale scales lining her vertex. Her long, slender antennae extend upward and back out of the frame. Her folded wings show rich dark brown margins and a hint of a bold, bright white structural band cutting through the dark coloration. The subject focused against the rich texture of a dried brown Bidens alba seed head and soft background bokeh.

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

As highway traffic’s schwa crescendos while the black sky retreats to indigo, as one, awed tree frogs’ diminuendo, here and there, chirps a defiant cricket, heckles the mockingbirds’ divertissement, rousing the other birds from nest & roost; so their own calls draw their dreams’ curtains shut.

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

It’s FlyDay. We made it! Slosson's sharp-tailed bee (Coelioxys slossoni) Male cuckoo bee wakes up early on dry & thorny twig CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-30-26 #FlyDay #eck #macro #nature #art #macroPhotography #native #bees #bugsky #cleptoparasites #threewordgenre

Macro of a male cuckoo bee captured in a head-on portrait as it grips a slender brown twig. Facing directly forward, the insect fills the frame, showcasing its massive, vertically elongated compound eyes with a fine, grid-like pattern. Its face is heavily covered in fine, pale silvery-yellow hairs, while its black thorax displays a densely dimpled, pitted texture. A single dark antenna extends forward and out to its stage-left,while the other, largely extended directly at us, is obscured. The background is a smooth, neutral gray bokeh blur.

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

Slash pine flatwoods (Pinus elliottii) Bare silhouettes anchor a rapidly shifting morning layer, as if trees reach for the migrant clouds with sunrise yoga. CREW pen flint strand marsh Bonita Springs, Florida 9-30-26 #forestFriday #scape #eck #nature #threeWordGenre #art #landscape #photography

Telephoto shot of a pine forest tree line stretching upward into a bright blue, cloudy sky. Positioned across the lower two-thirds of the frame, several tall, slender South Florida slash pines display dark green needle canopies. Interspersed among them stand two towering, dead bare tree snags, one on the far stage-left wrapped in light green climbing vines, and another near the center. The background features a vibrant blue sky filled with a dense, textured layer of soft white altocumulus clouds.

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

Muted whinny keystone, aerial acrobat, monochrome nit-picker: the modest downy woodpecker doesn’t try to escape, nor intend to construct spec homes for barred owls & squirrels, yet within the hollowed slash pine, emanate scratches & pecks, there’s reward by minute reward for lost solidity #poem

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

Poey’s furrow bee (Halictus poeyi) on wild sensitive plant leaves (Chamaecrista nictitans) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-20-26 Waking to a dewy world. #insectThursday #colorADay #yellowThu #eck #macro #nature #art #native #bees #bugsky #threewordgenre #pollinators

Macro of a bee perched head-on looking directly forward. Nestled atop a layered arrangement of small, even-pinnate green leaflets, the insect showcases its dense, pale hairs covering its dark face and a prominent bright yellow patch on its lower clypeus. Its dark, segmented antennae sweep upward and outward to its stage-left and stage-right, while its large compound eyes are in sharp focus. The individual green leaflets feature a distinct, thin dark-red margin. The background elements melt into a smooth, dark bokeh blur.

Gray @grays.art · last wk.

“When you meet someone who hates the same people you do” #humpDayHumor

The Siamese cats from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp, one smiling at the other.

Gray @grays.art · 2w ago

Cotton stainer bug (Dysdercus suturellus) on a Caesarweed leaf (Urena lobata) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-24-26 A red bug for red Wednesday. Happy hump day. #ColorADay #redWed #eck #macro #nature #red #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #bugs #bugsky

A macro, head-on photograph of a vibrant red and black true bug resting on a textured green leaf against a dark, out-of-focus background. The insect faces forward, highlighting its bright red face, thorax, and upper legs, which contrast with its long antennae and the black segments of its lower legs. The surface of the leaf displays fine, pale hairs along its edge, and a soft, painterly bokeh isolates the subject.

Gray @grays.art · 2w ago

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) on a vine-draped snag CREW pen flint strand marsh Bonita Springs, Florida 9-19-26 Rob & Alan’s themes for #BirdOfTheDay is: first names of birds starting with #EFG; or any species of the #Paridae family. #birds #ECK #threewordgenre #birding #coloraday #blueTue

Gray @grays.art · 2w ago

Fire-flag plume moths (Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla) on Beggar tick wildflowers (Bidens alba) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-24-26 #Twosday #eck #macro #nature #teamMoth #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #moths #bugsky #florida #wildflowers #flowers #Lepidoptera

Macro of two plume moths mating on a dried wildflower head next to a fresh bloom. On its stage-right, a fresh flower showcases a bright yellow center disk and a few white petals coated in fine dew droplets. On its stage-left, a withered, brown flower head hosts the two insects. The top moth rests vertically facing upward, displaying its long, spiky legs and highly fragmented, feather-like tan and cream wings extended horizontally. Pinned end-to-end beneath it, the second moth extends diagonally downward to its stage-left. A tiny, single droplet of water glints from the lower insect's leg. The background is a solid, clean black.

Gray @grays.art · 2w ago

Green heron morning (Butorides virescens) CREW pen flint strand marsh Bonita Springs, Florida 9-26-26 Helen’s #BirdOfTheDay themes: #BokehBirds - birds with a soft, muted, blurry background; #AwkwardAvian - birds in silly, clumsy, or strange positions. #eck #nature #threeWordGenre #birds #birding

Gray @grays.art · 2w ago

Blue-green citrus root weevil (Pachnaeus litus) on Caesarweed bloom (Urena lobata) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-24-26 #macroMonday #ColorADay #PinkMon #eck #macro #nature #pink #art #macroPhotography #native #beetles #bugsky

Macro of a weevil perched on a light pink wildflower. Viewed from a three-quarter perspective facing downward and toward its left, the insect showcases a smooth, pale pastel mint-green body with a distinct, elongated snout resting directly against a petal. Its pale legs firmly grasp the blossom. To its stage-right extends a long, prominent pink staminal column tipped with a cluster of bright crimson stigmas. To its stage-right, a cluster of tightly closed green and bronze-tipped buds arches upward on a slender green stem. The background is completely dark, and smoothly out of focus.