White flowers with orange bright stems of coral, or night jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Parijat) carpeting the ground in a park at Al Intisar Street near a corner with Onaiza. Doha, Qatar, December 3, 2015
Standing yellow-crowned night-heron bird in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Yellow-crowned night-heron bird eating a shrimp in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Close up of yellow-crowned night-heron bird in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Yellow-crowned night-heron marsh bird on west side of Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, April 11, 2009
Flowers of coral, or night jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Parijat) with white corolla and an orange-red center in a park at Al Intisar Street near a corner with Onaiza. Doha, Qatar, December 3, 2015
The arch of Rumeilah (Al Bidda) Park at night. Doha, Qatar, April 13, 2012
Yellow-crowned night-heron bird standing on one leg in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Juvenile yellow-crowned night heron bird on west side of Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, April 22, 2008
West Bay lights from Corniche opposite to Al Bidda Park at night. Doha, Qatar, April 13, 2012
Yellow-crowned night-heron marsh bird near Pilant Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, April 22, 2008
Night-heron and a pond of City Park near North Carrollton Avenue. New Orleans, Louisiana, August 9, 2006
Yellow-crowned night-heron bird with a shrimp in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) on sewer line right of way in Lick Creek Park. After a heavy frost at night frostweed shows its ribbons of frost (as in ribbon candy). College Station, Texas, January 9, 2010
Wading yellow-crowned night-heron bird in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Yellow-crowned night-heron bird in west side of Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, April 22, 2008
Yellow-crowned night-heron marsh bird on north side of 40 Acre Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, July 4, 2008
Standing yellow-crowned night-heron bird in smartweed in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Juvenile yellow-crowned night heron marsh bird in west side of Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, April 22, 2008
Yellow-crowned night-heron bird near Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, September 4, 2010
Yellow-crowned night-heron in duckweed on north side of 40 Acre Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, July 4, 2008
Reflections of West Bay lights from Corniche opposite to Al Bidda Park at night. Doha, Qatar, April 13, 2012
Yellow-crowned night-heron on west side of Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, July 4, 2008
West Bay from Corniche opposite to Al Bidda Park at night. Doha, Qatar, April 13, 2012
Yellow-crowned night-heron bird in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Juvenile yellow-crowned night heron bird on west side of Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, September 4, 2010
Hunting yellow-crowned night-heron bird in smartweed in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Yellow-crowned night-heron bird on a log in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, June 2, 2012
Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) exhibiting behavior driven by unseasonably warm weather and thermoregulation at Lake Somerville Trailway near Birch Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. It is taking advantage of the mild Texas winter to warm up (thermoregulate) before returning to its den when temperatures drop again at night. Texas, December 14, 2025
Several rust-colored, spiky-bodied ants can be seen navigating the deeply furrowed bark of an oak tree, acting as a miniature logging crew. Some of the ants are carrying entire green, beaded oak catkins--the tree s string-like flower clusters--while one prominently hoists a freshly cut, bright green section of an oak leaf in its jaws. The ants carry these heavy loads hoisted high over their heads, a posture that resembles someone carrying a sunshade. These are Texas leafcutter ants (Atta texana), a highly destructive but fascinating native species also known as the "town ant" or "parasol ant" due to their unique carrying technique. They climb high into the canopies of oaks and other trees to use their powerful, scissor-like mandibles to slice away fresh foliage, preferring new, tender, high-water-content growth like young leaves and spring catkins. Working in massive, organized trails, a large colony can entirely strip the leaves from a small- to medium-sized tree in a single night, and they frequently travel hundreds of feet from their underground nests to find a suitable harvest. Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
A miniature procession of rust-colored ants traverses the deeply grooved, dry bark of an oak tree. In the center foreground, one ant acts as the focal point, hoisting a freshly cut, bright green slice of an oak leaf high above its head. Because the leaf fragment curves directly over the ant s body like a small green canopy, it perfectly illustrates why this species is often nicknamed the "parasol ant". Surrounding this central figure, three other ants march in the same direction, each carrying large, beaded green oak catkins gripped tightly in their mandibles. These are Texas leafcutter ants (Atta texana), a native species famous for its highly organized and destructive foraging behavior. Working in massive, coordinated trails that can span hundreds of feet, worker ants climb into the canopies of oaks and other trees to systematically slice away fresh, tender vegetation. The workers possess powerful jaws capable of cutting through leaves and flowers with remarkable speed, allowing a large colony to completely strip the foliage from a small tree in a single night. Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
