Creeping beauty

A predatory spider waits to ambush an unsuspecting insect on a Queen Anne's lace flower growing in a field near Roseburg, Ore., on Sunday, July 29, 201. The seeds of the plant,  also known as wild carrot, were once thought to be a form of birth control. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists Queen Anne's lace as a noxious weed.

NBCNEWS.COM picked up the photo in their photo blog web gallery yesterday.
I know I've been shooting lots of spiders recently.  I don't think I'll find any better photos than this one and the jumping spider from last week.  Maybe I'll move onto another subject. 

Hairy little monster

A large jumping spider climbs on a wild blackberry growing in a thicket along a seasonal creek on a farm in rural Douglas County near Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, July 26, 2012. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision of any invertebrate which they use for hunting and courtship. 

ZUMAPRESS.COM, the photo agency which represents my work, used the cool spider in their Pictures of the Day gallery.

Adorable slug photo

It's my adorable slug photo in the Animal Tracks gallery on Today.com.

Guard duty

As night falls, a yellow jacket wasp guards its nest in a field on our farm near Roseburg, Ore., on Wednesday, July 25, 2012.

Photojournalism class for teens

I'm teaching a photojournalism class for teens this week at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore.  It should be a fun week for the kids. I've planned it out pretty well with lots of slideshows and videos. The first assignment is "Pets".  

The spider and the fly

A black and yellow garden spider gives a killing bite to a fruit fly caught in its web in a blackberry thicket along a country road near Kellogg, Ore., on Saturday, July 21, 2012. Black and yellow garden spiders are considered harmless to humans.

My apologies the any arachnophobes.

Little mantis

A small mantis climbs on a blade of grass in field near our home in rural Douglas County near Elkton, Ore., on Friday, July 20, 2012.  In the United States, the insects are known as praying mantises due to their typical prayer-like stance. Mantises are exclusively predatory and mainly feed on other insects, but some larger mantis species have been known to prey upon frogs, birds, snakes, fish and even rodents.

Little fence sitter

A hummingbird perches on a barbed wire fence along a pasture on a ranch in rural Douglas County near Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, July 19, 2012. For the past few year's I've seen hummingbirds in this same area. This year there are far fewer of the little birds than in years past. 

Crazy caterpillars

It's my crazy caterpillar  photo from Today.com. My photo credit says "msnbc.com", but apparently Microsoft and NBC have ended their joint project and will be going their own ways. I'm not sure what this will mean for their use of my photos.

My photo is also features in today's (7-20-2012) Daily Dozen gallery on the National Geographic website.

Resting Dragonfly

As the sunset fades in the west, a dragonfly clings to a stem of grass in a field on a farm near Roseburg, Ore., on Monday, July 16, 2012. Dragonflies are important predators that eat mosquitos and other small insects.

My dragonfly photo made Pictures of the Day.

My photo on National Geographic Extreme Explorer

Yikes!  It's my black widow spider photo on the National Geographic Extreme Explorer website.  My photo are represented by Zumapress.com.

Frog day afternoon

A wild pacific tree frog looks out of a jar of pond water after being found in a small seasonal pond on our farm near Roseburg, Ore., on Sunday, July 15, 2012. Pacific tree frogs are one of the most common frogs on the west  coast of North America. 

Tyler and Angelica 7-14-2012

A few favorite photos from Tyler and Angelica's wedding at Melrose Vineyards near Roseburg, Ore., on July 14, 2012.

I'm a Roseburg, Ore., based wedding, commercial, editorial, and nature photographer. Check my website to see more of my photography.  I still have opening for this year and I'm now taking booking for 2013. 

Green bee + purple thistle = happy me

A small green bee feeds on a blooming thistle growing along a fence-line on a farm near Roseburg, Ore., on Friday, July 13, 2012.

A colorful warning

A cluster of cinnabar moth caterpillars are displayed in a glass jar after being discover feeding on a tansy wagwart  plant in a field on a ranch near Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, July 12, 2012. Cinnabar moths were introduced into North America to control the poisonous ragwort plant on which its larvae feed. The feeding larvae absorb toxins from the ragwort and become unpalatable to predators.  Their bright colors serve as a warning sign. 

One of the "cute" little guys feeds on a ragwart flower.

After their photo session the caterpillars were relocated back onto a tasty ragwart plant.

Jeff and Abby tie the knot

Jeff and Abby

July 7, 2012

Pyrenees North Vineyard, Roseburg, Oregon

I'm an award winning photojournalist and nature photographer. I still have some open dates for this year and I'm completely open for 2013. Check my website to see more of my work.