Sunday, July 31, 2016

Silk dancers

An acrobat from the Aethaerial Troupe perform on silk strands doing the Green Valley Music Festival near Oakland on Saturday, July 30, 2016. The three day festival features, music, arts, and food on a ranch in rural southwestern Oregon.

The children seemed to love the performance.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Along came a spider

A yellow garden spider feeds on a grasshopper in a pasture on a farm near Roseburg in southwestern Oregon on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. The species is common to the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. 

Mantis mania

A mantis waits to ambush prey while climbing through tall grass in a pasture on a farm near Roseburg in southwestern Oregon on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. Commonly known as the praying mantis, mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. 


Monday, July 25, 2016

Making honey

A honey bee forages on a sunflower on a lovely summer day in southwestern Oregon.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Colorful critter

A ladybug climbs over a colorful blooming artichoke in the backyard garden of a home near Roseburg, Ore., on Sunday, July 10, 2016. Ladybugs are considered to be beneficial insects by most gardeners and farmers. 

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Oregon Country Fair

Participants enjoy the festivities at the 47th annual Oregon Country Fair in Veneta on Saturday, July 9, 2016. The three day festival of music, art, and counter culture attracts about 50,000 each summer to the wooded setting 15 miles from the college town of Eugene.




Monday, July 4, 2016

Flower power

A rufous hummingbird feeds on a fuchsia bush near Elkton, Ore., on Monday, July 4, 2016.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

North American river otter in Oregon

A playful North American river otter hunts along the bank of the Umpqua River in southwestern Oregon near Elkton on Saturday, July 2, 2016. River otters are very susceptible to the effects of environmental pollution, which is a likely factor in the continued decline of their population numbers.