Little weasel

A young mink stands on rocks along the bank of the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. The mink appeared to have been separated from its parent and was actively searching and calling out until the two were reunited.

 

An apple a day

A black-tailed deer buck stands on his back legs while stretch to eat apples from a tree on a farm near Elkton in southwestern Oregon.

A black-tailed deer fawn attempts to eat a green plum from a fallen branch in an orchard on a farm near Elkton, Oregon. The fawn gave up his attempt and wondered off to browse on nearby leaves.

 

Guatemala visit

I recently returned from a trip to Guatemala with humanitarian non-governmental organization Heart to Heart International (HHI). We toured several medical clinics in remote parts of the country and met some amazing people. HHI provides medicine and medical supplies to several organization in the country.

 

Bug's life

A katydid nymph feeds on a Himalayan blackberry in a thicket along the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. A nymph is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects. They undergo gradual metamorphosis before reaching the adult stage. They are typically wingless.

A dragonfly eats what appears to be a damselfly while clinging to a shrub along the Umpqua River . Dragonflies are fierce predators and feed voraciously on anything they can catch. A study at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Virginia showed dragonflies catch more than 95 percent of their targeted prey, making them the most successful predators in nature. 

A cinnabar moth caterpillar feeds on a tansy ragwort plant along a country road near Elkton, Oregon. The toxic tansy ragwort is an invasive weed the Pacific Northwest. The cinnabar moth was introduced to Oregon as a biologic control on the plant.

As the sunset colors the sky, a dragonfly alights in a pasture along a country road near Elkton in southwestern Oregon.

 

Hiding fawn

A newly born black-tailed deer fawn lies nearly hidden in the tall grass of a hazelnut orchard on a farm near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. Wildlife experts believe fawns re purposely left alone by their mothers. Female deer, called does, stay away from the fawns to avoid leading predators to their location.

 

Ukraine update with Heart to Heart International

I recently returned from a trip from Ukraine and Slovakia with Heart to Heart International. We spent about 36 hours in an area of Ukraine which has not seen any fighting yet. 

Shake it off

An American kestrel shakes off rain drops while perched on a utility line along a country road near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. The National Weather Service is predicting rain for the area over the next several days.