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Gray

@grays.art
7.3K followers 4.1K following 9.9K posts

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

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Gray @grays.art · 4h
“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.
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Gray @grays.art · 18h
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.
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Gray @grays.art · 29/09/2026
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
Telephoto shot of a great blue heron perched upright atop the peak of a tall, narrow, weathered tree snag wrapped in green climbing vines. Viewed in profile facing toward its right, the large bird stands tall on its long, dark legs. Its plumage showcases deep slate-gray body feathers, a long pale neck with fine vertical patterns, and its characteristic black head plume extending backward behind its white crown. Its long, sharp bill points straight forward into the open sky. The background features a solid, clear pale blue sky above the dark, soft-focus canopies of forest trees.
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Gray @grays.art · 29/09/2026
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.
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Gray @grays.art · 28/09/2026
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
Telephoto shot of an adult green heron perched amidst dense, low-growing white wildflowers and tall grass stalks. Viewed in profile facing toward its left, the bird stretches its long, deep chestnut-rufous neck upward, showcasing a prominent, dark green crest raised shaggily along its crown. Its sharp, straight dark bill points forward, and its intense yellow eye is locked in sharp focus. Its dark glossy wings are tucked, and its yellow legs are nestled low in the blossoms. The background is a soft, warm bokeh of sunlit marsh reeds.
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Gray @grays.art · 28/09/2026
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.
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Gray @grays.art · 27/09/2026
Phaon crescent video (Phyciodes phaon) #stunday #eck #coloraday #orangeSun #Lepidoptera
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Gray @grays.art · 27/09/2026
Phaon crescent butterfly (Phyciodes phaon) on creeping oxeye (Sphagneticola trilobata) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-20-26 Basking in last Sunday’s radiance. #ColorADay #OrangeSun #StunDay #eck #macro #nature #orange #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #bugsky
Macro of a butterfly resting with its wings wide open flat on the bright yellow disk center of a wildflower. Viewed from a top-down dorsal perspective, the insect displays a complex, checkered pattern of dark brown and vibrant orange bands across its wings. A highly distinct, pale cream-colored median band stretches horizontally across the middle of its upper forewings. Its slender black-and-white striped antennae extend forward, while its dark torso aligns with the textured center florets. The background transitions into a smooth, dark green bokeh blur.
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Gray @grays.art · 26/09/2026
Fall asleep to the sound of rain falling awake in our bed, but, moving downstream, bed-boat, afloat upon a water’s rush, we occupy a dry semicircle, the wet blanket’s edges gird our bodies, we rub our eyes, hold hands beneath covers, head downstream together, on our life raft.
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Gray @grays.art · 26/09/2026
Watching this tonight, after dinner. GF visiting, accepted a side hustle as a costume designer for a Chicago play takes place circa 1970, so it checks all the boxes ☑️ tv.apple.com/us/movie/twi...
tv.apple.com
Twiggy - Apple TV
An intimate, star-studded dive into the birth of an icon, and everything that followed. A look at the life of the greatest it-girl of all time. Featur…
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Gray @grays.art · 26/09/2026
Little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) amid dense marsh grasses CREW pen flint strand marsh Bonita Springs, Florida 9-24-26 #BirdOfTheDay #green #ColorADay #greenSat #eck #florida #wildlife #nature #threeWordGenre #art #photography #native #birds #marshlife #blueskyartshow #lights
An adult little blue heron stands amidst dense, sun-dappled marsh grasses and shallow water. The bird is captured in profile, showcasing its deep purplish-blue plumage, elongated neck, and a sharp, dark bill. Bright sunlight filters through the green wetland vegetation, creating a sparkling bokeh effect in the background.
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Gray @grays.art · 26/09/2026
Green lynx spider video (Peucetia viridans) CREW pen flint strand marshes Bonita Springs, Florida 9-23-26 How do you spot those? Most o’ the time, probably don’t! They blend into their surroundings quite perfectly. Happy Saturday! #ColorADay #greenSat #eck #video #nature #green #camo #camouflage
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Gray @grays.art · 26/09/2026
Green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) on beggar tick wildflower (Bidens alba) Most impressive specimen of the year. CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-13-26 #ColorADay #greenSat #eck #macro #nature #green #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #arachnids #bugsky
Macro of a green lynx spider perched horizontally along the slender green stem of a beggar tick wildflower. The arachnid is facing toward its right, showing its left side, with its elongated, light tan and green legs extended forward and covered in sharp black spines. Its translucent neon-green cephalothorax and tapered abdomen rest securely against the foliage next to a small, decaying white and yellow bloom. The entire subject is sharply focused and isolated against a deep black background.
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Gray @grays.art · 25/09/2026
Golden sunrise seascape (Tiburon peninsula) Tiburon, California 9-8-26 Golden light breaking through the coastal marine layer, over the San Francisco Bay. #forestFriday #scape #eck #nature #threeWordGenre #art #seascape #landscape #sunrise #photography #california
A wide landscape shot of a vibrant golden sunrise over a calm coastal bay. The sun peaks over a dark, silhouetted hill on the right horizon, casting brilliant golden rays upward and a bright, shimmering column of gold onto the water's surface. A long, thin spit of land extends into the bay from the right, and a small boat cruises across the calm water on the far left. The upper sky is filled with a soft, glowing gradient of deep orange and peach hues, while the immediate foreground features the dark, silhouetted tree canopies of a coastal forest hillside.
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Gray @grays.art · 25/09/2026
Emily Dickinson today Might write all posts in Draft mode, Schedule release posthumously, Never reap what long she’d sowed— As if Dolly Parton opted publicly never to sing— As strange to our social era, As thunder before Lightning. 9-25 #ImageAndVerse #eck #emilyDickinson #Dolly #threewordgenre
Lightning strike
Naples botanical garden
2/23/18

A stark, high-contrast photograph of a single pink water lily blooming in a pond. Captured from a high angle looking down at the water’s surface, covered in rain’s overlapping concentric ripples. A solitary, magenta blossom stands upright on a dark stem near the center of the frame, surrounded by several pale, scattered lily pads. The upper half of the image washed out white, overexposed by a lightning flash.
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Gray @grays.art · 25/09/2026
Happy FlyDay! We made it! Paper wasp peeks (Polistes) from behind versant, flowering underbrush CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-12-26 #FlyDay #eck #macro #nature #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #wasps #bugsky #threewordgenre #macroPhotography #insects
Macro of a paper wasp peeking out through a layered opening in thick green leaves. Viewed from a head-on perspective, the insect is nestled deep within the foliage with only its upper torso and head clearly visible. Its prominent yellow-and-black striped face and dark, segmenting antennae face directly forward, while its large compound eyes are locked in a sharp, crisp focus. The dramatic orange tones of its antennae contrast warmly against the cool tones of the surrounding leaves. The foreground and background foliage melt into a cinematic, soft green depth of field blur.
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Gray @grays.art · 24/09/2026
Double-crested cormorant profile (Nannopterum auritum) CREW pen flint strand marsh Bonita Springs, Florida 9-19-26 Helen’s #BirdOfTheDay themes #TheDivers or #BirdStare: birds staring back at ya. #Birds #birding #Photography #ECK #threewordgenre #art #florida #native #birds #marshlife #cormorants
Telephoto shot of a double-crested cormorant perched upright atop a weathered wooden dock piling marked with the number 18. Viewed in profile facing toward its right, the bird showcases the left side of its dark, glossy black plumage with intricately patterned, scalloped gray-brown feathers across its upper wings and back. Its long, curved neck extends upward, highlighting a vibrant orange gular throat pouch and a striking, bright turquoise-emerald eye. Its slender dark bill features a sharp hook at the tip. The background features a smooth, soft bokeh transition from calm water to a sunlit, out-of-focus green shoreline.
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Gray @grays.art · 24/09/2026
Louisiana Painted-dark Bee (Stelis louisae) on false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) Andersonville neighborhood Chicago, Illinois 7-11-25 Re-edit reminiscence from when still lived in the city. #InsectThursday #YellowThu #eck #macro #nature #yellow #art #threewordgenre #native #bees #bugsky
Macro of a bee perched on the bright yellow center of a large wildflower. Viewed in profile facing toward its left, the insect showcases a heavily dimpled black head and thorax marked with distinct yellow bands behind its head and on its shoulders. Its segmented abdomen displays bold, alternating black and yellow stripes. Slender amber-colored legs firmly grip the flower, while its smoky, amber-tinted wings are partially raised along its back, catching a warm glow. The background is filled with the smooth, out-of-focus bokeh of bright yellow petals.
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Gray @grays.art · 23/09/2026
Polite Shark “May I please have a nibble?” #humpDayHumor
Black ink on blue background, hand sketched mako shark approaching us hopefully for a kiss. 💋
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Gray @grays.art · 23/09/2026
Red-shouldered hawk launch (Buteo lineatus) CREW pen flint strand marsh trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-12-26 AB’s #BirdOfTheDay themes are: any #Raptors, and alt. is any #Corvids. #native #birds #ECK #colorADay #redWed #florida #birding #threewordgenre #nature #photography #red #blue #wings
Telephoto shot of a red-shouldered hawk flying through a clear sky. Viewed in profile facing toward its left, the bird banks sharply with its broad wings wide open, tilting its body toward the camera. Its underparts showcase a bright, warm rufous-orange coloration, while its wings and tail feature a striking, high-contrast pattern of bold black and white checkerboard bars. Its curved yellow beak points downward, and its yellow talons are tucked cleanly beneath its tail feathers. The background is a solid, clear pale blue.
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Gray @grays.art · 23/09/2026
Coffee-loving Pyrausta moth (Pyrausta tyralis) on beggar tick wildflower bud (Bidens alba) Crimson wings hang below bloom. CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-15-26 #ColorADay #redWed #eck #macro #nature #red #art #macroPhotography #native #moths #bugsky #threewordgenre
Macro of a moth hanging upside down beneath an unopened wildflower bud. Viewed from a head-on perspective, the insect displays large, glistening golden compound eyes and long antennae extending downward and slightly out to its stage-left and stage-right. Its slender, pale legs firmly clasp the green sepals of the bud, while its vibrant, deep crimson wings spread horizontally outward. To its stage-right, a smaller green bud is covered in glittering dew droplets. The background is a soft, solid green bokeh blur.
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Gray @grays.art · 22/09/2026
Damn Jack Kerouac that used car salesman: each comes with freedom! But the toll on our imagination: impoverished, crushed, parked & polluted, we who love them roar off into the night, join true believers’ red & white rivers, each of us individually wrapped, oblivious to our Stockholm Syndrome.
A close-up photograph of a vintage black Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck parked along a Virginia roadside. The classic antique truck shows a weathered, matte black finish with visible rust on the chrome grille and front bumper. A yellow Virginia antique license plate reading "AQ2019" is mounted on the front. Sunflowers are arranged in a container on the hood near the windshield, and more orange flowers fill the wooden truck bed under a tan canvas canopy. They’re for sale for $15/bunch, take your pick, leave your money in the passenger-side’s burlap sack. A white church building with a steeple stands out against a bright blue sky in the soft-focus background.
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Gray @grays.art · 22/09/2026
Phasey bean wildflower (Macroptilium lathyroides) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-15-26 Co-opting Tuesday’s for #purple, since we’ve Monday for blue & pink. #ColorADay #TyrianTue #eck #macro #nature #flowers #art #flowerPower #threewordgenre #macroPhotography #bugsky
Macro of a wildflower blooming in profile facing toward its left. The flower showcases a deeply saturated, velvety maroon banner petal heavily coated in rows of tiny, glistening dew droplets. Extending horizontally beneath the hood is a pale green, curved wing petal structure, also thickly covered in small, shimmering water droplets. The lower calyx base displays a mottled reddish-brown pattern. The entire subject is sharply focused and isolated against a deep, solid black background.
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Gray @grays.art · 21/09/2026
Little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) on bare tree snag CREW pen flint strand marsh Bonita Springs, Florida 9-19-26 Alan has chosen #LightAndShadow as today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme: any bird capture with both. Alt. #FallBirds: Autumn/Fall bird captures. #eck #nature #threeWordGenre #birding #birds
Little blue heron in breeding plumage perched upright facing its left on the branch of a bare, dark, gnarled tree snag. The bird is viewed in full profile, showing a long, sharp bill and a distinctive shaggy crest of feathers on the crown of its head. Strong side-lighting creates a dramatic light and shadow effect, casting its deep slate-blue body and legs into a dark silhouette while softly illuminating the textures along the edge of its neck, back, and head. The entire subject is sharply isolated against a clear, solid pale blue sky background.
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Gray @grays.art · 21/09/2026
Female Brown-winged striped sweat bee (Agapostemon splendens) on beggar tick wildflower (Bidens alba) Emerald gleam licks gold stream. CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-15-26 #ColorADay #macroMonday #eck #macro #nature #green #art #macroPhotography #native #bees #bugsky
Macro of a green bee perched on the vibrant yellow central disk of a wildflower with white petals. Viewed in profile facing toward its left and leaning slightly downward, the insect showcases a brilliant, iridescent metallic green head and thorax. Its large compound eye displays a striking pale green marbled pattern under the sharp focus. Its translucent amber-brown wings are raised upward along its back, catching a warm glow. Its dark legs firmly anchor into the tiny yellow florets. The background is a deep, solid black that heavily isolates the bright colors of the bloom and insect.
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Gray @grays.art · 20/09/2026
Resident Evil Released last Friday, Zach Cregger’s 2026 take on the horror franchise unwinds like a perfect play-through of 1983’s Dragon’s Lair, in the best possible way. Instead of a super hero, our hero is a bumbler, a relief from prior films that take themselves too seriously. Solid. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
static.klipy.com
Resident Evil
Alt: Resident Evil’s protagonist, Bryan Hodukavich, played by Austin Abrams, putting on his winter hat, and smiling what he hopes appears confidently.
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Gray @grays.art · 20/09/2026
“Damn. Forgot my earbuds.” #BirdOfTheDay #CaptionThatBird #eck #birds #birding #humor
Great Blue heron launch
Bonita Springs, Florida 9-19-26

Helen’s bird of the day theme today:
1.  Post any of your bird 📷 that make you smile
2. Add ONLY a witty caption & hashtags
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Gray @grays.art · 20/09/2026
Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) on dried twigs and leaves in dewy camouflaged slumber CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-13-26 #ColorADay #OrangeSun #stunday #eck #macro #nature #orange #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #butterflies #bugsky
Macro of a dewy butterfly hanging vertically upside-down on thin, dry brown branches. Viewed in profile facing upward and toward its right, showing us its left side, the insect showcases its closed underwings patterned in a rich golden-brown hue and adorned with large, elongated, shimmering silver patches outlined in black. Its orange legs firmly clasp the woody twigs, while its long, slender dark antennae sweep upward. The background is completely dark and dissolved, isolating the textures of the dry wood and the sleeping insect.
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Gray @grays.art · 19/09/2026
Transformation might turn us into kvetches, that positive reinforcement of a negative behavior, as each time we think to ourselves, “this nature walk’s uneventful,” a monarch lands on our hat brim. Maybe the curmudgeon’s secret? To pass day after wretched day: complain soon, for sooner rainbows!
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Gray @grays.art · 19/09/2026
Red-shouldered hawk #rouse AB posted today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme: #Elegant, & for contrast the alt. is #Scruffy. Mine’s a twofer from 9/12. That scruffy look isn't the wind—it's "rousing," a behavior where they fluff up, & shake to reset their feathers. #birds #ECK #threewordgenre #blueskyartshow
A profile view of a majestic Red-shouldered Hawk perched calmly on a bare, textured tree branch against a clear blue sky. The bird looks sleek and elegant, showcasing its finely detailed, black-and-white checkered wings and its rich, warm rufous chest.

CREW pen flint strand
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
9-12-26The same Red-shouldered Hawk on the tree branch, mid-behavior doing what is known as a "rouse." It has intentionally puffed out its feathers and shaken its entire body to realign them, causing its warm chest feathers to fluff out wildly and its crown feathers to stick straight up.

CREW pen flint strand
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
9-12-26
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Gray @grays.art · 19/09/2026
Tersa Sphinx caterpillar (Xylophanes tersa) on a slender twig Vibrant defensive eye-spots stare-down the morning. CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-15-26 #ColorADay #greenSat #eck #macro #nature #green #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #lepidoptera #bugsky
Macro of a caterpillar captured in a striking head-on portrait that forms a defensive snake mimicry posture. The swollen green thorax features a smooth, lime-green coloration divided by a fine vertical line down the center. Two massive, round false eyespots dominate the sides, displaying a black center rimmed by a thin brown band and encircled by a thick white border to simulate the eyes of a serpent. Faint, pale yellow stripes sweep downward beneath the markings toward its hidden head. The background is completely dark and smoothly out of focus, heavily isolating the graphic features of the illusion.
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Gray @grays.art · 18/09/2026
Sameness illusion exhausted by daily cataloguing we will mistake one thing for another, may accept, for a time, that one sunrise, paper wasp, phlox, is a faithful copy— but with exceptions, they’re novel, faithless, as the ripe bouquet of each bird’s plumage, uniquely arranged as each of our minds.
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Gray @grays.art · 18/09/2026
25 seconds on the way to O’Hare Rock pigeons & passenger (Columba livia & homo sapien) Blue Line California stop Chicago, Illinois, USA 7:38AM, Friday 9-18-26 Rob chose themes for #BirdOfTheDay today: #Paridae & the Alt #Pigeons&Doves #ECK #Birds #birding #urbanGaze #cityscape #scape #flyDay
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Gray @grays.art · 18/09/2026
It’s FlyDay. We made it! Mallow scrub-hairstreak butterfly (Strymon istapa) on beggar tick wildflower (Bidens alba) CREW pen flint strand pines trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-13-26 #FlyDay #eck #macro #nature #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #butterflies #bugsky #Lepidoptera
Macro of a butterfly perched upright on the vibrant yellow central disk of a wildflower with white petals. The insect is viewed in profile, facing toward its right, showing us its left side light tan and gray underwings, patterned with rows of small dark spots, and a striking orange-and-black patch on the lower edge near its delicate hindwing tails. Its black-and-white striped legs firmly grip the tiny florets, while its long, slender antennae extend forward. The background is a dark green-black that, contrasting and isolating the warm tones of the bloom and butterfly.
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Gray @grays.art · 18/09/2026
Golden sunrise seascape (Tiburon peninsula) Golden light breaking through the coastal marine layer, over the San Francisco Bay. Tiburon, California 9-6-26 #forestFriday #scape #eck #nature #threeWordGenre #art #seascape #landscape #sunrise #photography #california #travel #sunrise
A wide landscape shot of a vibrant golden sunrise over a calm coastal bay. The sun is partially obscured by a thick, dark, horizontal band of clouds, allowing brilliant crepuscular rays to beam downward and reflect a bright, shimmering column of gold onto the water's surface. The upper sky is filled with a soft, glowing gradient of orange and peach hues, while the immediate foreground features the dark, silhouetted tree canopies of a coastal forest hillside.
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Gray @grays.art · 17/09/2026
Citrine forktail damselfly (Ischnura aurora) appearing deeply unimpressed with our photo session. CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-15-26 #ColorADay #YellowThu #InsectThursday #eck #macro #nature #yellow #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #odonata #bugskybf
Macro of a damselfly resting vertically on a slender brown twig. Viewed in profile facing toward its left, the insect showcases brilliant, vibrant yellow eyes and a striking golden-yellow abdomen. Tiny, glittering dew droplets cling tightly across its completely translucent wings. Its delicate, light-colored legs are firmly wrapped around the woody bark. The entire subject is sharply isolated against a dark, deeply blurred background.
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Gray @grays.art · 16/09/2026
"There's nothing worse than waiting in the wrong line.” (Other than needing to edit one’s BlueSky post after posting it.) #humpDayHumor
A line of Lemmings leaping from a cliff, with one cat speaking to another mid-line, immediately after having leapt.
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Gray @grays.art · 16/09/2026
Red-marked Pachodynerus wasp (Pachodynerus erynnis) on dried wildflower seed heads Sentinel draped in crimson and charcoal. CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-13-26 #ColorADay #redWed #eck #macro #nature #red #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #wasps #bugsky
Macro of a wasp on textured, brown dried wildflower seed heads. Facing forward and slightly to its left with black head and a heavily dimpled black thorax marked with deep rust-red shoulders and trim. Its segmented abdomen alternates between glossy black and rust-red bands. Long, amber-toned legs firmly grip the woody plant structures, while a single elongated, dark wing extends straight back to its right, catching the light with a subtle purplish-black iridescent sheen. The background is completely dark and smoothly out of focus, emphasizing the intricate textures of the insect.
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Gray @grays.art · 15/09/2026
Green heron silhouette CREW pen flint strand marshes Bonita Springs, Florida 9-11-26 For the #birdoftheday theme of #silhouette #birds #birding #art #eck #classicmono #monochrome #threewordgenre #photography
A stark black and white silhouette of a green heron perched at the very pinnacle of a pine tree branch. The sharp profile of its beak and crested head stand out clearly against a bright, softly blurred bokeh background of light overcast sky.
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Gray @grays.art · 15/09/2026
Two wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) Perched high along the metal mesh, an unusual vantage point for a morning patrol. Poor man’s road on the way to CREW pen flint strand Bonita Springs, Florida 9-2-26 #Twosday #ColorADay #blueTues #eck #wildlife #nature #threeWordGenre #art #native #birds
Two wild turkeys stand perched on top of a black chain-link fence, their heads and long necks highlighting a striking blend of colors. The bare skin on their heads features prominent, vibrant blue tones, especially around the eyes and top of the skull, which softly blend into pink and red hues further down their necks. The bird on the left is larger, leaning forward, while the smaller bird on the right stands more upright. Soft, back-lit sunlight filters through background trees, casting a bright edge along their dark, mottled brown and bronze feathers.
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Gray @grays.art · 14/09/2026
Red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus) CREW pen flint strand Bonita Springs, Florida 9-12-26 Best of the mated pair so far… Rob’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Mamas&Papas: male/female of the same species in the same photo. Alt theme is #Robins. #birds #ECK #photography #blueSkyMonday #threewordgenre
Telephoto shot of two red-shouldered hawks perched side-by-side on a weathered tree snag under a clear sky. The hawk on its right sits slightly lower, turned in a three-quarter profile and looking directly toward its companion. The hawk on its left stands taller, facing forward and slightly to its right, making it appear as though they are looking at each other. Both birds display dense rufous-and-cream horizontal barring across their chests, leading to heavily patterned dark wings with white checkerboard spotting against a soft, completely out-of-focus background.
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Gray @grays.art · 14/09/2026
Sand wasp eye-to-eye (Bembix species) Dewy, sunrise, head-on portrait on an aging wildflower, amid the especially wet, marshy strand. CREW pen flint strand lakes & trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-12-26 #MacroMonday #eck #macro #nature #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #wasps #bugsky
A tight, frontal macro portrait focusing entirely on the face and head of a sand wasp. The insect fills the frame, showcasing its striking, massive compound eyes, which display a brilliant pale greenish-teal hue with subtle marbled patterning. The black thorax and face are densely covered in fine, pale silvery hairs that catch the morning light. Its distinctive elongated, triangular mouthparts point straight down, while two thick, dark antennae arch upward from between its eyes. The background is a soft, completely dissolved bokeh of warm, sunlit marsh greens and deep shadows.
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Gray @grays.art · 13/09/2026
Cradled in the white noise of the box fan more asleep than awake in the half-light, above us, a dark mark on the ceiling, could be a spider, or house centipede, it hasn’t moved yet, or moves so slowly, imperceptibly, that it appears still— relax, it’s probably only a poem.
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Gray @grays.art · 13/09/2026
Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) CREW pen flint strand Bonita Springs, Florida Friday, 9-11-26 Alan’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #AngryBirds, any bird with an angry face. The alt is #MyBestSide, bird captures in profile. #stunDay #birding #birds #photography #ECK #threewordgenre #blueSkyMonday
A close-up of a red-shouldered hawk perched atop a weathered, dark tree snag against a solid, vibrant blue sky. The hawk is positioned in a striking three-quarter profile, with its body facing slightly right while its head turns upward and left, beak wide open as if calling out fiercely. Its breast features dense, warm rufous and cream horizontal barring, blending into a softer, downy texture near the legs. The wings are slightly dropped, revealing a bold black-and-white checkered pattern on the flight feathers. A heavily textured tail with broad dark and narrow white bands hangs down behind the gnarled wood. The lighting highlights the dramatic contours of its feathers and the fierce, intent expression on its face, giving the scene a distinct painterly quality.
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Gray @grays.art · 13/09/2026
Wingless Meadow Katydid (Odontoxiphidium apterum) on Southern umbrella-sedge (Fuirena scirpoidea) CREW pen flint strand marsh Bonita Springs, Florida 9-12-26 #StunDay #ColorADay #orangeSun #eck #macro #nature #green #red #orange #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #bugsky #greenSat
Macro of a vibrant green wingless meadow katydid resting vertically on a thick, segmented green stalk of umbrella-sedge. The insect features a lime-green body with a bold red-orange eye, and red-tinted hind legs and lower abdomen. Its long, slender brown antennae sweep backward along its body. The ridged, grooved plant stem has overlapping leafy sheaths wrapping around it. The background is a soft, warm bokeh blur of sunlit greens and deep forest shadows.
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Gray @grays.art · 12/09/2026
Escape into light Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) CREW pen flint strand Bonita Springs, Florida 9-11-26 Helen’s #BirdOfTheDay: #BirdsInAbstract. #BlueSkyArtShow #undulating #birds #birding #threewordgenre #art #photography #nature #colorADay #BWFri #classicmono #artYear #monochrome #eck
A black and white photograph of a red-shouldered hawk perched on a textured tree stump against a solid, muted sky. The hawk faces its right, leaning forward as it falls into flight, about to catch itself with the lift of its outstretched wings. The upper wing arches sharply upward, while the lower wing sweeps down and back, showing detailed feather patterns. One taloned foot grips the edge of the weathered wood as it launches.
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Gray @grays.art · 12/09/2026
Peppered jumping spider (Pelegrina galathea) shelters under beggartick wildflower (Bidens alba) CREW pen flint strand trails Bonita Springs, Florida 8-15-26 #colorADay #greenSaturday #SpiderSaturday #eck #threeWordGenre #green #photography #nature #art #spiders #arachnids #jumpers #macro #florida
A macro close-up captures a tiny, fuzzy jumping spider clinging upside down to the bright green stem of a wildflower. The spider looks directly forward with its two large, prominent center eyes catching a metallic reflection. Its body and legs feature intricate, zebra-like patterns of black, white, and brown hair. Above the spider, a single large white petal curves over the orange, textured center of the flower bloom, all set against a stark, solid black background.
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Gray @grays.art · 11/09/2026
Little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) eats a cricket in the tall grass & reeds for the #mouthful #BirdOfTheDay theme CREW flint pen strand trails Bonita Springs, Florida 8-14-26 #birds #nature #photography #flyDay #ECK #threeWordGenre #birding #birdSky #BlueSkyArtShow #blue #florida
An adult little blue heron stands amidst vibrant, tall green marsh grass. The bird has deep slate-blue plumage on its body, transitioning into a rich purplish-maroon hue along its neck and head. Its long, slender beak is slightly agape, revealing a small brown cricket, or crustacean tossed in the air prior to swallowing. The heron's pale yellow eye is wide and sharp, capturing a moment of active foraging in its natural wetland habitat. The background consists of softly blurred green reeds and hints of blue water.
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Gray @grays.art · 11/09/2026
It’s FlyDay. We made it! Morning Delaware skipper (*Anatrytone logan*) on dew-laden foliage CREW pen flint strand lakes & trails Bonita Springs, Florida 8-16-26 #ColorADay #orangesun #flyDay #eck #macro #nature #threeWordGenre #art #macroPhotography #native #butterflies #bugsky #photography
A macro photograph of a Delaware skipper butterfly resting in profile on a green leaf heavily coated in tiny, glittering dew droplets. Its wings are partially opened, displaying a brilliant, rich golden-orange color with bold, clean black margins and fine dark veins running through the upper wings. The insect’s fuzzy, yellowish thorax and head are sharply in focus, highlighting a large, dark bulbous eye and slender antennae extending forward. The background is a soft, deep brown and green bokeh blur that makes the radiant orange of the butterfly pop.
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Gray @grays.art · 11/09/2026
San Francisco seascape Monday, September 7, 2026 #scape #flyday #blueskyArtshow #undulating #eck #photography #blue #urbanGaze #colorADay #BlueTue
A fleet of four small white sailboats is being towed in a line across a sunlit, shimmering blue bay by a dark motorized rigid inflatable boat (RIB). To the left, a steep, tree-covered hillside projects into the water. In the distant background, a suspension bridge connects to a sprawling city skyline under a clear, bright blue sky with a small flock of birds flying overhead.
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