Wild mustangs still roam free in many areas out west (and east for that matter), including Monument Valley, Utah. This is Navajo country and this particular photo was taken near the entrance to the Monument Valley  National Tribal Park administered by Navajo Nation.

This is an old one that I took back in 2002 when I was living in my car and drove to Alaska. The place is Katmai National Park, where in mid July the salmon run is in full swing and large numbers of brown bears gather to fatten up before the fall hibernation.  This guy kept poking his head under water, hoping for an easy catch.

Delicate Arch is one of the most photographed landscapes in the world, so nothing new here. But regardless of the fact that photographically it may be a cliched image of the national parks system and the American West, it’s still a spectacular place to visit. You can see the arch from a few roadside vantage points in Utah’s Arches National Park, but to get the full experience, a 1.5 mile, moderately strenuous hike is required. I was most recently there over the 4th of July and timed my arrival so that I would reach the arch at sunset. Unfortunately, there were no clouds to light up the sky on that particular night, but the afterglow of twilight and a half moon provided enough visual interest for a few shots.

I took this photograph of a cabbage white butterfly in Wellfleet, Massachusetts a couple of weeks ago, but it could have been anywhere, as they are the most common and widespread butterfly in the country. And they’re not even native, having been introduced from Europe in the 1860s.

Not necessarily a great photo technically, but as you can see I was able to capture a roseate spoonbill as he presides over a meeting with representatives of each of the local wading bird species, including white ibis and tri-colored heron, to discuss matters of mutual interest.  This was in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in Florida.

A couple of elephant seals attempting to make a couple of more elephant seals. This one was taken on a deserted stretch of beach near San Simeon, California.

I photographed this northern flicker at Sylvan Lake State Park in Colorado. It’s the only woodpecker that commonly feeds on the ground. It also has the odd distinction of having over 100 common names, including yellowhammer, clape, gaffer woodpecker, harry-wicket, heigh-ho, wake-up, walk-up, wick-up, yarrup, and gawker bird. Most of the names are attempts at imitating its calls.

The bighorn sheep I saw up at Mount Evans in Colorado over the 4th of July weekend were looking a bit on the haggard side. Well, maybe more than a bit. As you can see, this ewe that I photographed along the side of the road wasn’t exactly sporting a camera ready fur coat. But then again, the patchy look kind of adds character.

Here’s another request, this time from my young friend David Koffler. In the spring, female snapping turtles will travel on land for great distances to find suitable sandy soil to lay their eggs. I came across this one as she crossed a freshly sprouting field of crops near Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.

Of course, I can never know for sure, but I’m pretty sure this pronghorn was flirting with me. This one was taken a couple of years ago in Badlands National Park in South Dakota.